Shea McClelline Gets a Rush From Rushing the Passer...........

Bears draftee Shea McClellin gets a rush from pressuring passers

BY SEAN JENSEN sjensen@suntimes.com April 27, 2012 11:29PM


http://www.suntimes.com/csp/cms/site...YPE=image/jpeg The Bears’ first-round draft choice, Shea McClellin, said, “What I wanted to do was rush the passer.” | Above: Julie Jacobson~AP; Top: Richard A. Chapman~Sun-Times





Updated: April 28, 2012 2:12AM


Whenever his offense stepped onto the field against Boise State, TCU coach Gary Patterson always played the in-game version of “Where’s *Waldo?”


But instead of looking for a bespectacled young man with a white and red cap, Patterson searched for Boise State’s Shea McClellin, who could be lined up in nearly any quadrant of the field.

“Besides being a guy who had a high motor, he’s very smart, and he played a lot of positions,” Patterson said. “Right and left side. Cover tight ends. “You name it, and he did it.”


That versatility is one of his greatest assets, the reason 3-4 teams such as the New England *Patriots and Green Bay Packers were among those intrigued by him, the reason why he skyrocketed the last couple months from a potential third-rounder to a first-rounder.


“I do take pride in being versatile,” McClellin said, “and I love doing what I can to help the team.


“Whatever. Special teams, DB [defensive back] if they want me to. That’s the type of person I am.”


But pressed on his preference, McClellin relented and acknowledged his true passion.
“There’s just something about it. It’s my opportunity to let loose, basically,” McClellin said of rushing the passer. “I love the competition. It’s a one on one battle with the guy across from you. “I don’t think there’s a better position to have, then to get after the quarterback.”


Heading into the draft, many NFL analysts projected McClellin as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. But two NFC personnel executives said McClellin has the athleticism and size to play defensive end in a 4-3 system such as that used by Lovie Smith.


Both used the word “versatile,” and one added that the Bears made a very good selection.


Can he cover tight ends? Can he drop into coverage? Can he tackle running backs? Yes, he can do all those things, but he’s most passionate about chasing the quarterback.


“What I wanted to do was rush the passer, no matter what [scheme] that’s in. I could care less,” he said. “I couldn’t think of a better situation to be in, to be honest. It’s going to be awesome.”


Whitney Mercilus of Illinois and Chandler Jones of Syracuse were among the defensive ends available, but Emery said McClellin *possesses natural abilities that other players didn’t have.


“It’s just natural instincts in terms of feeling pressure,” Emery said. “Say if an offensive tackle was trying to reach to my outside, he instantly has a feel for feeling that block, getting his body in a right leverage position and working off that block to the ball.


“Taking his natural and his quickest path from the blocker to the ball possible. Some people possess it at a high level. He does. Some don’t, they get stuck on blocks. They are the type of guy you see in good lock-out position and they are all squared up and they are ready and the ball carrier goes right by them. They are not reactive from block to ball. Shea has that ability at a very high level.”


At Boise State, McClellin’s knack for stunts made the Broncos defense a difficult one to deal with. He’d shoot gaps, or he’d drop back to cover a running back or tight end. For his career, McClellin finished with 20 ½ sacks, forced five fumbles and intercepted four passes.


As for questions about the level of competition, even Patterson pointed to his performance against blue-chip programs like Virginia Tech and Georgia. In victories against those teams, McClellin totaled five sacks and 6 ½ tackles for loss.

“He played a lot of good football,” Patterson said, “and he had all the intangibles.”


McClellin doesn’t shy away from the concerns about him. “To all those doubters, I’m going to have to prove myself and I’m used to that,” he said. “I came from Boise State, where we had to prove ourselves every week.”

We're gonna love this kid!!!

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Originally Posted by soulman

We're gonna love this kid!!!

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I am starting to think so too. Can't wait to see him in action.

Inside the Bears




Lovie: Shea McClellin will 'hold his own' vs. run in NFL

By Mark Potash on April 29, 2012 11:37 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks



The first question for Lovie Smith after the Bears completed their NFL draft Saturday came from Lovie Smith.


''Where will [Shea McClellin] play? He's not a linebacker -- let's start with that,'' Smith said, answering his own question in his opening remarks. ''He'll have his hand down in a three-point stance from Day One and he'll be in the defensive line room. We can't wait to get started with him. We think he can be an excellent pass rusher in the league. He's excited about competing with the other defensive ends.''


Lovie's attitude about McClellin in response to questions about the Boise State defensive end gave me more uncertainty and doubt about the Bears' draft than anything else. The advantage of a player like McClellin is his versatility -- Boise State got the most out of him by moving him around.


With his athleticism and motor at 6-3 and 260 pounds, McClellin theoretically can add a dimension of unpredictability to the Bears' defense it currently does not have. If McClellin is as good as advertised, he'd be one more player an opposing quarterback has to find before the snap. Besides Julius Peppers.



