{"id":6339,"date":"2016-05-19T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-05-19T13:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=6339"},"modified":"2016-05-19T16:15:25","modified_gmt":"2016-05-19T20:15:25","slug":"will-shea-mcclellin-fit-patriots-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/05\/19\/will-shea-mcclellin-fit-patriots-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Will Shea McClellin Fit in the Patriots Defense?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pats Will Have Some Work To Do Finding the Right Fit<\/h2>\n

The Patriots made some intriguing additions to the team during free agency, addressing positions of need. They signed WRs Chris Hogan and Nate Washington, DL Terrance Knighton, Chris Long, Markus Kuhn, and Frank Kearse. But perhaps the most intriguing signing was LB Shea McClellin\u00a0because there exists a big question on just how the team plans on utilizing his strengths.<\/p>\n

Unlike the much more heralded Long and Knighton, who were paid as one-year rentals far under market value for their services, McClellin was given the most money with a three-year, $9.05 million-dollar contract with $3.5 million fully guaranteed. That is akin to starter\u2019s money, so they definitely have plans on using him somewhere. The question remains, where?<\/p>\n

McClellin was on the Patriots radar when he entered the 2012 NFL Draft but the Bears selected him in the 1st<\/sup> round with the 19th<\/sup> overall pick. Chicago tried him as a sub-package pass rusher, a full-time defensive end, \u00a0and then the past two years they\u2019ve stood him up as a linebacker. That\u2019s where he seems the best fit, standing up and playing downhill at linebacker.<\/p>\n

When McClellin spoke to the Boston media via conference call last month, he said as much stating that he prefers playing an aggressive downhill-type role.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny aspect with my hand down or standing up, any kind of blitzing, any linebacker position really, anywhere where I\u2019m rushing the passer I feel comfortable in,\u201d McClellin said.<\/p>\n

McClellin isn\u2019t a good fit as a defensive end. \u00a0He doesn\u2019t have the size and strength to set the edge, where he played around 260 pounds. \u00a0The Bears had him trim down to around 245 where at inside linebacker he seemed to be a much better fit. He\u2019s going to have a role when either Dont’a Hightower or Jamie Collins are\u00a0banged up and when the Patriots use all three linebackers in their base package, but where?<\/p>\n

So where will he fit with\u00a0the Patriots? I called former Patriots linebacker and football media analyst Matt Chatham earlier this week and we spoke about McClellin and where he sees the fit. If anything, the situation is even murkier. \u201cWith the money the team is paying him, he\u2019s not just going to be a supplemental player,\u201d Chatham said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not exactly sure where.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2015 season saw the Bears use McClellin as their Mike linebacker in the middle. It was the position he looked most comfortable in. With the Patriots, just bringing in all these 300-pound beefy defensive linemen, it would definitely help the Mike in the running game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mike linebacker position or the Mack in the sub-packages seems like a good position for Shea,\u201d Chatham said. \u201cBut [Dont\u2019a] Hightower has been really good there. He played there at Alabama\u00a0and has done a really solid job there the past few years. I don\u2019t think you really want to move him over to the Sam.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDont’a Hightower has been outstanding in the middle for the Patriots the past few years. (USA TODAY Images)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Collins has been outstanding in the Will or weak side linebacker role. That is the player who makes the most impact, as he\u2019s able to roam more sideline to sideline. McClellin could fit that role at times with his ability to blitz up the A-Gap but would that detract from Collins overall performance?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they felt Shea could be that impact guy, that would move Jamie [Collins] to the Sam over the tight end, which is probably where you\u2019d want him in coverage, but would he be more of an impact player than Jamie? I don\u2019t see that,\u201d Chatham said.<\/p>\n

At the Sam, where Chatham played in the Patriots system, he described it as a \u201cmore nuts and bolts position\u201d, the linebacker plays over the tight end, jams him up at the line before passing him off to someone else deeper in coverage and sets the edge in the running game. That could be a possibility as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really spinning my wheels here,\u201d Chatham said with a laugh. \u201cHe\u2019s going to have a role and situations like this, I fall back on several conversations I\u2019ve had with Bill [Belichick] during the television broadcasts, I\u2019ll ask him where such and such a player fits, and invariably Bill will say, \u2018Camp hasn\u2019t started yet, we\u2019ll see how that shakes out\u2019 and that\u2019s what I see here.\u201d<\/p>\n

So where and how the Patriots do decide to use McClellin will be an added piece of intrigue during the spring OTAs, mini-camp and training camp once it begins in earnest on July 27th. Where McClellin is lining up will be an area to watch. The Patriots had some linebackers in the past that came here and failed to catch on, including Chad Brown and Monty Beisel back in the mid-2000s. But more recently, Akeem Ayers and Jonathan Casillas were two players that quickly found a comfort level with the Patriots.<\/p>\n

McClellin brings to the table the element of versatility. \u00a0He can do a variety of different things and we\u2019ll look for the Patriots to try him in a variety of different roles throughout the spring and early summer. Then they\u2019ll find a spot that works for him and the team.<\/p>\n

But like the rest of us, they probably don\u2019t know where that will be yet. Stay tuned\u2026<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

But perhaps the most intriguing signing was LB Shea McClellin. 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