Shea McClellin's Makeover. Wow.

[blumeany]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... 2404.story



No wonder the guy was always struggling to chase down the QB. His development this year should be really interesting.

[RedBulls23]

Was just about to come on here and post this. It will definitely be interesting to see what he does this year.

I do hope that the fan base and the org are a bit more patient with him and aren't expecting pro bowl or bust. He mind as well be a rookie again with this position change. Not sure what numbers to expect, but if he's more disruptive this year, it will be a step in the right direction.

[emperorjones]

He looks perfect for the strong side LB. 6'3" 252lbs and runs a 4.5 40 now? Benches 350lbs+? wow.

[BullHeaded]

If he and Bostic have a quality battle at SLB and DJ Williams goes down again this year... are one of these guys going to inherit the MLB position? In 2001, rookie Urlacher lost the SLB battle to Rosie Colvin and then Minter went down. I'm just saying.

[RedBulls23]

If he and Bostic have a quality battle at SLB and DJ Williams goes down again this year... are one of these guys going to inherit the MLB position? In 2001, rookie Urlacher lost the SLB battle to Rosie Colvin and then Minter went down. I'm just saying.

When we drafted him, I thought Mcclellin would be Urlacher's replacement at MLB. Just didn't look like a DE.

Of the two, who do you think would be the guy that takes it?

[fleet]

so this is the first time anybody told him how to work out and eat, or he's been a lazy ass for 2 years. This isn't hard to figure out.

[emperorjones]

so this is the first time anybody told him how to work out and eat, or he's been a lazy ass for 2 years. This isn't hard to figure out.

You'd be surprised. i used to work with athletes and their agents. I was stunned that most YOUNG athletes had no clue. They just ate whatever they wanted and because they burned off so many calories with athletics, no one ever questioned it. Its when they get older that they start wising up.

Remember the story about Caron Butler? He comes into camp 10lbs lighter and all cut up one year with minimal body fat. Everyone asks him what exercise program he was on. He's says none, I just stopped drinking Mellow Yello. Dude was drinking something like 12 cans of Mellow Yellow a day.

Even if you read the whole article on Shea - the diet part is still screwed up:

“His post workout meal was 60 grams of protein, 200 grams of carbs,” Prohaska said. “He knows that’s exactly 18 pieces of sushi. He knows that’s three pieces of Domino’s pizza and a protein shake. He knows that’s half of an angel food cake from Ralphs grocery store and a protein shake.”

WTF - why is he eating half of an angel food cake at a sitting?

[Friend_Of_Haley]

Haha I'm guessing that was a illustration to show what empty calories food like that is. I really hope he's not eating half an angle food cake.

[fleet]

so this is the first time anybody told him how to work out and eat, or he's been a lazy ass for 2 years. This isn't hard to figure out.

You'd be surprised. i used to work with athletes and their agents. I was stunned that most YOUNG athletes had no clue. They just ate whatever they wanted and because they burned off so many calories with athletics, no one ever questioned it. Its when they get older that they start wising up.

Remember the story about Caron Butler? He comes into camp 10lbs lighter and all cut up one year with minimal body fat. Everyone asks him what exercise program he was on. He's says none, I just stopped drinking Mellow Yello. Dude was drinking something like 12 cans of Mellow Yellow a day.

Even if you read the whole article on Shea - the diet part is still screwed up:

“His post workout meal was 60 grams of protein, 200 grams of carbs,” Prohaska said. “He knows that’s exactly 18 pieces of sushi. He knows that’s three pieces of Domino’s pizza and a protein shake. He knows that’s half of an angel food cake from Ralphs grocery store and a protein shake.”

WTF - why is he eating half of an angel food cake at a sitting?

and hell yes he was lazy. He's heard all this before. All the guys you are talking about all heard it. Every kid who plays highschool football has heard it. That doesn't mean they paid any attention whatsoever to it, but they heard it. You burned calories so fast at that age you didn't have to pay much attention. But they heard it. Certainly in college they heard it. I knew what nutrition was in college, and working out, and how to get lean. I wanted to know. Nobody was telling me I was the best athlete on campus and all I had to do was show up and look good. An NFL player in an NFL lockerroom had no exposure to fitness concepts? Hey, you need to actually do it!

Right, exactly, all players are not created equal. You have the profesionals, The elites, and you also have the below average NFL players, which this kid was/is. In every discipline, there are the palookas. The inflated egos or the numbskulls who think they don't have to work, the guys who are not as good as their agent tells them they are.....and they don't wake up until they face the man in the office who tells them they've been cut. Or, they don't wake up and maybe act like nobody ever helped them when they try a comeback working out at the local highschool field and they hook onto a trainer who is their savior now.

He was completely oblivious to finding out. Totally uncurious until he got forced into playing another position before he got bounced off the roster. The Bears have nutritionists, nobody can tell me they don't. Ok even If i played along about the diet like this is all foreign to him, there is no excuse not knowing how to work out. You can't swing a dead cat at an NFL facility and not hit a highly qualified trainer who's entire job is to focus on what your issues are. But you can't hear them if you bounce on by with your headphones on full blast.

