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February 4, 2025 13 mins
Rolling into the final week of the postseason, the Super Bowl has now arrived with the anticipation for Sunday's kickoff through the roof as fans look to see a Super Bowl LIX showdown. With Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles set to kickoff against the back-to-back two time Super Bowl champions in what looks to be a rematch from Super Bowl LVII, former NFL linebacker Clay Matthews joins the guys discussing Super Bowl LIX. Outside of predicting a winner, Clay shares a bit of insight on his first Super Bowl appearance with the Packers along with a few pointers to note and look for rolling into the final game of the 2024-2025 season. 
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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We want to win. Sean Salisbury continues on seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Let me tell you what, man, A lot of fight
songs unless you're the soul raw State Lobos give me
jacked out. Two types of people out there. This one
gets me fired up.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Two types of people out there, Trojans and all those
who want to be them.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Don't you dare the Lobos?

Speaker 4 (00:41):
Man?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Come on, you kidd me, listen to this fight song.
I've got a pretty good Trojan on.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Huh you sure do?

Speaker 3 (00:46):
I walked on and turned out being an unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Player, eleven years in the NFL, six time Pro bowler,
Super Bowl champion. Clay Matthews is going to join us
on the Sean Salisbury Show, and now he is also
the Cult Safety Impact Award winner. Clay Matthews.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Welcome in, Yeah, and we're going to get to that. Clay.
Welcome in man. How you doing, Bud, I'm doing well.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
I appreciate that intro. Almost ran to my office real quick.
Not my old helmet from two thousand and eight when
I heard that Trojan fight song. They need a little
bit of help, but they still got one of the
best fight songs in the.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
Country, no doubt, and we can still line you up.
I know you got eligibility. I played with your uncle,
you know, for all the years I was at SC,
Bruce and I were together. Your pops is there, You're there.
We got it. We got a straight line to the Trojans.
And we'll get to that in a second. First off,
let me start with this, Clay and great to have
you on. You remember this week when you played in it?
When did it kick in that? Oh? Hell, this is real.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Well, I tell you what, while I do remember it,
it was only my second year in the league and
my head was spinning at that point. We had to
win our last two games of the twenty ten season
just to be eligible to make the playoffs, and then
we had to go on the road to Philly, to Atlanta,
to Chicago and then all the way to the Super Bowl.
That I was fortunate and that I was so naive

(02:04):
and so young that I didn't understand the magnitude of
the game. And I think that's what allowed me to
continue to play free and young like you see some
of these players. So for me, we did well. I
should say for us, we did such a great job.
And I'm assuming a lot of other teams do as
well this past week, focusing on the game plan, making
sure everything's installed, and when you do get to your

(02:25):
destination wherever the super Bowl may be, and there's media
responsibilities and being pulled every which way, the moment's not
too big for you. And the great thing is for
both these teams. You obviously see Kansas City, who you know,
is playing and they're third in the last three years
and four in the last five or whatever it is.
And then Philly coming back after a few years that
you know, I would like to think the moment's not

(02:45):
too big for them, and they should be. You know,
they should put their best product on display.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
This Sunday, Clay Matthews the Third joins us here on
Sports Talk seven ninety Sean Salasrechio. All right, Clay beat
defensive coordinator for me. I mean, head coach. I came
to you and I say, hey, Steve Spagnola, job is
if we take Saquon Barkley at least eliminate his dominance
and don't let him take over the game, will win
this game? What kind of a plan do we got
to have to deal with this guy this week?

Speaker 4 (03:12):
Yeah, I think sae Quon is going to get his
He's going to get his yards. I don't think we've
seen a team stop him. So I think their ability
to disrupt the game plan is obviously limiting those you know,
the first play we saw two weeks to go into
the Commanders, that's sixty yard run, limiting the big playmaking
ability making him earn it. And then on top of that,
it's getting pressure on Hurts. He can obviously move, you know,

(03:35):
in the pocket, but just create some hesitation, some delay
in his timed routes, and I think that'll be the
difference if you're asking me what Spag should do on
the defensive side of the ball. But listen, easier said
than done when you're going against arguably the best O
line in football, and obviously Hurts is you know, can
make plays on his feet and has been throwing the
ball extremely well. So I'm going to hijack your question here,

(03:59):
and ultimately I think the Eagles on paper seem like
they should win. But I can't bet against the Chiefs
and what they've been able to do their situational awareness
and football and I think they do it. I think
they went through in a row.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
Do you believe? And this is such a it's almost
it almost trumps the the way Kansas City is so good.
You know, they find ways to just get it done
even though it's not pretty at times. Do you believe
in watching football that there is an extra attention paid
to or given to the Kansas City Chiefs referee wise?

