Matthews was walking through one of the corridors at the NovaCare Complex when a handful of reporters approached the rookie. He was on his way to review tape of his performance with coaches, and he was likely to hear his share of criticism.
But Matthews has pretty much been hearing it from all corners since the second preseason game, when the Steelers ran roughshod over the 6-foot-1, 232-pound linebacker:
He's too small.
He's not instinctive.
He's not ready.
The chatter built after Steven Jackson zipped through the middle of the Eagles defense on the Rams' first play from scrimmage and reached a crescendo following a first quarter in which St. Louis running backs ran for 104 yards.
He's playing out of position.
He's doesn't fit the scheme.
Put Jamar Chaney in the middle.
"I usually try to block it," Matthews said. "I don't read the newspaper. I don't read any of the articles."
But he hears it. And it's likely to only get worse because, to be fair, Matthews has a long way to go. A review of the game revealed the rookie either getting blown up by offensive linemen with free shots or being late to the ballcarrier.
Andy Reid described his linebackers as "playing cautious," which was a mild observation but as about as harsh as the Eagles coach will typically go the day after a win. But Reid said the unit - Matthews, and outside linebackers Chaney, Moise Fokou and Brian Rolle - tightened up the seams and got better as the game progressed.
But the outcome could have been different if Jackson had not strained his quadriceps after just two carries and quarterback Sam Bradford's fumble wasn't returned for a touchdown with the score tied, 7-7, in the first quarter and the Rams in field-goal range.
But Reid saw improvement out of Matthews, and a victory bought the fourth-round draft pick another game if not a reprieve from his critics.
They had plenty of ammunition.
