There's no doubting that fans of the Green Bay Packers probably took at least a little joy in watching the Seattle Seahawks choke away a Super Bowl XLIX victory to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
After their very own heartbreaking overtime loss to those very same Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, Packers fans were forced to return home, tails between their legs, to lick their wounds and count the days until another NFL season would sprout anew - so you'll pardon them for participating in a bit of schadenfreude at Seattle's expense in the meantime.
Now that the offseason is officially upon us, one major piece of business for the Packers to tend to is the future of linebacker Clay Matthews.
The stud 'backer was tasked with double duty the latter portion of this season after Dom Capers and the Packs' defensive coaches could find no other way to stem the tide of rushing yards the team was hemorrhaging on a weekly basis.
Returning Matthews to his home on the outside is of the utmost offseason importance, whether via free agency - players like David Harris, Brandon Spikes, Mason Foster and Rolando McClain may make it to the market - trade, or sometime in late April in Chicago.
"Thompson probably will be on the lookout for an inside linebacker in the draft as well," writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal. "The Packers draft 30th, so the chances of them finding an impact player aren't very good. But the higher the round they select someone, the better the chance he'll have of being a factor."
Matthews, who seemed averse to the change midseason, has since warmed to it - but not yet to the point where he's ready for a full-time position change.
"I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the change. At the same time, I'm very good at getting after the quarterback off the edge, so I think there's a fine line. So, we'll see. Week in and week out you never knew if I was going to be there 100% of the snaps or only 10. We'll see what that means moving forward," Matthews said recently, according to Silverstein.
"I enjoy it (but) at the same time, I specialize at being a pass rusher and an outside linebacker."
There's no question that outside is where Matthews can have the biggest overall impact for the team, so adding depth on the inside is paramount.
The problem facing Packers GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy is that, beyond Matthews, the future of the inside linebacker position in Green Bay seems a bit murky.
Sam Barrington became a starter late in the season and seems to have found a home. Carl Bradford, a defensive end in college, was drafted as an outside linebacker and moved inside at the end of training camp - he's no sure bet either way.
A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones will most likely be jettisoned.
With the multi-talented Julius Peppers and Letroy Guion on the roster, the lack of inside depth can be somewhat mitigated - as long as it's not mitigated by Matthews' consistent presence there.
Matthews' versatility is key, but his ability to rush the passer - a skill coveted by defensive coordinators league-wide - is wasted inside.
Whether via free agency or the draft, the team must make at least one significant addition to the linebacking corps so that Matthews can return to his home on the outside.
