McClellin gets cut

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Vernon Davis is also 6'-3" 250 lbs, ran a 4.4 forty, and has a beast physique. That takes years of sculpting, Thomas Jones was probably the last player the Bears had that any type of physique.

[bradjock]

Vernon Davis is also 6'-3" 250 lbs, ran a 4.4 forty, and has a beast physique. That takes years of sculpting, Thomas Jones was probably the last player the Bears had that any type of physique.

 

I'd add Roy Williams into the mix of guys who had that type of physique. Not that it helped him catch the damn ball.

 

Also, Izzy Idonije used to look freaking cut.

[CrackerDog]

I now hate McClellin and hope he actually gets cut. How does a professional athlete have the same build as me? Ridiculous for a guy who has the money, motivation, and need to do nothing but learn a Playbook and look like a brick shithouse.

 

What a dick

[Bears4Ever_34]

The most disturbing thing to me about those images is that in neither one does he look like a professional NFL Linebacker. Maybe its the lighting, but he looks like he could pass for a kicker.

[jason]

After he was drafted by the Bears, there was talk that he was too skinny to play DE so he was "bulking up." I suggested in my previous post that we asked him to put on weight that his slim build was not designed for. These pictures are evidence of that. I would view it as being comparable to every DT who has a spare tire around their waist. They are expected to maintain a certain weight to play the position.

 

Don't be mad at Shea. Be mad at Phil Emery and the Bears for wasting two years asking him to do something that doesn't fit his greatest strengths.

 

That's probably the fairer, less knee-jerk take.

 

Virtually everyone on this board thought it was a bad pick because of the reasons we have seen SMC do so poorly. I just wish he would have busted his ass to put on solid weight instead of the spare tire.

[jason]

What a dick

 

As always, eat shit. This dude is a professional who gets millions to do nothing but be super strong, athletic, and play a sport. It's his obligation as a professional athlete to be in superb shape at all times. Maybe he would have done better, and fans would like him more, if he had taken that professional obligation a little more seriously.

[adam]

The most disturbing thing to me about those images is that in neither one does he look like a professional NFL Linebacker. Maybe its the lighting, but he looks like he could pass for a kicker.

Yeah, the picture is off, because the one on the right doesn't look much different than my build, and I am 5'11" 185.

[bradjock]

That's probably the fairer, less knee-jerk take.

 

Virtually everyone on this board thought it was a bad pick because of the reasons we have seen SMC do so poorly. I just wish he would have busted his ass to put on solid weight instead of the spare tire.

 

But you're ignoring my theory. And I concede it's just a theory. The knock on Shea was that he was too skinny to stop the run. Was he more concerned about adding pounds to make the team happy so that he could more adequately play DE? In summary, the team demanded he add pounds that his body was not necessarily equipped to handle. High-level athletes often struggle maintaining weight. So he went the other way and the result was the Michelen Man.

 

In this article, Shea said he weighs 250. Does anyone believe he's 6-3 250??? No way in hell. I'd guess 230. Tops.

 

The reason everyone thought it was a bad pick was because we thought the Bears drafted a linebacker to play defense end. These pictures seem to be more evidence that we drafted a linebacker to play DE. Now we are correcting the mistake.

 

Why do you hope he gets cut? Shouldn't you be hoping he turns out to be the next middle linebacker for the Bears? And more importantly, a damn good middle linebacker? That's what I'm hoping for.

 

 

[adam]

 

Tennis players are better built than him, lol.

[Connorbear]

But you're ignoring my theory. And I concede it's just a theory. The knock on Shea was that he was too skinny to stop the run. Was he more concerned about adding pounds to make the team happy so that he could more adequately play DE? In summary, the team demanded he add pounds that his body was not necessarily equipped to handle. High-level athletes often struggle maintaining weight. So he went the other way and the result was the Michelen Man.

 

In this article, Shea said he weighs 250. Does anyone believe he's 6-3 250??? No way in hell. I'd guess 230. Tops.

 

The reason everyone thought it was a bad pick was because we thought the Bears drafted a linebacker to play defense end. These pictures seem to be more evidence that we drafted a linebacker to play DE. Now we are correcting the mistake.

 

Why do you hope he gets cut? Shouldn't you be hoping he turns out to be the next middle linebacker for the Bears? And more importantly, a damn good middle linebacker? That's what I'm hoping for.

 

Exactly.

 

Peace

[jason]

But you're ignoring my theory...

 

No no. You misunderstand me. I wholeheartedly agree, which is why I always harp on the idea that we fans could pick just as well in the draft as the GMs. Just about all of us knew it was a bad idea to pick him, but they did it anyway. And then they had him bulk up, negating SMC's best asset (speed). Double stupid. Now they are basically admitting their flop with his move to LB.

