October 19, 2007

TE Michael Matthews was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent. At 6-4, 270 lbs, Matthews provides Big Blue with a young, hungry tight end behind Jeremy Shockey. Matthews, a good blocker and receiver is expected to be an important part of the 2007 New York Giants.

Matthews has agreed to document his first NFL season with an exclusive diary you’ll find only at Giants.com!

Friday, October 19, 2007

	TE Michael Matthews was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent. At 6-4, 270 lbs, Matthews provides Big Blue with a young, hungry tight end behind Jeremy Shockey. (GETTY)

Making this roster as an undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech, I have come to realize many things. First, I realized you have to work hard to get where you want to be. You can't take anything for granted and you have to go through the high's and the low's. I'd have to say the main difference between being drafted and undrafted are the opportunities one would get. Those opportunities at times are limited so you really have to make the most out of every chance you get. With that being said you have to concentrate more, work even harder, and try and be what they want you to be. You have to try your best to be perfect.

Moving on to this past Monday in Atlanta, I was very pleased with the way we played and I had a fun time. It was nice being able to see some of the people I played with in college while getting the chance to go back to the Georgia Dome, but this time to play competitively. Back in school (Georgia Tech), we used to practice there but this was very different. Every game is a learning experience for me and things are getting better with each passing week. Going up against the Falcons on Monday allowed me to line up against their defense as a whole which has a lot of talent. They have a great defense down there.

There were some things I was happy about and some things I wasn't too thrilled about. First off, I thought my blocking as well as the rest of the o-line was very good. However, if I could point out one thing I wasn't pleased with it was my dropped pass in the flat. I have to do alot better there. I'm working on making myself a better receiver and always looking to improve my game as a whole.

Our offense as a unit did well putting up 31 points but overall I think we can always improve. You're never satisfied in this league and you're always looking to build on a good performance. Its been the mind set of this team as well as the rest of the NFL to work hard and become the best you can be.

Next up for us are the 49ers this Sunday back home. Despite their record the niners are a very very good football team. Their defense is good and they haven't allowed many points this season. They can shut you down on any given day. They even did that to Steve McNair and he's a former Pro Bowler and MVP. There's no question we are going to have our hands full this week and their defense is going to come to play. They are very physical and we're going to need to be on top of our game whether it's execution or technique.

Another thing I'm proud of with this team is how the mindset remained the same after our 0-2 start. We knew once we broke training camp that we had plenty of talent and that we were a good team. After starting 0-2, we looked at each other and said we have the talent lets just go out there and show everyone what we're all about. We did and now things are starting to turn around for us.

Lastly my key's to this Sunday's game against San Francisco are simple:
1) Keep doing what we've been doing
2) Don't turn the ball over
3) Follow what Coach says about the "3 and 1 Rule." Meaning, the offense, defense, and special teams must all do their jobs and work with one another to come together to produce a good all around performance and get another victory.

Well, that's all for now but I'll catch up with everyone again next week in my 2007 Season Journal!