McClain understands true meaning of holiday
Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain will never forget the long, chilly nights spent in a cramped homeless shelter where he shared a room with his mother and three siblings.
He was 9-years-old and without a home for nearly a year, his family residing day-to-day in a Salvation Army shelter. He was surviving as much as living, hoping one day he’d rise from the streets of northern Philadelphia to the fame, fortune and bright lights of the National Football League.
But as millions of familes spend today dining on turkey and stuffing with their loved ones, McClain will head to assistant coach Greg Mattison’s house for dinner because football practice prevents him from traveling a few hours north to be with his family.
“You definitely appreciate where you are today,” McClain, who is single, said. “I know what it’s like to be on the bottom and know what it takes to excel on the top. I love being here with this team and in this locker room today.”
It’s a locker room filled with designer suits, state-of-the-art TVs and stereos and of course, extravagant jewelry. It’s also a place very few envisioned McClain right now, as the 23-year-old was the lone undrafted free agent to make the team.
“He was our No. 1 guy on defense, as far as a free agent goes,” Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. “I mean, we put everybody on him that we had. We tried to recruit him with [general manager] Ozzie [Newsome] and Harbs (Ravens coach John Harbaugh). We threw the big hitters at him, and we were fortunate to get him.”
McClain attracted the Ravens with his versatility, as the 6-foot-1, 250-pounder can play defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker and special teams. He made 170 tackles and 11.5 sacks at Syracuse University, where as a senior, he was a semifinalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive tackle.
McClain has 13 special teams tackles and 1.5 sacks this season. But his biggest moments have come in the end zone where he has two safeties, including one on Sunday when he blocked a punt in the third quarter of a 36-7 win over the Eagles. He recorded his first safety — and his first sack — when he took down Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell in a 29-10 win on Oct. 26.
“We like the way he plays the game,” Ryan said of McClain, whose two safeties are a team record. “We never realized that he was going to be this smart and could learn our system, which I think is fairly complicated if you’re learning multiple spots, and he picked it up really well.”
Said McClain: “It’s just being at the right place at the right time. Coaches put me in a good position to make a play and the key is don’t miss the lay-up.”
Harbaugh said he believes McClain can have a long career in the NFL.
“He’s done some good things on defense,” he said. “You feel like he’s going to be a heck of a defensive player. That’s why he’s such a good special teams player and vice versa. He’s made a few mistakes, still. He can get better in a lot of areas. But right now, he’s a core special teams player for us, and he’s got a bright future.”
McClain has earned the respect of his teammates.
“Jameel practices just the way he plays,” linebacker Ray Lewis said. And it’s amazing that you can come in last week and grade out at 100 percent. I don’t care if you have one play.”
McClain makes about $300,000, but will earn much more if he keeps putting his name in the team’s record book.
But this much is clear: no amount can make him forget his past.
He’s already a spokesman for the Salvation Army’s local Red Kettle Campaign to raise money for the charity.
“The Salvation Army played a part in my life and it drives you to want to get out there and reach a hand out to those in need,” he said. “I want kids out there to know that with hard work, there is nothing you can’t accomplish no matter what obstacles are in your way.”