 

As for him getting cut, you could go back in this board's history and see where I hoped for his success numerous times. I hope he uses his average looking build and turns into another Urlacher. I hope every player on the Bears turns into an all-pro. Obviously. But I don't think he will even start, and I believe he will cement his bust status. The frustration stems from the fact that he had the choice to put on good weight instead of bad weight when he was told to gain. He could have hired dietitians, nutritionists, chefs, personal trainers, etc. and packed on explosive muscle with his multi-million resources. Instead, he clearly didn't put in a full effort, since he was able to transform his body this offseason.

[bradjock]

No no. You misunderstand me. I wholeheartedly agree, which is why I always harp on the idea that we fans could pick just as well in the draft as the GMs. Just about all of us knew it was a bad idea to pick him, but they did it anyway. And then they had him bulk up, negating SMC's best asset (speed). Double stupid. Now they are basically admitting their flop with his move to LB.

 

As for him getting cut, you could go back in this board's history and see where I hoped for his success numerous times. I hope he uses his average looking build and turns into another Urlacher. I hope every player on the Bears turns into an all-pro. Obviously. But I don't think he will even start, and I believe he will cement his bust status. The frustration stems from the fact that he had the choice to put on good weight instead of bad weight when he was told to gain. He could have hired dietitians, nutritionists, chefs, personal trainers, etc. and packed on explosive muscle with his multi-million resources. Instead, he clearly didn't put in a full effort, since he was able to transform his body this offseason.

 

I understand your frustration. But I'm not convinced it's all his fault. At their rookie training camp, he and Brandon Hardin were standing side by side. Hardin was taller and longer. Yet they are both listed at 6-3. Lance Briggs is listed at 6-1 243. He looks much wider and stockier than Shea. Shea's stature is closer to Chris Conte or Craig Steltz. Even fat, he was no where close to his listed weight of 260. He's built like a strong safety, small for a linebacker, yet we had him playing DE. He should have gotten on PED's and would have all been good.

 

I look at it this way: Craig Steltz is listed at 6-1 210. What if we drafted him, told him to add 40 ponds and play DE? That's just stupid. Yet we did something similar with Shea.

 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I was one that thought it would be crazy for Shea to play LB, only bc he is a 3-4 OLB. I am now backing off that thought because he resembles a young Urlacher, with a smaller neck. If he and the coaches put in the work, he just might be something.

Also, for all the talk about drafting the LB Barr, that would be making the same mistake all over again. Unless we do become a 3-4 base, it makes no sense.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

So besides the creepiness of all you guys talking about the physical appearance of various players and making it worse by posting all the pictures of these guys in their shorts, I'll add my two cents.

 

Lest we remember how misleading this infamous photo was of a future hall of famer:

 

I don't think we can necessarily rate someone's potential on how they appear without their gear on. If we were to consider that alone then we would think Tim Tebow would be better as a QB than Brady. The question to ask is now that he's transformed himself, will he do better? Coming out of HS he measured 6'3", at 228# and ran a 4.8 40*. In the 2012 combine he came in at 6'3", 260# and ran a 4.6 40*. Now the article tells me that presumably he's still the same height but is 252 and runs a 4.5 40 ...and....lifts 365 in the bench press. So he lost 8 lbs from his combine day over two years ago but improved his speed by .1 of a second. Considering how fast a 40 yard run takes, and that normally you slow down, not speed up, I think that's pretty good. And, I might add, during the Combine Shea did 19 reps of 225 on the bench Press* Just for comparison; Urlacher did 27, Bostic 22, and Allen 13. As an extra note; our own Steven Paea set a near record of 49. So does the combination of strength, speed, agility and ripped abs equal a great player? Not necessarily. But the will to do better goes a lot better and from all indications SMC is doing all he can to improve himself in his new role.

 

* (source: Wikipedia)

[jason]

So besides the creepiness of all you guys talking about the physical appearance of various players and making it worse by posting all the pictures of these guys in their shorts, I'll add my two cents.

 

Lest we remember how misleading this infamous photo was of a future hall of famer:

 

I don't think we can necessarily rate someone's potential on how they appear without their gear on. If we were to consider that alone then we would think Tim Tebow would be better as a QB than Brady. The question to ask is now that he's transformed himself, will he do better? Coming out of HS he measured 6'3", at 228# and ran a 4.8 40*. In the 2012 combine he came in at 6'3", 260# and ran a 4.6 40*. Now the article tells me that presumably he's still the same height but is 252 and runs a 4.5 40 ...and....lifts 365 in the bench press. So he lost 8 lbs from his combine day over two years ago but improved his speed by .1 of a second. Considering how fast a 40 yard run takes, and that normally you slow down, not speed up, I think that's pretty good. And, I might add, during the Combine Shea did 19 reps of 225 on the bench Press* Just for comparison; Urlacher did 27, Bostic 22, and Allen 13. As an extra note; our own Steven Paea set a near record of 49. So does the combination of strength, speed, agility and ripped abs equal a great player? Not necessarily. But the will to do better goes a lot better and from all indications SMC is doing all he can to improve himself in his new role.

