Jordan Matthews Knew Patriots’ Playbook Would Be Daunting After Playing ‘Madden’

FOXBORO, Mass. — Wide receiver Jordan Matthews met Tom Brady on Tuesday when the quarterback showed up for New England Patriots mandatory minicamp. But Matthews has played with Brady before. On “Madden,” that is.

Matthews, who signed with New England as a free agent over the offseason, had heard the horror stories of wide receivers trying and failing to learn the Patriots’ playbook before. And he kind of experienced it first hand while playing video games.

“I’d heard those things. And it’s crazy, I’ve played with the Patriots on “Madden” before, and there’s like way more plays than any other team,” Matthews said smiling Tuesday. “So, I’m like, ‘OK, it’s probably somewhat realistic.’ I knew it was probably going to be a task coming in here. But at the same time I looked forward to it, and it’s something I’m just trying to continue to grow in.”

So, how similar is the Patriots’ “Madden” playbook to the one Matthews now has to learn as a member of the team?

“I’m not going to say it’s too similar, because I don’t want any of our opponents to go play it and look,” Matthews said.

He’s certainly taking the right approach to learning the complex system, and he’s getting some help from his wife, professional soccer player Cheyna Matthews.

“It’s always kind of reiterating it, going over,” Matthews said. “The more you get into it, some of it is review. But you just don’t want to study something and think you know it. So, usually when I’m at home, I let my wife, she kind of plays quarterback, and then she’ll just hold the play up, call it, and I kind of just run plays inside the house. That’s how we do it. It’s just always a learning process. It’s not something you just learn one time, and it’s like, ‘OK, I got it.’ You gotta make sure you keep studying it, keep reviewing it, and I think that sets you up for success.”

Matthews caught two touchdown passes from Brady during Tuesday’s practice, so the hard work appears to be paying off two months into his Patriots career.