Speaker 4 (04:30):
Yeah, listen, I know that kind of opens the can
of worms, and especially in today's day and age of
you know, sports books and whatnot. I don't believe that
the Chiefs themselves get you know, preferential treatment or extra calls.
I will say, though, there are certain individuals who will
get to benefit of the doubt. So you know, when
you have a rookie quarterback who's going to slide, he
takes a hit out of bounds, or he's going out

(04:52):
of bounds, you know, more often than not, they're probably
not going to get the call. But I think with
you know a guy like Mahomes who's as visible as
Homes or Josh Allen or you know these guys who
you constantly see on TV and have an immense amount
of success, I think they're going to get to benefit
of the doubt. And I think that's what you saw
from you know, when the Chiefs played the Texans. I

(05:13):
don't know so much about, you know, the Buffalo game.
I know that's a separate conversation.

Speaker 3 (05:19):
About spotting the ball and all that.

Speaker 4 (05:21):
But to answer your question, I don't see preferential treatment.
I do see players get to benefit of the doubt.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Though.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
All right, let me switch to this local team here
in Houston. I don't know how much you got to
see of them. They obviously didn't get where they wanted
to go. How close is this team? You've been on
a team that had to go on a wild card,
like you said, go on a road and I believe
that year, Clay, you guys had like eleven or twelve
guys on injured reserve and still went on and win
a Super Bowl. I'll ask you about this team, CJ. Stroud,

(05:48):
Demico Ryance. Are they far off and is there a
major need somewhere?

Speaker 4 (05:53):
No, not at all. In fact, they are a fun
team to watch, a fun young team to watch. I
think CJ. Stroud obviously you know obviously Texans, you know,
being the second overall pick, they got their guy and
he's continued to show that. And then Will Anderson shortly
thereafter just being an absolute menace on the edge, but
you look at the receivers to Tank Dell, Nico Collins,

(06:14):
and I know, I want to say Stefon Diggs might
be up or something has to happen, But you look
at Shoot Mixon as well as running backs. To answer
your question, yeah, I've watched a lot of Texans ball
this year, but they look good. They've got a lot
of young playmakers with a young coach like the Migos
turned kind of that culture and that organization around. They're
fun to watch and even though the score might not

(06:36):
have insinuated at the game was as close as it
was with the Chiefs. I mean, they were right there.
So I don't think they're too far off. I think
CJ needs to continue to take those those next steps
as a competitor as a quarterback in this league to
separate himself. But I think all the pieces are in
place for you know, continued successful run for the foreseeable futures.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
US claim Matthews, the third Super Bowl champion, great player
in college pro bowler, All Pro in the NFL, joins
us for a couple more minutes here on Sports Talk
seven ninety. I'm with your uncle about every once a
week and we spent a lot of time talking and
on this show. I've said for years, your Pops is
long overdue in the Hall of Fame. And for people

(07:19):
that didn't get to watch him play, they missed a treat.
So let me ask you, if you were standing in
front of the committee and had to say why, I know, why,
tell me why, or tell the people why your Pops'
belongs in the Hall of.

Speaker 4 (07:33):
Fame, you know I will, But I hate the fact
that you know, we have to politics agreed to enter
the Hall of Fame, and I just think, you know,
regarding my father, nineteen years in the league, I think
most games played for a linebacker. I want to say
he's top three in tackles, But the fact of the

(07:54):
matter is he played in a small market in Cleveland.
He wasn't He chose not to market himself as much
as shooting myself and other people to make yourself known,
invisible and visible. And you know, ultimately it's a shame though,
because twenty five years have gone past and he's now

(08:14):
moved on to the Senior Committee. But I know those
last couple of years when he was up for induction,
I want to say, his final year in the twenty
fifth year, they had let us know that he was
the sixth you know, candidate to make the Hall of
Fame and only five. What I don't understand is that
within those twenty five years his resume has not changed yet.
Why in the twenty fifth year, you know, is there
this movement and flux of where you know how great

(08:36):
his career was. So it's frustrating, But at the same time,
you know, he has always maintained that he's at peace
with his career. But listen, you always want to be
appreciated for what you were able to do. And I
think it would be really cool, especially you know, to
have brothers in the Hall of Fame with what both
Bruce and my father were able to do. His impact