That is supposed to be an advantage. But Lovie seems to consider any potential tweaking of his beloved defense as an insult instead of an improvement that might give Aaron Rodgers and the Packers a wrinkle they haven't seen 100 times before. At least that's how it came across when he was asked if McClellin's versatility would allow the Bears to do some things they haven't done before.


''We feel like we've done that with our defense everyday we've been here to try and maximize every guy's potential in our scheme,'' Smith said. ''We're not going to start changing up things. Shea is the ideal guy to fit into what we do.


''We feel like we have a role with him there. We've had defensive ends that have had pretty good seasons playing our defense. We're not changing to the 3-4 or any of that stuff people talk about. He'll be a 4-3 end.''


It's hard to argue with Lovie Smith's credentials as a defense coach -- though his success with the Bears is inherently linked to Brian Urlacher (the Bears have been in the top half of the NFL in points allowed in each of Smith's eight seasons -- except 2009, when Urlacher missed the final 15 games and they were 21st). But he would seem to be selling his defense short if he doesn't at least consider the possibilities with McClellin.


Some people think he might have to, because they can't see McClellin ''setting the edge'' against the run at 260 pounds. Smith refuted that notion with typical disdain. He even made a good point -- but couldn't resist the condescending, argumentative tone that indicated the question had no merit.


''First off you have to explain ... how a 6-3 260-pound guy is going to have trouble doing that,'' he said. ''Weight is one of the most overrated things there is when you talk about football players. You talk about strength and athletic ability more than that.


''Were not a 2-gap, hit-guys-right-down-the-middle [defense]. We don't play that style of ball. We're a get-on-the-edge, maintain-your-gap [defense]. A defensive end that is 6-3, 260 pounds can do that easily. So that is no concern at all, Shea, believe me, will be able to hold his own with the big boys that he is playing with.''

I'm glad to see Lovie out supporting this pick and kickin' some sportswiter ass. If those guys actually knew even half as much as they pretend to then maybe they wouldn't ask such stupid questions.

One of the first things they could do is yank out the rosters of 31 other NFL teams and they'd see that there are far more 260lb DE's than there are 280-290lb DE's playing in 4-3 defenses. Those big boys typically play the 5t DE spot in a 3-4. Most 4-3 DE aren't that huge. Pep is a monster 4-3 guy compared to other 4-3 DE's but a relative midget compared to the 300lb guys who play DE in a 3-4.

Another thing they can do is to look at Henry Melton's NFL career to date. He came in as a 260lb DE who was once a RB in college. Even though he was listed at DE he has always played the majority of his snaps at DT even when he only weighed 260lbs! He was an OK pass rusher at 260lbs but now at a ripped 295lbs he's a monster. A guy needs to be 290-300lbs to play inside in this defense full time but not as a DE or an occasional partime rusher at DT.

Have they noticed that Izzy who is 6'6" tall only goes 275lbs and he's played DE at 265-270lbs. How about the Lions Cliff Avril? He's 6'3" and 260lbs. Jason Babin? 6'3" 267lbs. The Vikes Brian Robison? 6'3" 259lbs, and the Colts Robert Mathis? 6'2" 245lbs. Every single one of these guys is a LDE in a 4-3 defense and both Avril and Mathis are "franchise tagged" players. Do these writers think you need to be King Kong to play LDE. Man talk about stereo typing....WTF! Maybe the need to get off the couch and go watch some football.

And by the look of Brad Biggs he spends a lot of time on that couch at his place. Probably with a 12 pak and a couple of bags of chips nearby. Sorry Biggsy, I'm not picking on you specifically but you were just to easy a mark to make my point with.

Once Shea McClellin gets into the Bears offseason program he'll add both weight and functional strength. Just ask Henry Melton if that worked for him. I'd be willing to bet that McC will be playing at 265-270lbs come September and all this crap about him being an undersized 3-4 only OLB will disappear but for now they need something to pick on because they're embarrassed. No one, and I mean NO ONE had the Bears figured for drafting Shea McClellin.

I'll bet Bill Belicheck is fit to be tied right now considering he gave up a 3rd round pick to trade up for him only to see the Bears get him two picks earlier. So he ended up taking the guy (Chandler Jones) he thought the Bears would draft but he got shtuped on McClellin and they wanted him badly. The main reason they traded up was to jump in front of the Packers for him and they thought they'd pulled it off. So, so sorry Bill Belicheat........no soup for you.

The Bears will play McC at LDE but you can bet they'll also move him around at times maybe putting him at RDE and shifting Pep inside to rush which is a spot he's shown he can be very effective at. They could even rush him from DT sometimes and I wouldn't put it past them to line him up as a SLB in certain looks and let him either blitz from there or drop into coverage. With a 4.6 he's as fast as most Safteties and faster than most LB's and his game speed doesn't look any slower than his track speed either.

We bought ourselves some offensive weapons this offseason and now we have another defensive weapon to add as well. Maybe the Chicago sportswriters should consider that when the two NFL organization most hold out as being the best in the league at drafting both wanted this kid we got ourselves a steal. When all is said and done I think we're gonna be real happy with this pick.

