The shame of not having Shea
McClellin, still nursing knee injury, was coming into his own as an ILB
The Bears are a better defense with Shea McClellin than without him. Before being injured, he played all 275 defensive snaps with a ‘‘quarterback of the defense’’ presence. ‘‘We’ve missed that,’’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said.
To the lay football fan, Shea McClellin’s absence largely has been imperceptible.
Still in the formative stages of development at inside linebacker when he sprained his knee against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, McClellin left the Bears’ lineup with no sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles or tackles for loss. LaRoy Reynolds needed a little more than a quarter in McClellin’s place to get a tackle for loss. And Jonathan Anderson had an interception the following week against the Detroit Lions in McClellin’s spot.
Still, the Bears are a better defense with McClellin than without him. He had played all 275 defensive snaps before the injury, which came on the first play of the second half of the Bears’ 18-17 victory over the Chiefs. He led the team in tackles with 43 at the time. And as the ‘‘quarterback of the defense,’’ McClellin brought leadership that factored into every play.
‘‘We’ve missed that,’’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said.
Asked what the Bears have missed without McClellin, coach John Fox said, ‘‘He’s new to the position. We moved him inside, but he was really coming along. A lot of things they communicate both verbally and visually, he was in charge of. You always miss that a little bit — kind of like when we had Antrel Rolle out.’’
But most of all, the Bears have missed his development.
‘‘His arrow is [pointing] up,’’ linebackers coach Glenn Pires said. ‘‘[From] when we first started way back in May and June, he’s getting better and better. Is it where he wants to be? No. But is [he] on the upswing? Yes.’’
Playing his third position in four years with the Bears, McClellin had finally found a home and could play on instinct as much as instruction.
‘‘I feel more comfortable here than any position I’ve played so far in the NFL,’’ he said. ‘‘I feel comfortable calling the plays. It’s my job to get everybody on the same page — I like that. I like being that kind of leader.’’
After missing the last two games, McClellin participated in practice Thursday for the first time since he was hurt Oct. 11. Fangio called it ‘‘50-50’’ whether McClellin will play against the San Diego Chargers on Monday night at Qualcomm Stadium.
‘‘It hurts missing out on the experience [because of the injury], but up to that point I felt I was getting better,’’ McClellin said. ‘‘Being out is tough, but at the same time, I think it helped getting in the playbook and learning the defense better.’’
As painful as it might be for fans who have seen McClellin struggle to make an impact at defensive end and outside linebacker since being drafted 19th overall in 2012, what he needs most is time to see if the sacks, interceptions, tackles-for-loss and forced fumbles start to come.
‘‘That’s my goal — to make impact plays,’’ he said. ‘‘But it comes with experience and repetition. You see other 3-4 teams, [the] outside and inside linebackers making plays. I think as you get more comfortable, that’s when you start making more plays — big plays at that, too.”