Chicago Bears vs Jacksonville Jaguars: Top 5 Players to Watch
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
1. Shea McClellin
The evolution of McClellin continues in a key game in week 2. Don’t be fooled. Everyone is towing the company line on the former first round draft pick and his transformation from defensive end to linebacker. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring thinks Shea will be fine:
"“The bottom line is he’s out here and he has had an excellent camp, a nice OTAs,” Herring said Monday. “He moves as good as any of these other linebackers. He has made plays as good as any backer out here. It’s a matter of game experience, playing fast and adjusting to certain things he hasn’t seen in a couple years."
Do yourself a favor; ignore the name and draft position when you watch the game. Just look at #50 and judge him on the merits of his performance. When I watched the game last week, I saw #50 run himself out of plays, overpursue on misdirection plays and fail to shed blocks. I saw #50 play 29 snaps and record just two tackles. It could well be that the Bears have a plan to use McClellin in sub packages to rush the passer and they’re just not showing anything in the preseason.
The linebacker spot will be hotly contested. Lance Briggs, DJ Williams, Jon Bostic are locks to make the squad. Jordan Senn and Khaseem Greene would figure to have an inside shot at a couple of spots. I really like Christian Jones and don’t think he’ll clear waivers to get to the practice squad. Where does Shea fit in with this group? Thursday night will help answer that question.
What do you think? Who will you be watching on Thursday?