Green Bay Packers Team Report
Having a player talented and worthy enough to follow in Clay Matthews' footsteps may be unthinkable, but the Packers are about to find out.
The team's rookie orientation camp, held May 11-13, foreshadowed what likely will be another position switch for Matthews in his spectacular young career.
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers had Nick Perry, this year's first-round draft pick, line up at left outside linebacker in the three practice days for rookies and select first-year players. That's the spot that has been occupied by Matthews the last two seasons.
"That will be the starting point for him," head coach Mike McCarthy said of Perry.
Matthews and Perry were teammates for a year in college at USC. The Packers' selection of Perry at No. 28 overall in last month's draft not only reunited the former Trojans but set the stage for them to become the bookend pass rushers at linebacker in Green Bay's 3-4 system.
The Packers already took a leap of faith by taking Perry with the idea of moving him from defensive end to linebacker, where he has little experience of playing. Now, they apparently have every intention to try Perry on the left side - or "strong side" of the defense - and thereby free up Matthews to apply pressure on the right side.
Perry claimed to not have any inside knowledge on what's up Capers' sleeve with Green Bay under the gun after having the league's worst-ranked total defense and pass defense.
"They gave me a spot to play (in the rookie camp), and that's where I'm going to play," Perry said. "Hopefully, if all goes well, I may play the left side. So, we'll see.
"I just worry about today and focus on the rest later."
After Perry expressed before the draft he preferred to stay at defensive end, he isn't averse to going to linebacker and lining up on the opposite side from where he excelled as a pass rusher at USC.
"It doesn't matter," Perry said. "Last year, I played on the right side. The year before that, I played both sides. That's really not an issue. I can play both sides. I'm just ready to play."
Perry, however, doesn't seem to be inclined to cut weight. He reported to the rookie camp at about 270 pounds, which is on the heavy side for a player who will have to occasionally drop back into pass coverage.
"That (weight) will probably be where I end up playing," Perry said. "It's where I'm comfortable. Obviously, I have great athleticism. I guess they want to use that. Weight isn't really a concern."
If the apparent switch takes hold going into next season, the 255-pound Matthews will go back to lining up against many of the league's elite offensive linemen at left tackle.
Matthews' rapid rise to stardom began at right outside linebacker, where he had 11 sacks (including the playoffs) as a rookie in 2009.
Capers moved Matthews to the left side the following season, and Matthews performed at a higher rate with 17 sacks in the Packers' Super Bowl-winning season while finishing runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Matthews, though, encountered a heavy dose of multiple blockers last season from the left side, and his production dipped considerably to six sacks.
Fresh off signing a four-year deal for $7.5 million with a signing bonus of $4 million - the Packers signed all eight of their draft picks by the first day of the rookie camp - Perry wasn't ready to predict he will be the second coming of Matthews right away.
"I can't really say that I'm going to be the savior (for the defense)," Perry said. "But, I'm going to put my best foot forward to help the situation - just to try to help the team any way I can."
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