NFL producers attempting to maintain a modicum of theatrical professionalism were forced to remind Clay Matthews not to make direct eye contact with the sideline cameras trained on him for the duration of the Dolphins game Sunday.
Cameras panned to a helmet-less Matthews 37 times during the game, mostly before commercial breaks.
“We like to get a lot of sideline shots of Clay to build up the storyline of the game,” NFL cinematographer Nick Grover said. “He’s got that signature hair, and he’s learned to convey emotion really well on camera.”
But Matthews’ sideline performance was uncharacteristically poor Sunday. On multiple takes, the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker was caught staring directly into the camera.
“It was unprofessional,” Veteran NFL cameraman Jacob Weber said. “And I had to remind him to get back into character over and over. He looked more like a rookie than the superstar I’ve worked with for years.”
Matthews’ forgot one of the cardinal rules of show business, Grover says.
“You never break the fourth wall,” Grover said. “A true performer makes the audience believe the illusion that he doesn’t know the cameras are rolling, even when they’re inches from his face.”
Matthews’ on-field performance wasn’t any better. He did not record a single tackle against Miami.
“He’s normally really good for the action scenes,” Grover said. “But on Sunday, he had absolutely no range. He wasn’t the blockbuster action hero, and he wasn’t that dramatic sideline guy we know he can be.”
According to Weber, Matthews looked lost.
“I had to coach him up the whole game,” Weber said. “He wasn’t running his fingers through his hair enough. And he wasn’t scowling off into the distance the way we’d like him to.”
Matthews’ onscreen performance was “passionless,” Weber says.
“I tried to pump him up. I got up in his face and told him he was a fearsome warrior, a modern-day gladiator—the usual stuff,” Weber said. “But he just wasn’t responding. In a tight game like that, I shouldn’t have to get Clay motivated.”
Matthews capped off his lackluster showing with a disastrous post game press conference in which he completely forgot his lines and resorted to repeating the answers he’d given reporters after last week’s Vikings game.
