Seahawks wide receiver Chris Matthews understands if you weren’t expecting him to become a playmaker in the Super Bowl.
He wasn’t really expecting it, either.
Matthews admitted that his first catch, a 44-yard bomb in the biggest game of the year, wasn’t even drawn up for him.
“It surprised me because the route I ran was a decoy route for the other guys underneath,’’ Matthews said via ESPN 710 in Seattle. “I look up, and go, ‘The ball’s really coming at me.’ I was like, ‘OK, let me just put my hands up for it.’ ”
He caught that one, and then another 45-yarder in the third quarter along with a touchdown just before halftime. That moment, he said, was when he realize coach Pete Carroll trusted him.
“I thank Pete every time I look at it,” Matthews said of the touchdown. “He threw me in there. We called a timeout and Pete said, ‘I want Chris in the game on this side.’ I looked at him like, “I really appreciate this. I’m glad you understand now.’ ’’
Of course, the Seahawks didn’t want him when they made roster cuts last preseason, as he hung around on the practice squad until a late-season call-up.
“Last year was a lot of ups and downs for me,’’ he said. “I was just trying to figure out what was best for me. How can I fit in? The biggest thing was when I understood practice means a lot here. You practice hard, you play hard, is what a lot of people say here. I picked that up and embraced it. . . .
“Everybody has their own story. Some get to tell it earlier than others. I think at one point in time, we can all be great.”
For a night at least, he was. And now he hopes he can follow up on it.