Falcons’ Matthews carries dad’s Super Bowl heartache
HOUSTON – Atlanta Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews has watched Super Bowl XXXIV enough times to fool himself that the ending might just turn out differently once in a while.
To this point, the replays continue to play tricks on a son who, just two weeks shy of his eighth birthday, watched his Hall of Fame father, Bruce, in his only chance at the Vince Lombardi Trophy, come up a yard short as the Tennessee Titans fell to the St. Louis Rams inside the Georgia Dome.
Seventeen years later, Jake Matthews is on the precipice of doing something Dad never did.
Bruce Matthews played 19 seasons and went to a record 14 Pro Bowls with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans, but his only Super Bowl ended in that 23-16 loss to the Rams when linebacker Mike Jones tackled Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson just inches short of the goal line on the final play.
“It’s like every time we watch (Super Bowl XXXIV) you’re thinking, ‘Oh, they’re going to score this time. We’re going to win it. We’re going to come back,’ ” Jake Matthews said. “It’s just such a letdown to know they came up so short. But you know what? It’s my turn now. Let’s make a good memory out of this Super Bowl.”
The Matthewses represent just the third family to have had three generations of NFL players, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with a record seven Matthews men having played in the NFL.
The Matthews family, beginning with Jake’s grandfather, Clay Sr., has played a combined 59 seasons, earning 24 Pro Bowl nods. Clay Matthews Jr. won Super Bowl XLV with the Packers to culminate the 2010 season – and that’s the only Lombardi with the family’s name on it.
Jake hopes to change that when the Falcons play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI on Sunday at NRG Stadium. To get there, Jake and the Falcons beat Clay Jr. and the Packers for the NFC championship.
“I take a ton of pride in (his family’s NFL legacy), my whole life,” Jake Matthews said. “Playing on a peewee team and hearing a coach, ‘Hey, that’s Matthews’ kid, you’ve gotta expect a little bit more from him,’ and I love it. I love the respect that comes with it, and at the same time, it’s a lot to live up to. We’ve always tried to do things the right way, work hard in all that we do and just follow my dad’s lead on that.”
Asked if he would carry Bruce’s Super Bowl XXXIV heartache into action as added motivation Sunday, Jake Matthews said he did not expect to do so.
Those memories were not exactly fleeting, either.
“I was 7 years old, a week from turning 8, and actually, I remember it being kinda boring (in the days leading up to the Super Bowl),” Matthews said. “I was so young, I remember my older siblings being able to go to the events and hang out while me and my younger brother Mike were stuck in the hotel room the whole time, so we were going out of our mind. I definitely remember there was a big ice storm in Atlanta that week. The game was exciting. I think we were sitting right in front of Steve McNair’s family. It was cool. The only specific memory I have from the game is when they shot confetti on the last play. I still to this day think he would’ve made it. Every time we watch that game, my dad says this a lot, it’s such a letdown because he could’ve been a Super Bowl winner.”
It took Bruce Matthews 17 seasons before he made his only trip to the Super Bowl.
Jake has reached the Super Bowl in his third season after the Falcons made him the sixth overall pick following three standout seasons at Texas A&M.
“I hadn’t really thought about it too much, but as I sit here now it’s pretty special to know all of the games my dad played in, all the coaches he played for, and it took him 17 years to get to this game and I’m very fortunate to make it in my third year,” he said. “I have to take advantage of my opportunity because I have living proof that this doesn’t come easy. I have to take care of it on Sunday.”