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Forgotten Men Rolando McClain, Brandon Spikes Now Diamonds in Free-Agent Rough
By Zach Kruse, NFL Analyst Mar 18, 2015
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...andon-spikes-now-diamonds-in-free-agent-rough
Rolando McClain and Brandon Spikes are playing in the wrong generation.
Just 20 years ago, the two free-agent inside linebackers would have likely generated a significant amount of attention on the open market. But in 2015, they have been unable to produce even a single report of outside interest through the first week of free agency.
The mystery isn't difficult to solve. The two players possess red flags of varying degrees. McClain is still mostly an unknown off the field, while both linebackers are best used as run-stuffers in a league as dependent on the passing game as ever before.
But the longer McClain and Spikes remain on the market, the bigger the bargain each becomes. It's almost certain both will eventually sign value deals during the second or third wave of free agency.
Considering all the moving parts, McClain is the more complex case to pin down.
Elsa/Getty Images
There are plenty of factors that could be scaring teams off.
Not only has McClain taken two sabbaticals from the NFL, but he's also been in trouble with both the law and the league. He has three prior arrests, and according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, McClain is currently facing a four-game fine for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He could be one strike away from a suspension from the league, which is likely unnerving for any team ready to throw money his way.
McClain also suffered two concussions in the span of about a week to end last season.
Without these red flags, McClain would have likely already signed on the dotted sign for some franchise.
He's coming off a resurgent season in which he ranked eighth among inside linebackers at Pro Football Focus. McClain played 654 snaps for the Dallas Cowboys, helping to solidify a defense that wasn't any good in 2013 and then lost linebacker Sean Lee to a season-ending injury last May.
The former first-round pick did a little bit of everything.
McClain received positive grades against the run, in coverage and rushing the passer. He managed 46 stops (or tackles, which constitute offensive failures), allowed fewer than 300 yards in coverage and produced 15 quarterback disruptions. Overall, only six inside linebackers finished the season with 40 or more stops, an opposing passer rating under 90.0 and at least 10 disruptions, and McClain was one of them.
Here's the list:
Inside Linebackers: 40/>90.0/10 Club in 2014
PlayerTeamStopsOpp. Passer RatingQB Disruptions
J. CollinsNE5274.126
D. SmithBAL5188.114
B. WagnerSEA4487.612
D. HightowerNE4386.734
K. RobinsonWAS4265.413
R. McClainDAL4684.415
Source: Pro Football Focus
McClain's best work came against the run, a skill that is falling out of fashion faster than the Canadian tuxedo.
According to PFF's signature stats, McClain finished 2014 ranked first among inside linebackers in run-stop percentage by a wide margin. He played 244 snaps against the run and produced 37 run stops, good for a percentage of 15.2. The next best was All-Pro Luke Kuechly, who finished with a 12.3 percentage.
In fact, McClain's run-stop percentage in 2014 was the best of all time in PFF's database (going back to 2007) among inside linebackers who played at least 50 percent of the run snaps for their teams:
Best Run-Stop Percentage in Single Season Since 2007
PlayerTeamYearRun Stop %
R. McClainDAL201415.2
B. WagnerSEA201214.4
N. BowmanSF201114.3
J. MaysDEN201114.3
P. PoslusznyJAX201314.2
B. CushingHOU201113.9
Source: Pro Football Focus
Spikes is still waiting on an offer because the market has placed little value on his skill set.
The 6'2", 255-pound linebacker is a menace against the run but a liability otherwise. In a league that frequently spreads the field to find mismatches in the passing game, Spikes remains one of the last old-school throwbacks.
He played just 517 snaps for the Buffalo Bills last season, mostly as a two-down run-stopper. And stop the run he did: According to PFF, Spikes finished the 2014 season as the site's ninth-best inside linebacker against the run.
Overall, Spikes was just the 13th-best player at his position last season. But from Week 4 on, only eight inside linebackers were better.
