Shea McClellin signs with Patriots.

Wheelman · Mar 18, 2016

manxman2601 said:
I'm sure better coaching will mean this won't happen here, but this McClellin play is pretty funny.

All pro baby!

Jimke · Mar 18, 2016

If the year passes and the Patriots do not extend a couple of Hightower, Collins, and
Sheard, the Captain may have a valid point.

Sciz · Mar 18, 2016

I think the money makes sense, with one assumption. As a pure backup LB, that's a lot of money. If he can also contribute as a pass rusher, then I like it a lot.

I've spent the last few months explaining how hard it would be to find a backup LB this offseason due to the Patriots' unique situation. They averaged only 2.046 LBs per snaps last year, and Hightower and Collins are both going to play basically every snap that they're healthy. I don't think any other team has the "problem" of having two amazing, young linebackers and almost solely using two linebackers. Where the third LB is a part-time starter on plenty of teams, that guy is almost purely a backup for the Patriots (albeit a backup that would have gotten a lot of playing time last year). Free agency is often hard for good teams because they want to pay a guy to be a pure backup but have to compete with all the bad teams offering part-time starter money (or more), and this is a good example.

So of course, the solution to this problem is for the Patriots to sign a guy who can contribute even when the top linebackers are healthy, because he's contributing at a different position. McClellin was a situational pass rusher in 2012 and then a full time 4-3 DE in 2013. He probably doesn't have a future at DE on first down, but he was a capable pass rusher. At the very least, he has shown more as an NFL pass rusher than Flowers, Grissom, and Johnson (but I have high hopes for those guys too). If he can get into the DE rotation on obvious passing downs, then that's added value that you're not normally going to get out of a backup LB. So while other people hate the contract because they think he's a complete bust, I think it's a contract that makes a lot of sense if they're getting a mediocre starting LB (who is actually a backup) that can also contribute at DE. This option makes a lot more sense to me than paying similar money to a guy like Rolando McClain, Demario Davis, or Vincent Rey to be a pure backup, and it's also a safer option than relying on Freeny to be the top backup LB.

Short answer: I think the goal is for McClellin to be more than just the backup LB, and I think his contract reflects that.

Mack Herron · Mar 18, 2016

Sciz said:
I think the money makes sense, with one assumption. As a pure backup LB, that's a lot of money. If he can also contribute as a pass rusher, then I like it a lot.

I've spent the last few months explaining how hard it would be to find a backup LB this offseason due to the Patriots' unique situation. They averaged only 2.046 LBs per snaps last year, and Hightower and Collins are both going to play basically every snap that they're healthy. I don't think any other team has the "problem" of having two amazing, young linebackers and almost solely using two linebackers. Where the third LB is a part-time starter on plenty of teams, that guy is almost purely a backup for the Patriots (albeit a backup that would have gotten a lot of playing time last year). Free agency is often hard for good teams because they want to pay a guy to be a pure backup but have to compete with all the bad teams offering part-time starter money (or more), and this is a good example.

So of course, the solution to this problem is for the Patriots to sign a guy who can contribute even when the top linebackers are healthy, because he's contributing at a different position. McClellin was a situational pass rusher in 2012 and then a full time 4-3 DE in 2013. He probably doesn't have a future at DE on first down, but he was a capable pass rusher. At the very least, he has shown more as an NFL pass rusher than Flowers, Grissom, and Johnson (but I have high hopes for those guys too). If he can get into the DE rotation on obvious passing downs, then that's added value that you're not normally going to get out of a backup LB. So while other people hate the contract because they think he's a complete bust, I think it's a contract that makes a lot of sense if they're getting a mediocre starting LB (who is actually a backup) that can also contribute at DE. This option makes a lot more sense to me than paying similar money to a guy like Rolando McClain, Demario Davis, or Vincent Rey to be a pure backup, and it's also a safer option than relying on Freeny to be the top backup LB.

Short answer: I think the goal is for McClellin to be more than just the backup LB, and I think his contract reflects that.

His contract says he is more than a backup LB but his production does not. He failed on the edge where he had mediocre production (4 and 2.5 sacks). His own coach admitted they were forcing him to do something he couldn't do on the edge. Flowers has good potential and I see no reason to think this guy should take snaps from Flowers as a situational pass rusher. (I even like Rufus Johnson better). Bill obviously sees something, but I don't think part time DE is the explanation. Special teams perhaps?

Is There Any Hope for Shea McClellin?

