In theory the Bears could have a young LB core

Raskolnikov said:

I'll revise. I shouldn't say I don't like Shea at all. There are things to like. He is pretty quick off the snap, and while a one trip pony at DE it wasn't a terrible trick. He's pretty fast around the edge but with our safeties and linebackers the ball was out fast. No push up the middle, he didn't really have a great shot at getting sacks with all that.

I'm intrugued about him at linebacker still. I can't say hopeful or count on him, but I can cross my fingers and say hmmmmm collectively with the bears organization.

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wickerkat said:

yep. that's about my feeling with Shea. i think this is about his last shot. he showed flashes last year. if he doesn't step it up this year, he gone, and labelled a bust.

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Chicago Bears[edit]
After getting drafted by Chicago, Emery stated that McClellin will play opposite Julius Peppers at left defensive end,[24] with Chicago Sun-Times writer Sean Jensen saying that McClellin could replace middle-linebacker Brian Urlacher in the event that he leaves the team or retires.[25]

McClellin was signed to a four-year contract on May 11.[26]

McClellin made his NFL debut in week one of the preseason against the Denver Broncos, recording three tackles, one sack (on former Bear Caleb Hanie), one tackle-for-loss, and two quarterback hits. McClellin was penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Hanie, setting up a Broncos field goal; even though the kick missed, the Bears would lose 31-3.[27] McClellin recorded his first official sack on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as McClellin recorded 1.5 sacks and four tackles.[28] In the opening minutes of Week 10 against the Houston Texans, McClellin went out with a concussion.[29] McClellin was later injured again when he sprained his MCL against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14.[30]

In Week 9 of 2013 against the Packers, McClellin recorded three sacks, one of which knocked Aaron Rodgers out of the game. McClellin was eventually named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[31] However, McClellin suffered a hamstring injury on November 7 during practice, and missed the next two games.[32] After the 2013 season ended, the Bears announced plans to start McClellin at strong-side linebacker.[33] Chicago Bears senior writer Larry Mayer confirmed the switch on March 24, 2014, and stated that McClellin will switch to #50 in conjunction with the position switch.[34]

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Seahawks' Bruce Irvin sets bar for Shea McClellin
Success strong-side linebacker had moving from defensive end something Bears believe fellow 1st-round draft pick can replicate
January 29, 2014|By Brad Biggs, Tribune reporter



JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Shea McClellin won't be the first first-round pick from 2012 to be shifted from defensive end to linebacker.

The Seahawks made that move this season with Bruce Irvin after he led all rookies last season with eight sacks. While Irvin hasn't been as productive as a pass rusher in his new role, he's starting on the strong side, and the shift has allowed his team to get more athletes on the field for the NFL's No. 1 defense as it heads to Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.




The Bears plan to play McClellin at strong-side linebacker after he failed to meet expectations as the 19th overall pick in two seasons at defensive end. The hope is that in a position at which he will be used more like he was at Boise State, McClellin will flourish.

The Bears believe he's athletic enough to drop in coverage and set the edge and will be able to put his hand in the dirt to rush the quarterback in passing situations.

In his new role, McClellin should be able to get downhill against the run instead of engaging an offensive tackle immediately at the line. He should be able to create angles against blockers and the ball carrier and have more space in which to work. He should be able to use his eyes more to read run/pass better.

General manager Phil Emery has talked at length about McClellin's athleticism and ability to transcend schemes. In a best-case scenario a year from now, the Bears will be asking themselves what took so long to make the change.

Irvin, the No. 15 pick in 2012, had only two sacks this season but made 40 tackles in 12 games after sitting out the first four on suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. His best game came in a 14-9 Week 8 victory over the Rams when he made nine tackles, had one sack and picked off a pass intended for tight end Jared Cook 20 yards downfield.

The Bears had interest in Irvin entering the draft, and former coach Lovie Smith was smitten with him as a pass rusher, but the Seahawks surprised many when they picked him.General manager John Schneider said they did so because Irvin was one of three players they believed they had to get.

Irvin excelled as a situational pass rusher in 2012, but the Falcons rolled over the Seahawks in a divisional playoff game in Atlanta, gaining 167 yards rushing. Irvin struggled at the point of attack replacing Chris Clemons, who had suffered a torn ACL the week before. When the Seahawks loaded up on pass rushers, signing Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett in free agency, it became a question of how to get all the talent on the field. Former strong-side linebacker Leroy Hill played off the line a lot, and the Seahawks thought Irvin would be more versatile than Hill.

"We knew he had speed and length and with Bruce we thought we could play more fronts where we played him on the end of the line and then had the ability to rush him," defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. "The move really just came out of, 'How can we utilize our players?' A lot of credit has to go to him to take on the challenge. He has done a really good job."



The biggest adjustment for Irvin was adapting to pass drops and responsibilities in coverage, not overly difficult in the Seahawks' scheme that relies heavily on Cover-3 and Cover-1. In two seasons at West Virginia, he racked up 221/2 sacks but all he did was hunt the quarterback. Playing in space was new to him, and that is something McClellin already has experience doing.

"I think I am a great athlete," Irvin said. "I did a lot of good things this year but I have a long way to go. Hopefully I can continue to build off it. I made myself more of a complete player this past year."

Linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. agrees.

"He has been fantastic," Norton said. "He is everything you want out of a tough, mean, bad-ass Sam linebacker. He really has surprised himself coming from the D-line learning the linebacker terminology because we have to think a lot.

"Defensive linemen, you put a hand down and just go forward. Playing in coverage, understanding his run gaps, adjusting to offensive formations, he did all of that in a short time and he is still not done. He was really good this year and he is going to be even better in years to come."

Schneider said he was drawn to Irvin because he believed he could make an impact immediately as an edge rusher in the Seahawks' scheme. Irvin played some safety in junior college and was also a wide receiver, so Schneider figured the athleticism was there for a transition to linebacker.

Schneider wasn't surprised when told the Bears are planning to make a similar transition with McClellin.

"I thought they were different players," Schneider said. "But I loved Shea in college. Loved scouting him. Very talented guy. I could see that (move)."

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Is Shea McClellin's move to linebacker official yet? And is that why Lamarr Houston was able to take his No. 99 because Shea will be switching to a number in the 50s like most linebackers?

Steven B.
Gresham, Oregon

Yes and yes. Shea McClellin's move to linebacker is official. And while linebackers are permitted to wear numbers in the 50s or 90s, he approached the Bears about changing to a number in the 50s well before defensive end Lamarr Houston was signed in free agency. So Houston will wear No. 99, while McClellin will don No. 50, though I think there's a chance he could end up with another number in the 50s before all is said and done.

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dabears70 said:

Holy shit i just saw a before and after picture of Shea after working with a trainer named Scot Prohaska for 10 weeks and Shea says "I've never been under 14% body fat". I saw it on another site but don't know how to get it to this site but if someone on here can find out how to do it it is definitely worth seeing cause he looks like a totally different person......like a linebacker.

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Doubledown said:

he doesn't have the Amish kid haircut anymore.

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