 

* (source: Wikipedia)

 

1. QBs need not be athletes if they have Brady's abilities. DEs and LBs are way different.

2. Strength and speed are relative to position. It's why low reps for DEs and DTs mean something most of the time. But it's not the be all end all. Players must still have a combo of abilities.

 

Having said all that, a non-QB player who is not performing needs to bust his ass to improve the various measurables you mentioned. He needs to improve speed, strength, etc. to beat his opponent. Maybe Jared Allen figured out how to improve anticipation, burst, and leverage to overcome his unimpressive bench reps. Therefore, nobody gets concerned about that. But if a player is not improving? A spare tire is the evidence of a lack of off-field effort. And if he's doing all within his disposal, he would probably look much better shirtless than SMC. Otherwise it's on them (unless the GM and HC try to plug a square peg into a round hole and set the player up for failure).

[Alaskan Grizzly]

1. QBs need not be athletes if they have Brady's abilities. DEs and LBs are way different.

2. Strength and speed are relative to position. It's why low reps for DEs and DTs mean something most of the time. But it's not the be all end all. Players must still have a combo of abilities.

 

Having said all that, a non-QB player who is not performing needs to bust his ass to improve the various measurables you mentioned. He needs to improve speed, strength, etc. to beat his opponent. Maybe Jared Allen figured out how to improve anticipation, burst, and leverage to overcome his unimpressive bench reps. Therefore, nobody gets concerned about that. But if a player is not improving? A spare tire is the evidence of a lack of off-field effort. And if he's doing all within his disposal, he would probably look much better shirtless than SMC. Otherwise it's on them (unless the GM and HC try to plug a square peg into a round hole and set the player up for failure).

 

So what you're saying is that because SMC improved himself he theoretically should be better? Because the "spare tire" you refer to was the 'before' not 'after'.

 

If that be the case, then we agree(?).

[jason]

So what you're saying is that because SMC improved himself he theoretically should be better? Because the "spare tire" you refer to was the 'before' not 'after'.

 

If that be the case, then we agree(?).

 

What I'm saying is, he should have never gotten the spare tire.

[AZ54]

Where's the Fridge when you need him?

[Mongo3451]

Remember when we were impressed that he had the quickness to catch chickens...:-)

 

[bradjock]

What I'm saying is, he should have never gotten the spare tire.

 

For what it's worth, here's Dan Pompei's explanation for Shea's spare tire via Twitter: "McClellin looked a little soft in a photo released by his trainer, but there were reasons why he looked that way. People familiar with the situation say McClellin had to eat a lot in order to keep his weight up so he could play the defensive end position. He needed some mass in order to be able to tangle with much larger offensive tackles, so he carried a bit of fat to stay at 263 pounds. After his position switch to linebacker, he is at 252, which is a better weight for him. The other issue is this: virtually every player in the NFL is in his worst shape of the year at the end of the season, when that picture was taken. Once training camp begins, players can't possibly work out the way they do in the offseason because their bodies usually are beat up, and they also have much less time and energy to devote to weight training and cardio. McClellin undoubtedly looked like a lot of other players who didn't have their photos all over Twitter."

[ASHKUM BEAR]

For what it's worth, here's Dan Pompei's explanation for Shea's spare tire via Twitter: "McClellin looked a little soft in a photo released by his trainer, but there were reasons why he looked that way. People familiar with the situation say McClellin had to eat a lot in order to keep his weight up so he could play the defensive end position. He needed some mass in order to be able to tangle with much larger offensive tackles, so he carried a bit of fat to stay at 263 pounds. After his position switch to linebacker, he is at 252, which is a better weight for him. The other issue is this: virtually every player in the NFL is in his worst shape of the year at the end of the season, when that picture was taken. Once training camp begins, players can't possibly work out the way they do in the offseason because their bodies usually are beat up, and they also have much less time and energy to devote to weight training and cardio. McClellin undoubtedly looked like a lot of other players who didn't have their photos all over Twitter."

Same thing I thought. It is the offseason and players usually do take a break before offseason training. It was said last year at TC that Shea came in a little lighter. At that point, he might have been told to beef back up which would come with adding whatever weight comes fastest.

I also believe the Lovie theory. Lovie had a big hand in player selection, which if he never took that power, he may still be here. Lets hope Trestman and Emery keep a good working relationship.