Great points, Soul. If this kid can play at 270 w/o compromising his burst and speed, he's gonna be a monster 3down DE for us. Do you think the Bears, in anticipating this, passed on drafting a DT (where we are thin) because they anticipate using Izzy some on the inside as well as a run stuffer?

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Originally Posted by MPBears68

Great points, Soul. If this kid can play at 270 w/o compromising his burst and speed, he's gonna be a monster 3down DE for us. Do you think the Bears, in anticipating this, passed on drafting a DT (where we are thin) because they anticipate using Izzy some on the inside as well as a run stuffer?

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At 275lbs and at his height Izzy isn't much of a run stuffer but I think we can move him inside as a pass rusher at times just like we do with Pep. Their height, reach, and wingspan blocks the forward passing lanes and give QB's fits trying to throw over or around them even when they don't get the sack. Batted passes are undervalued because it's not a stat anyone focuses on instead of the glory given a sack. Look how many FG's Pep and Izzy have blocked over their careers.

We signed this kid Jordan Miller as an UDFA last year and late last fall moved him from the PS to the 53 man roster to keep him away from other teams so they must have hopes for the guy as a backup NT this year. He's a big guy with big thighs and a big ass who can move. He reminds me of BJ Raji a bit. Then we signed this kid Cameron as a 3t DT prospect and he's a gap shooter/penetrator just like Melton so there's a guy who we might develop into a role player.

Luckily Paea can play both UT and NT so we'll have to see how all of this works out this summer. You know there will be others who will get cut from their teams so the waiver wire is there if we need more. That's how we got Okoye last year. Now that we have a guy who's as versatile as McC I think our need at DT is lessened a bit. I still would have loved to have gotten Kendal Reyes in two but I can't fault the Jeffery pick at that spot. That guy could become just as dominant as Marshall in a couple of years.

Shea will be able to play at or close to 270lbs. He dropped from 258lbs to 248lbs in one week just before the combine because so many had him pegged as a 3-4 OLB then put it back on again. If he can manipulate his weight that easily without an NFL weight training program imagine what he can do with one. Once he gets a little muscle added to him he'll be an Urlacher sized DE with Urlacher type speed and athleticism. Howe many times have we ruminated on what Urls would be like playing across from Pep rushing the passer? Well now we'll find out. I'm not worried at all. We got a good one.

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Originally Posted by soulman

At 275lbs and at his height Izzy isn't much of a run stuffer but I think we can move him inside as a pass rusher at times just like we do with Pep. Their height, reach, and wingspan blocks the forward passing lanes and give QB's fits trying to throw over or around them even when they don't get the sack. Batted passes are undervalued because it's not a stat anyone focuses on instead of the glory given a sack. Look how many FG's Pep and Izzy have blocked over their careers.

We signed this kid Jordan Miller as an UDFA last year and late last fall moved him from the PS to the 53 man roster to keep him away from other teams so they must have hopes for the guy as a backup NT this year. He's a big guy with big thighs and a big ass who can move. He reminds me of BJ Raji a bit. Then we signed this kid Cameron as a 3t DT prospect and he's a gap shooter/penetrator just like Melton so there's a guy who we might develop into a role player.

Luckily Paea can play both UT and NT so we'll have to see how all of this works out this summer. You know there will be others who will get cut from their teams so the waiver wire is there if we need more. That's how we got Okoye last year. Now that we have a guy who's as versatile as McC I think our need at DT is lessened a bit. I still would have loved to have gotten Kendal Reyes in two but I can't fault the Jeffery pick at that spot. That guy could become just as dominant as Marshall in a couple of years.

Shea will be able to play at or close to 270lbs. He dropped from 258lbs to 248lbs in one week just before the combine because so many had him pegged as a 3-4 OLB then put it back on again. If he can manipulate his weight that easily without an NFL weight training program imagine what he can do with one. Once he gets a little muscle added to him he'll be an Urlacher sized DE with Urlacher type speed and athleticism. Howe many times have we ruminated on what Urls would be like playing across from Pep rushing the passer? Well now we'll find out. I'm not worried at all. We got a good one.

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Thanks, Soul, good to hear. I was really wondering why we didn't draft a DT (even in the back half) but the team must see potential in Miller and maybe Cameron will be in the mix as well with Izzy playing some hybrid DE/DT duty. I'm looking for Paea & Melton to really bring it this year from the interior.

I'm not complaining at all over the AJ pick either but I was really surprised to see Wolfe go so early in the upper 2nd. He was a guy I thought the Bears might target in 3 if they didn't get Reyes in 2 but I missed that one by a mile.

Im sure he can apply pressure but i worry about him losing a step after he adds weight or getting bullied by bigger,stronger OTs

All in all I like him and he should fit in

I like the kid already, and I haven't even seen him play one down. He's got a chip on his shoulder because of the fact people doubt whether or not he can compete at a high level having played in a mid-major conference like the WAC. He might not have put up the eye-popping numbers that Mercilus did, but I think he's going to fit what we do just fine. At least he had two productive years playing five-technique DE, unlike Mercilus, who only put up one good season.