McClellan thrives on special contributions
FOXBORO — When a reporter tried bringing him back to the last time he was in the AFC Championship Game, Albert McClellan was resistant.
“Nah, nah, we’re only talking about this upcoming game,” McClellan said. “That’s what’s important right now. So we’re going to keep moving forward and let the past continue to spring us forward.”
For McClellan, the past is driving him forward more than most.
A veteran who’s carved out a niche in the NFL as a special teams player, McClellan spent the first six seasons of his career with the Ravens — including 2012, when he helped beat the Patriots on the way to a Super Bowl — before he hit adversity.
During training camp in 2017, he tore his ACL and was done for the season. When he came back, he was released before the start of the 2018 season. After resigning two weeks later, he was cut again in October.
It’s been a long road back for McClellan, who signed with the Patriots in November and has become an integral member of their special teams unit. The past year has offered him unique perspective.
“Never get complacent. Always try to get better,” McClellan said. “If I could tell anybody or any undrafted guy, no matter how many years you’ve been in this league or how long you’ve been in one destination, always strive to be better each and every year, each and every day. That’s basically been the year for me.”
Since joining the Patriots, it’s clear McClellan can compete at a high level, and he’s been a big reason why their special teams turned around some early-season struggles. In Week 14 against the Dolphins, he blocked one punt and deflected another in a loss. The scouting service Pro Football Focus rated McClellan as the highestgraded special teams player in the NFL this season.
McClellan’s biggest moment came in last week’s divisional round victory against the Chargers, when returner Desmond King muffed a punt and he was there to recover before the ball rolled out of bounds. It proved to be a huge play, as the Patriots offense took advantage of the field position and scored another touchdown to go ahead 35-7 just before halftime.
McClellan, who came from a Ravens organization that similarly values the importance of special teams, credits the Patriots’ preparation and film study for his big play, but mostly, he said, it comes down to effort.
“Most core specialists only get so many plays a game, so you have to let it all loose on the field,” McClellan said. “I give a lot of it to film study, but a majority of the time, it’s effort and fundamentals trying to get the ball.”
While the Pats special teams certainly have improved since the addition of McClellan, the face their biggest test in Sunday’s AFC title game. The Patriots were awful in kick coverage against the Chiefs in their Week 6 meeting — something Slater admitted — giving up 190 yards in kick returns.
“They have some home run hitters,” McClellan said of the Chiefs. “You have to be disciplined, you have to be laser-focused. Everything comes into play. Your assignment, your techniques, communicating, everything. So it’s not just one person, it’s not just one thing, it’s a combined everything, so hopefully your formula is better than theirs on that play.”