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Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Rolando McClain remains a hard nut to crack.
He's back to playing football after sitting out last season in semi-retirement.
But whether he's fully committed to the life of a football player remains to be seen. It's a day-by-day process for McClain, a former first-round pick of the Oakland Raiders, who released him in April 2013 after three disappointing seasons there.
He quit football to deal with some personal demons back home in Alabama and came back at the ripe old age of 25 because he needed to take care of his family. So far so good for the Cowboys, who admittedly coaxed McClain out of retirement in July.
After losing Sean Lee to a season-ending knee injury in OTAs, the Cowboys were desperate and searching for answers. It's now or never for both of them.
There was certainly no bigger positive coming out of Sunday's 28-17 season-opener loss to the San Francisco 49ers than the play of McClain and his team-leading 12 tackles. It was his first game since 2012 with the Raiders, so he still has a long way to go in terms of getting in football shape and becoming football sharp again. But McClain showed glimpse of that old talent that made him an All-American in college at Alabama, prompting the Raiders to spend a first-round pick on him.
McClain, who never talked to the media in Oakland, reverted back to his old ways after being occasionally accommodating during training camp. He didn't talk after the game and said on Tuesday he didn't know when he would make himself available again.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said during training camp that the team may have hit a home run with the signing of McClain. He's ready to double down on those words now.
"I know that after the game, he said he was excited about getting a full game," Jones said, quoted by ESPN. "He said it was great to have that feeling. His goal is to have a role and be a contributor, and (based on) everything I saw out there, Rolando can be and will be. He made a difference in the middle there, and I saw him make some pretty physical plays, both in the standpoint of not only his tackles but how he took on blocks."
McClain's size and physicality are what set him apart from any other Cowboys linebacker and possibly any talent-deficient defense that lacks premier playmakers. McClain is a 6'4", 259-pound tackling machine who can fill that void the Cowboys so badly need. For now it's one game and one bright light of possibly better things to come, considering he had 12 or more tackles in a game only three times in 41 appearances with the Raiders.
He did that the first time and should add to his totals in Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. With weak-side linebacker Justin Durant questionable because of a groin strain, McClain will have a larger role in the nickel defense as he did in the second half against the 49ers.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett certainly likes what he has seen so far.
"Rolando played well," Garrett said, per the Star-Telegram. "I thought throughout the game Rolando made a lot of plays on the ball, made a lot of physical tackles. He's been physical since he got here. He tackles, and he tackles hard. His presence was felt both in the run game and defending the pass. I thought it was a good start for him."
The only people as happy as the Cowboys might be the Baltimore Ravens, the team McClain signed with after being cut by the Raiders. It's also the same team he retired from in 2013 and again earlier this year because he had no interest in playing the football game.
Now McClain's success in Dallas might give the Ravens some rewards after all. The Cowboys acquired McClain from Baltimore in July in a trade based on conditions. If McClain plays in 50 percent of the team's snaps this season, the Cowboys have to send a 2015 sixth-round pick to the Ravens.
He played in 44 of a possible 58 defensive plays against the 49ers. That number is sure to rise with Durant's iffy status and as he gets more and more comfortable with the scheme.
Now if he can only find a way to get comfortable and open up with the media.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...
He's back to playing football after sitting out last season in semi-retirement.
But whether he's fully committed to the life of a football player remains to be seen. It's a day-by-day process for McClain, a former first-round pick of the Oakland Raiders, who released him in April 2013 after three disappointing seasons there.
He quit football to deal with some personal demons back home in Alabama and came back at the ripe old age of 25 because he needed to take care of his family. So far so good for the Cowboys, who admittedly coaxed McClain out of retirement in July.
After losing Sean Lee to a season-ending knee injury in OTAs, the Cowboys were desperate and searching for answers. It's now or never for both of them.
There was certainly no bigger positive coming out of Sunday's 28-17 season-opener loss to the San Francisco 49ers than the play of McClain and his team-leading 12 tackles. It was his first game since 2012 with the Raiders, so he still has a long way to go in terms of getting in football shape and becoming football sharp again. But McClain showed glimpse of that old talent that made him an All-American in college at Alabama, prompting the Raiders to spend a first-round pick on him.
McClain, who never talked to the media in Oakland, reverted back to his old ways after being occasionally accommodating during training camp. He didn't talk after the game and said on Tuesday he didn't know when he would make himself available again.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said during training camp that the team may have hit a home run with the signing of McClain. He's ready to double down on those words now.
"I know that after the game, he said he was excited about getting a full game," Jones said, quoted by ESPN. "He said it was great to have that feeling. His goal is to have a role and be a contributor, and (based on) everything I saw out there, Rolando can be and will be. He made a difference in the middle there, and I saw him make some pretty physical plays, both in the standpoint of not only his tackles but how he took on blocks."
McClain's size and physicality are what set him apart from any other Cowboys linebacker and possibly any talent-deficient defense that lacks premier playmakers. McClain is a 6'4", 259-pound tackling machine who can fill that void the Cowboys so badly need. For now it's one game and one bright light of possibly better things to come, considering he had 12 or more tackles in a game only three times in 41 appearances with the Raiders.
He did that the first time and should add to his totals in Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. With weak-side linebacker Justin Durant questionable because of a groin strain, McClain will have a larger role in the nickel defense as he did in the second half against the 49ers.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett certainly likes what he has seen so far.
"Rolando played well," Garrett said, per the Star-Telegram. "I thought throughout the game Rolando made a lot of plays on the ball, made a lot of physical tackles. He's been physical since he got here. He tackles, and he tackles hard. His presence was felt both in the run game and defending the pass. I thought it was a good start for him."
The only people as happy as the Cowboys might be the Baltimore Ravens, the team McClain signed with after being cut by the Raiders. It's also the same team he retired from in 2013 and again earlier this year because he had no interest in playing the football game.
Now McClain's success in Dallas might give the Ravens some rewards after all. The Cowboys acquired McClain from Baltimore in July in a trade based on conditions. If McClain plays in 50 percent of the team's snaps this season, the Cowboys have to send a 2015 sixth-round pick to the Ravens.
He played in 44 of a possible 58 defensive plays against the 49ers. That number is sure to rise with Durant's iffy status and as he gets more and more comfortable with the scheme.
Now if he can only find a way to get comfortable and open up with the media.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...