I have my doubts this will work, but the position change is the last chance he has to play in the NFL. The straight line speed is very impressive I must say. I guarantee you the Bears have linebackers who have been outworking him for years. He better be as freaky gifted as Emery thinks he is, because he is way way behind.

[BullHeaded]

This is not an excuse... he should definitely have been treating his body like it is a business investment which, for a professional athlete, it is. And that means nutrition and exercise.

In Shea's case, I think he was expected to bulk up for DE. Big Macs and Cookies are obviously a poor way to do it, but I don't think his body was naturally a fit for the size prescribed to him as a DE and as a result his output was inefficient.

I keep thinking about Michael Phelps trying to consume 8K calories per day or Chris Sale eating Big Macs like Pac Man pellets to try to gain weight when I think about Shea McClellin. Hopefully the position change will bring him to a more natural weight and a much better output. I'm cautiously optimistic about this. It's just too bad we didn't do this last year. We'd be a lot more informed about extending his contract or cutting bait.

[emperorjones]

^ Yes. Shea came in decent/OK shape and got OUT of shape on the Bears.

From the Combine: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combine/0 ... -McClellin

But still, now he is much better shape than at the combine when he was in OK shape but not very strong.

From the nfl.com scouting report:

WEAKNESSES McClellin will have a tough time convincing teams, even though he has been productive, to take a shot on him early in the draft because of his size. He has displayed enough athletic ability for teams to consider him at outside backer, but size is his only true, glaring fault and he could absolutely stand to lose weight as he enters the next level. He can get smothered by double teams and moved aside by more powerful linemen with NFL talent.

Bear's asked him to gain weight.

[Friend_Of_Haley]

Maybe the problem was never putting him at end but asking him to bulk up. He never had quite enough speed to just avoid the block, and 20 extra pounds wasn't going to let him beat a block.

Hopefully we still salvage a career out of him.

[Chitownbulls]

McClellin deff isn't a D End....Should have kept him at linebacker to begin with. I also would say this was a Lovie pick moreso than Emery.

[Licensed to Il]

McClellin deff isn't a D End....Should have kept him at linebacker to begin with. I also would say this was a Lovie pick moreso than Emery.

Agree. I never for a single day thought that Shea was a DE. I think Lovie and Emery arrogantly thought that the defense would be in a ton of passing situations, justifying a part time speed rusher in the first round. The defense fell apart, opponents ran it down our throats, and Shea very rarely even faced third and long situations. Just a terrible pick and fit from the start.

Though there is talk of trying him out a MLB, he seems like a versatile strong side backer to me (physically is like a Chad Greenway or a Bobby Carpenter). He can run with tight ends, he can chase all over the whole field, and he can speed rush off the edge. I think Shea will be very productive at SLB if given an opportunity, and I am excited to watch it unfold.

[fleet]

McClellin deff isn't a D End....Should have kept him at linebacker to begin with. I also would say this was a Lovie pick moreso than Emery.

Lovie probably screwed up that draft. Emery seems smarter since he got Lovie out of the way.

Shea can't eat like this anymore. How big is Brandon Marshalls' stomach?:


https://twitter.com/BMarshall/status/46 ... 84/photo/1

[TNBT]

This is the first time I've read this article, but it doesn't surprise me. When he was drafted, he had decent speed but was a bit undersized for DE. Then we decide to bulk him up, which takes away that speed, and play him at DE anyway and wonder why he's not effective? He was never going to be a true DE in my opinion, as he was too small and never really had the body to add as much weight as it would take. We were better off getting him fitter and leaner, while working on his strength, and that's what we've done 2 years later. He has nice size and strength for SLB, and with his fitness increasing and weight decreasing, his speed is getting even better. No one knows for sure how he'll work out as a LB, but I'm really excited to see what he can do. Personally, I think he has a lot of talent, and that this position change will suit him a million times better than playing at DE.

Also, with Houston, Young, Allen, Idonijie, etc all coming aboard, and being short of players at LB, it makes sense that they'd move him from a position of depth to a position of need. That it will likely make him a much more effective player is a bonus. Everyone knows that Briggs is the WLB and Williams is the MLB barring injuries or someone absolutely surprising everyone in camp. The SLB spot will come down to Bostic or McClellin in my opinion, with Bostic moving to MLB if there's an injury, and McClellin becoming the first string SLB (if he isn't already by that point).

[patryk7754]

I love hearing about a player's advancement in the passion they have for the game. That plus all the training he's evidently been doing, we could see some special things from him. Not saying he becomes a pro-bowler or anything just wouldn't be surprised is he won most improved player if the NFL had an award like that.

[blumeany]

Honestly, as good as Bostic can be in space and as lost as he gets close to the line, he may be better off as a safety.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

[The 6ft Hurdle]

McClellin deff isn't a D End....Should have kept him at linebacker to begin with. I also would say this was a Lovie pick moreso than Emery.

LOL, I like how this bad and misguided thing is attributed to someone who isn't even here anymore and his job wasn't even to select the players.