I loved Matt. But his career would have ended already if he were here last year. Thank Tarvaris Jackson for holding it together with such an awful line. He did more for this current squad than Matt did (look how many guys on the team now played with Matt as compared to those who played with Tarvaris).
Now for those who want to bash.... Matt was my favorite player. I don't think Tarvaris ever would have led us to 11 wins. But the intense love for Matt juxtapositioned with the intense hate for Tarvaris Jackson makes zero sense to me right now when considering where we are today. I love Matt for what he did in the mid-2000's and will never forget it. His 2007 season was epic on a really crappy team.
If we go shopping for backups, I'd love to have T-Jack back. He is a team guy all the way, is tougher than hell, and would probably be willing to play FB if they asked him to. I think Russell doesn't need a "coaching" backup. He needs somebody to vent to and talk to and get along with. Sort of like Matt had with Trent. Trent wasn't threatening him for his job, but Trent had a good arm and was a great teammate. Same with Seneca. He was a great backup, because he could run the ball and was always watching and charting and involved in discussions (not a guy with a best seat in the house on the bench collecting a hefty paycheck).
I still like Matt. I'm glad he follows our team, because I think he'd be surprised at how many Hawks fans follow him in Tennessee (myself included). I want to see him sail off into retirement without suffering permanent injury beyond what he already has and own the NFL Network or ESPN as a broadcaster that I actually enjoy listening to and who makes me laugh out loud frequently.