(08:58):
on the game and not just Cleveland. There's obviously, like
I said, with the small market. I mean, I could
go on for days, but I do appreciate those words,
and hopefully in time he will get into the Hall
of Fame as a senior you know however that works.
But you know, I hate the fact we have the
politic for something that as clear as day with his
impact in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (09:18):
Yeah, and I played against him and it wasn't fun.
And you know what for a family that has done
their job and speaking of your dad and your uncle,
is it. They obviously emotion when they play, but never
as you mentioned self promoters, they just did their job. Nineteen,
you're thirty eight years of pro football between the two,
and I imagine we'd see some aunts, awesome emotion that
you don't get to see much from those guys because

(09:39):
they just do their job and let everybody else talk
about them for them. Let me finish with this, and
we appreciate your time on man Is. You won the vote,
the fan vote, and you're the winner of the Safety
Impact Award, and they donated ten thousand dollars to Project
Child Safe, which is your charity. But tell us about
what this cult award is so people get an understanding.

(10:00):
Tell us about your charity, of.

Speaker 4 (10:02):
Course, Well, first off, I appreciate you get me the
platform to talk about this. As the father of three
young children of firearms enthusiasts and avid outdoorsman, I was
approached several weeks ago from my friends at coult and
we launched the Safety Impact Award, which highlights the critical
mission of educating everyone on safe and responsible firearm ownership.

(10:23):
Together We've been honoring nonprofit organizations who have shown an
exceptional commitment in the firearm industry with regard to safety.
And it's not just me, it's Hall of Famer Joe
Thomas and Super Bowl champions Adam Vinterian Fletcher Cox. We
each were asking. We had asked everyone to go to
Safety Impact Award dot com to vote for our respective

(10:44):
charities and minus Project Child Safe. I'll get to that
in a minute, and after the fan vote was calculated,
I won, which is fantastic. So Colt is donating ten
thousand dollars to my charity, Project Child Safe, which were
both fired up about. And what Project child Safe is.
It provides the nation's most comprehensive firearm and safety education.

(11:06):
They also partner with law enforcement agency to provide free
firearms safety kiss. Those are just a few of the
many things they do. So it's been just an awesome partnership.
And for those that didn't get a chance to vote,
but still want to reap the benefits of Colt's educational campaign,
go to Safety Impact Award. You even have a chance

(11:26):
to enter their Big Game Safety sweep Stakes, where if
there is a safety during the Super Bowl, you'll have
a chance to win a portion of their one hundred
thousand dollars prize. So, like I said, this has been
a no brainer. No matter how you feel about firearms,
I think it's important for all of us to be educated.
And yeah, I appreciate you giving me the platform.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
No problem, We'll let you go on this. First off,
to my fellow Trojan, it was always a joint honor
to watch you play. There. Give me a score for
this game. You know I'm not gonna let you step back.
I know you said Philadelphia should win, but you don't
want to pick against Casey. Give me a score and
who wins?

Speaker 4 (11:59):
All right, go, I think it's gonna be a high
scoring affair. I'm gonna go. I'll go forty two thirty five.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
Kansas City one of the and if they score forty
two points, I imagine that that's a Mahomes MVP award.

Speaker 4 (12:13):
Yeah, I think it's an MVP. And if if somehow
the the Eagles do, uh you know, get this victory.
I think it's say Kwon winning the MVP for the Eagles.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
There you go, Clay, always a pleasure. I'm pulling for
your pops. And like I said, I'll see your your
uncle this next Tuesday. And what a great, great honor
to have you on. We look forward to doing again.
And congratulations on the win and what you're doing for
your h for child safety and care and uh and
in the award from Colt, that's awesome. Appreciate you, my man.

Speaker 4 (12:39):
I appreciate it. Guys.

Speaker 3 (12:40):
That a great day, all right, you too, that's Clay Matthews. Yeah,
pretty good.

Speaker 4 (12:44):
Huh.

Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah, you see and that naive sometimes being naive early
in your career. Yeah, you don't, you know, because there's
gonna be people that choke in the game, and there's
gonna be people who thrive. It's almost when you're that young,
it's like I don't know what. I'm just gonna fly
around and make and you know, you watch him play
hair Flop and he flew around like crazy. A career
for CULT.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
Make sure to check out Safety Impact Award dot com
and enter their Big Game Safety Sweepstakes to win big again.
That's cult. Uh, the what Safety Impact Award.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
Matthews joining us to come on this week, appreciate you.

Speaker 2 (13:15):
We got to get out of here. The Matt Thomas
Show with Ross is next
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