An ACL injury to middle linebacker Sean Lee in minicamp not only ruled him out of training camp but the entire 2013-14 season. That injury made the Cowboys get desperate, and they added Rolando McClain who has an interesting NFL journey in his brief career that hasn’t live up to the expectations of a Top-10 pick.
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McClain seemed like an interesting proposition, but one that could pay off potentially if he lived up to his potential. Head coach Jason Garrett suggested he was showing those Top-10 pick signs in camp, and McClain said he is dialed in and focusing in camp.
“I’m just taking it day by day,” McClain said, via the Dallas Morning News. “That’s what I have to focus on. I got a steep hill ahead of me and I’m just climbing. Like Coach Garrett says, just keep fighting, fight with the rest of these guys. We still got a lot more training camp left, so I’m focused on that.”
“My biggest thing right now,” McClain said, “is paying attention not just when I’m on the field but when everybody else is in so I can get as many reps mentally and physically as possible.”
McClain earned the praise of Garrett, but also of Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
“He’s smart and he’s football aware,” Marinelli said. “I think he has a real passion to play football, a real passion. He plays fast. We’re just going to keep coaching these guys, keep him in the mix, keep guys mixed up in there, give everybody as many opportunities as we can and see who surfaces.”