McClain was not one of them. The list above Spikes was rather impressive:
Highest Graded ILBs, Week 4-17 in 2014
PlayerTeamRun GradeOverall Grade
J. CollinsNE+11.9+23.6
L. KuechlyCAR+8.1+22.9
C. BorlandSF+16.2+20.8
D. SmithBAL+8.4+19.7
D. HightowerNE+7.4+16.8
M. KendricksPHI+1.4+15.8
K. DansbyCLE+3.8+14.2
B. WagnerSEA+8.7+13.7
B. SpikesBUF+8.5+13.0
Source: Pro Football Focus
Since entering the NFL in 2010, Spikes leads all inside linebackers with a plus-53.2 grade against the run. He has finished positive in all five seasons. He also led the position in total grade in both 2012 and 2013 as a member of the New England Patriots.
Bills general manager Doug Whaley was clear with Spikes about his future in Buffalo: "So it'll be more of 'Hey do you want to come back and be a one- or two-down player? Or do you want to try to go out and still be an every-down player (elsewhere)?' So that one is going to be a kind of seeing what works for him and what works for us."
Will Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes be a bigger bargain?
McClain Spikes Submit Vote vote to see results
Stopping the run has lost value positionally in the NFL, in large part because offenses are more and more pass-based. The thumping inside linebacker has mostly gone the way of the running back—a former glamour position that has lost its shine in the modern game.
But football is still a four-down contest, and both McClain and Spikes provide massive value on the early downs. Monsters against the run won't go completely out of style until game-breaking talents such as Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson exit the league.
McClain and Spikes have now cleared the first round of free agency without as much as a peep of interest. And it could still be several weeks before either is signed.
In McClain, a team will get a legitimate run-stopper possessing the ability to rush the passer and cover downfield. Spikes is the rare player who can be counted on to provide sizable impact against the run every single season.
Both are stuck in the waiting game. But both may end up as serious bargains.
By Zach Kruse, NFL Analyst Mar 18, 2015
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...andon-spikes-now-diamonds-in-free-agent-rough
Rolando McClain and Brandon Spikes are playing in the wrong generation.
Just 20 years ago, the two free-agent inside linebackers would have likely generated a significant amount of attention on the open market. But in 2015, they have been unable to produce even a single report of outside interest through the first week of free agency.
The mystery isn't difficult to solve. The two players possess red flags of varying degrees. McClain is still mostly an unknown off the field, while both linebackers are best used as run-stuffers in a league as dependent on the passing game as ever before.
But the longer McClain and Spikes remain on the market, the bigger the bargain each becomes. It's almost certain both will eventually sign value deals during the second or third wave of free agency.
Considering all the moving parts, McClain is the more complex case to pin down.
Elsa/Getty Images
There are plenty of factors that could be scaring teams off.
Not only has McClain taken two sabbaticals from the NFL, but he's also been in trouble with both the law and the league. He has three prior arrests, and according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, McClain is currently facing a four-game fine for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He could be one strike away from a suspension from the league, which is likely unnerving for any team ready to throw money his way.
McClain also suffered two concussions in the span of about a week to end last season.
Without these red flags, McClain would have likely already signed on the dotted sign for some franchise.
He's coming off a resurgent season in which he ranked eighth among inside linebackers at Pro Football Focus. McClain played 654 snaps for the Dallas Cowboys, helping to solidify a defense that wasn't any good in 2013 and then lost linebacker Sean Lee to a season-ending injury last May.
The former first-round pick did a little bit of everything.
McClain received positive grades against the run, in coverage and rushing the passer. He managed 46 stops (or tackles, which constitute offensive failures), allowed fewer than 300 yards in coverage and produced 15 quarterback disruptions. Overall, only six inside linebackers finished the season with 40 or more stops, an opposing passer rating under 90.0 and at least 10 disruptions, and McClain was one of them.
