Matthews, Poppinga Not Settling For Second-String

They've both been working as the outside linebackers on the No. 2 defense throughout OTAs this month, but you can count on Clay Matthews and Brady Poppinga to make their push for a starting job sometime this summer. And that's not a knock against Jeremy Thompson, the second-year pro who has taken all the reps thus far with the No. 1 unit as the outside linebacker opposite Aaron Kampman. Thompson has made a relatively smooth transition from defensive end and reshaped his body in a way that makes him look fairly natural at his new position. But it's hard to discount how well the skills of Matthews and Poppinga fit the outside linebacker spot as well. Matthews, a first-round draft pick out of USC, excelled as the Trojans' hybrid end/linebacker with his ability to drop into coverage as well as rush the passer. Meanwhile Poppinga, now in his fifth year in the NFL, was a defensive end in college who converted to a strong-side linebacker in the Packers' old 4-3 sc..