If McClellin’s 2012 output ignited a flame of doubt about his effectiveness as an NFL player, then surely his 2013 season was a four-alarm fire.

According to Pro Football Focus, McClellin had the second-worst season (ranking 51st out of 52 qualifying players) of any 4-3 defensive end in 2013 who played at least 25 percent of their team’s snaps. The same data reveals that McClellin ranked dead last defending against the run and was sixth most ineffective pass rusher at his position league-wide.

I think he looks like Freeney but Bill paid him like Bruschi. In Bill we trust.

Ross12 · Mar 18, 2016

People are really mad about this contract...? He's a first round talent who hasn't yet panned out but can potentially be a nice third LB and situational pass rusher. That's definitely worth $3-4M a year in my book, compared to Collins & Hightower who will likely get $10M or more. You're saying you don't think McClellin can be 30% the player that Collins is here?

If anything the money tells me that BB is fairly confident in the kid here, which is putting my mind at ease over the third LB issue, since it has been a thorn in the team's side for a little while now.

manxman2601 · Mar 18, 2016

To @Sciz 's point and as an aside, a lot of the prospects the Pats interviewed at the combine were undersized pass rushers that probably project best to linebacker. It's very possible that BB wanted an Ayers/ Dekoda Watson type player.

jah · Mar 18, 2016

Ross12 said:
People are really mad about this contract...? He's a first round talent who hasn't yet panned out but can potentially be a nice third LB and situational pass rusher. That's definitely worth $3-4M a year in my book, compared to Collins & Hightower who will likely get $10M or more. You're saying you don't think McClellin can be 30% the player that Collins is here?

If anything the money tells me that BB is fairly confident in the kid here, which is putting my mind at ease over the third LB issue, since it has been a thorn in the team's side for a little while now.

I've given my opinions on this signing in the thread and they're not overwhelmingly positive or negative. That being said, it doesn't work that way (re: bolded text).

fnordcircle · Mar 18, 2016

I think I'll foolishly wait to see how he performs in our system with our coaching before I assume this is Monty Biesel Mk. 2.

Real World · Mar 18, 2016

It's really hard not to appreciate the way the Patriots work the offseason. They aren't perfect, but they let everyone blow their wad, and then they sneak in and pick that low hanging fruit nobody noticed, at a fraction of the cost.

BadMoFo · Mar 19, 2016

Wheelman said:
All pro baby!

As a credit it him, while he didn't succeed in covering anyone, he made attempts to cover three.

NormZauchin · Mar 19, 2016

hornetfb85 said:
Looks like 3 yrs 12 million (3.5 guaranteed)

Is that more than Beisel got?

hornetfb85 · Mar 19, 2016

NormZauchin said:
Is that more than Beisel got?

It's slightly more than what they were gonna offer Shawn Crable before he got a hang nail and couldn't sign the contract.

rookBoston · Mar 19, 2016

There were a few years where BB was picking up a bunch of players that washed out of Oakland. And there was a phase more recently where he was picking up players that washed out at Tampa Bay. This year, it seems like he's picking up players who flopped in Chicago.

To me, buying low on multiple players from a specific program is a "tell" from BB the GM, that he thinks that roster has usable talent that is being mis-coached... he thinks those players, in a better and more productive teaching environment, have unrealized upside to cash in. It's the basis for making a value-based purchase. Ever the economist.

BB has told the media, in the past, that what a player has done in one system isn't always indicative of what they would be in the Pats system. As mentioned, Vrabel was a little-used depth player in Pittsburgh before BB made him a star. Welker was an little-known depth guy at Miami until BB played to his strengths. Plenty of examples. Rodney Harrison was washed out of San Diego, and Randy Moss has lost a step in Oakland. Etc.

Picking up all these cast-off players from the Bears makes sense to me from the perspective that Chicago has been recruiting players of a profile that fit the Pats criteria-- e.g. we all scouted McClellin for the Pats coming out of college, and he was general consensus a higher potential prospect than Chandler Jones that year. The Bears franchise has been struggling for years, but we don't have to assume it's because their players don't have talent.

Cooper, Hogan, McClennin, Bostic... these are all "buy low" players who don't have a big market for their services. We know BB loves panning for gold, it's how he finds Edelman, Lewis, Ninkovich, Stephen Neal, Malcom Butler. He shops in the discount aisle and buys a lot of trash, mounds of it. Then, he relies on one of the strongest coaching staffs in the NFL to polish them up into usable players.