Here's the list:
Inside Linebackers: 40/>90.0/10 Club in 2014
PlayerTeamStopsOpp. Passer RatingQB Disruptions
J. CollinsNE5274.126
D. SmithBAL5188.114
B. WagnerSEA4487.612
D. HightowerNE4386.734
K. RobinsonWAS4265.413
R. McClainDAL4684.415
Source: Pro Football Focus
McClain's best work came against the run, a skill that is falling out of fashion faster than the Canadian tuxedo.
According to PFF's signature stats, McClain finished 2014 ranked first among inside linebackers in run-stop percentage by a wide margin. He played 244 snaps against the run and produced 37 run stops, good for a percentage of 15.2. The next best was All-Pro Luke Kuechly, who finished with a 12.3 percentage.
In fact, McClain's run-stop percentage in 2014 was the best of all time in PFF's database (going back to 2007) among inside linebackers who played at least 50 percent of the run snaps for their teams:
Best Run-Stop Percentage in Single Season Since 2007
PlayerTeamYearRun Stop %
R. McClainDAL201415.2
B. WagnerSEA201214.4
N. BowmanSF201114.3
J. MaysDEN201114.3
P. PoslusznyJAX201314.2
B. CushingHOU201113.9
Source: Pro Football Focus
Spikes is still waiting on an offer because the market has placed little value on his skill set.
The 6'2", 255-pound linebacker is a menace against the run but a liability otherwise. In a league that frequently spreads the field to find mismatches in the passing game, Spikes remains one of the last old-school throwbacks.
He played just 517 snaps for the Buffalo Bills last season, mostly as a two-down run-stopper. And stop the run he did: According to PFF, Spikes finished the 2014 season as the site's ninth-best inside linebacker against the run.
Overall, Spikes was just the 13th-best player at his position last season. But from Week 4 on, only eight inside linebackers were better.
McClain was not one of them. The list above Spikes was rather impressive:
Highest Graded ILBs, Week 4-17 in 2014
PlayerTeamRun GradeOverall Grade
J. CollinsNE+11.9+23.6
L. KuechlyCAR+8.1+22.9
C. BorlandSF+16.2+20.8
D. SmithBAL+8.4+19.7
D. HightowerNE+7.4+16.8
M. KendricksPHI+1.4+15.8
K. DansbyCLE+3.8+14.2
B. WagnerSEA+8.7+13.7
B. SpikesBUF+8.5+13.0
Source: Pro Football Focus
Since entering the NFL in 2010, Spikes leads all inside linebackers with a plus-53.2 grade against the run. He has finished positive in all five seasons. He also led the position in total grade in both 2012 and 2013 as a member of the New England Patriots.
Bills general manager Doug Whaley was clear with Spikes about his future in Buffalo: "So it'll be more of 'Hey do you want to come back and be a one- or two-down player? Or do you want to try to go out and still be an every-down player (elsewhere)?' So that one is going to be a kind of seeing what works for him and what works for us."
Will Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes be a bigger bargain?
McClain Spikes Submit Vote vote to see results
Will Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes be a bigger bargain?- McClain
67.2%
- Spikes
32.8%
Total votes: 2,979
Stopping the run has lost value positionally in the NFL, in large part because offenses are more and more pass-based. The thumping inside linebacker has mostly gone the way of the running back—a former glamour position that has lost its shine in the modern game.
But football is still a four-down contest, and both McClain and Spikes provide massive value on the early downs. Monsters against the run won't go completely out of style until game-breaking talents such as Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson exit the league.
McClain and Spikes have now cleared the first round of free agency without as much as a peep of interest. And it could still be several weeks before either is signed.
In McClain, a team will get a legitimate run-stopper possessing the ability to rush the passer and cover downfield. Spikes is the rare player who can be counted on to provide sizable impact against the run every single season.
Both are stuck in the waiting game. But both may end up as serious bargains.
