This is Matt Bowen.
His traits are Family Oriented, Geek and Cheerful. He works as eSport gamer at Rainy Day Entertainment and is leader of the local gaming club called Geeky Gamers.
Matt has always been a geek, which is why he was so grateful when he scored a job as an eSport gamer, of course after a lot of training. Other than being able to do what he loves for a living it also gives him plenty of time at home with his kids. He always wanted a big happy family, but he didn’t really care for girls or love, so he choose to adopt. Now he has five kids in a big loving home
Things I Heard In Church: "Can you believe what Comcast did to me?"
Things I Heard In Church: “Can you believe what Comcast did to me?”
Referring to the synagogue ruler who was indignant because Jesus healed on the Sabbath: “The NIV says that he is indignant. The word in Greek means like: really super annoyed. He’s an angry elf. He’s a super annoyed guy, and so what does he do? He tries to get everybody as annoyed as him. This is what anger does when it gets ahold of us. When you’re really hacked at something, what do you do?…
We were lucky enough to be graced with the wisdom of former NFL safety and current Bleacher Report NFL writer, Matt Bowen. He's our first interview here at The 819 and we're massively grateful that he granted us some time during what is certainly a busy time for NFL writers everywhere.
The NFL is addictive, but thoroughly intimidating if you're new to the sport. There are masses of complex rules that may only arise once per season. The volume of technical jargon is so great, the same thing can be called by three or four different names depending on what style of coach you're talking to. It's honestly a lot to process for a newbie.
So when you have someone who is a surgeon at breaking down the advanced aspects of the game into a digestible format, that's someone you want to pay attention to. Matt Bowen is just that person.
Bowen is a 7 year NFL veteran, having spent time at the safety position for the Rams, Packers, Washington and the Bills. Thankfully, he turned to journalism full-time after his playing career ended and he brings his knowledge of both together on a regular basis, exemplifying what it is to be a good NFL analyst.
By carving up game tape, he points out the nuances of the sport to those wishing to learn further. Each installment of his 'NFL 101' series over on Bleacher Report is essential reading immediately when it hits the web. Admittedly, Bowen's writing isn't for everyone, but for the people it does attract, he's a writer as valuable as any journalist working today.
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Was it always your plan to venture into journalism once your playing career finished?
I studied journalism as an undergrad at the University of Iowa and wrote a column, plus covered the track beat, for the Daily Iowan on campus. And once I was drafted into the NFL, I went to the editor of the paper in every city I played in to ask for some space. Just a column a week to keep up on my writing with the St.Louis Post-Dispatch, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Washington Times and Niagara Gazette. From there, I went on to get my masters at DePaul University in Writing and Publishing after I retired from the league. That really improved my ability to connect with readers, improve my style, write in a conversational tone and experience the literary side of the writing field. To sum it up here, I always wanted a career in the writing field. As of now, sports writing fits my lifestyle with a young family. But I do want to get back to the literary side in the future.
How much did coaches' tape interest you as a player compared to now?
I've always been interested in the All-22 tape going back to college at Iowa. However, it wasn't until my third year in the NFL that I really started to understand what the film was telling me. Every personnel grouping, alignment, split, etc. reads like an open book once you know the game. I needed the time in the NFL to watch tape with coaches and vets before I truly understood the game on tape.
What would you say is the best introduction to the casual football fan who wants to expand their knowledge a bit further?
Read Pat Kirwan's book: 'Take Your Eye off the Ball' This is a good read that lays out the basics of the game while also looking at the complex side of the NFL from a scheme and personnel perspective.
[Editor's Note: We talked about 'Take Your Eye Off The Ball' in Episode 3 of The 819 Podcast]
Do you watch football differently when it's live compared to when you're breaking down film?
I do watch the game differently on the TV copy compared to the All-22 tape. On defense, I study the CBs -as their alignment/drop tells me the coverage. On offense, I focus on personnel, formation and down & distance to get a feel for the flow of the game, play-calling and tendencies. Have to stop looking at the ball and get a wider view of the actual play to break down the TV copy.
What's the first thing you analyse when studying film?
I always look at the "WHY?" That tells me everything. If its a deep post, why did the defense get beat? Was it the coverage, leverage, eye discipline, angle to the ball? Where was the help? And, to be honest, it always comes back to technique. With so much speed and talent on the field in the NFL, technique is always the answer to why a player wins/loses a one-on-one matchup.
Do you have a favourite writer that isn't sports related?
Lee Child, John Sandford, Cormac McCarthy and J.D. Salinger. I love to read fiction and studied both long form and short story in my masters program.
What do you think of the NFL's push towards making the game more international? For the record, I think an NFL team situated in a country that isn't part of North America would be a huge mistake, but love that they play meaningful games abroad. And I really wish they would follow in college football's footsteps by playing a game here in Dublin.
I like seeing the NFL play some annual regular season games out of the country, but we have to look at this from the perspective of travel, recovery, etc. with the players when talking about a non-US franchise. Can't have teams traveling to Europe on a regular basis. I have a hard time seeing the Players' Union buying into that.
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Matt Bowen currently resides in Chicago, IL and can be found online at the following:
Bleacher Report | Twitter | Facebook | The 819 Resources