I promise that a few of these buy low contracts will flop, but some will hit big. It has been the philosophy of this regime ever since BB got to Foxboro. Whether McClellin hits or not, be assured that BB thinks more likely than not he got a good deal on him.

Miguel · Mar 19, 2016

It is simply amazing how quick people are to judge a contract when so few details have been provided. For all anyone knows the 12 million total includes a great number of incentives and 46-man active roster bonuses so McClennin has to earn his $12 million on the field. For all we know some of his 2016 salary was fully guaranteed so he may not have received a $3.5 million signing bonus.

DarrylS · Mar 19, 2016

Always find the tendency to denigrate BB and his staff's judgement interesting, particularly after 15 consecutive years of winning seasons.. this decision is better assessed in December than March..

RobertWeathers · Mar 19, 2016

Sciz said:
I think the money makes sense, with one assumption. As a pure backup LB, that's a lot of money. If he can also contribute as a pass rusher, then I like it a lot.

I've spent the last few months explaining how hard it would be to find a backup LB this offseason due to the Patriots' unique situation. They averaged only 2.046 LBs per snaps last year, and Hightower and Collins are both going to play basically every snap that they're healthy. I don't think any other team has the "problem" of having two amazing, young linebackers and almost solely using two linebackers. Where the third LB is a part-time starter on plenty of teams, that guy is almost purely a backup for the Patriots (albeit a backup that would have gotten a lot of playing time last year). Free agency is often hard for good teams because they want to pay a guy to be a pure backup but have to compete with all the bad teams offering part-time starter money (or more), and this is a good example.

So of course, the solution to this problem is for the Patriots to sign a guy who can contribute even when the top linebackers are healthy, because he's contributing at a different position. McClellin was a situational pass rusher in 2012 and then a full time 4-3 DE in 2013. He probably doesn't have a future at DE on first down, but he was a capable pass rusher. At the very least, he has shown more as an NFL pass rusher than Flowers, Grissom, and Johnson (but I have high hopes for those guys too). If he can get into the DE rotation on obvious passing downs, then that's added value that you're not normally going to get out of a backup LB. So while other people hate the contract because they think he's a complete bust, I think it's a contract that makes a lot of sense if they're getting a mediocre starting LB (who is actually a backup) that can also contribute at DE. This option makes a lot more sense to me than paying similar money to a guy like Rolando McClain, Demario Davis, or Vincent Rey to be a pure backup, and it's also a safer option than relying on Freeny to be the top backup LB.

Short answer: I think the goal is for McClellin to be more than just the backup LB, and I think his contract reflects that.

Where did you get the 2.05 lbs used per snap? PFF?

RobertWeathers · Mar 19, 2016

3/12m is not a large amount of money. If you look at how many snaps Freeney played last year it's worth it.

Mack Herron · Mar 19, 2016

robertweathers said:
3/12m is not a large amount of money. If you look at how many snaps Freeney played last year it's worth it.

Hill agrees:

The average of $4 million per year tag places him around the 50th highest paid player at the position, which is essentially a low-level veteran contract for a player expected to serve on defense.

$3.5 million guaranteed is actually pretty low for a player with a $4 million per season value, which means that McClellin will have one season to prove that he deserves to be on the Patriots, or the team will move on without much long term repercussion.

McClellin will add valuable depth on defense and special teams, is an improvement over Freeny, and provides insurance for Hightower and Collins. Hard to ask for a better linebacker signing this offseason.

New Contract Details for Patriots LB Shea McClellin is Fairly Team Friendly
The expectation seems to be that he is a big step up from Freeney. If so, I think most would welcome it.

RobertWeathers · Mar 19, 2016

Mack Herron said:
Hill agrees:
New Contract Details for Patriots LB Shea McClellin is Fairly Team Friendly
The expectation seems to be that he is a big step up from Freeney. If so, I think most would welcome it.

I don't mean to hammer Freeney too badly as he did play ok as a backup but when Collins and High were out for significant time he was exposed in both the pass and vs the run. Vs him Shea is an upgrade on the run D and offers more in the pass rush. Pass D not sure. Maybe the same

hornetfb85 · Mar 19, 2016

I've got this feeling, and it may be Saturday morning gas, that in two years this may be one of those deals we are happy we made. If he sucks were out 3.5 million dollars which is not that big of a deal, in my opinion. I honestly hope this kid gets 12 million+ from the Pats because that would mean he turned into the player his potential suggested when he was drafted.

Shea McClellin signs with Patriots.

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