Le'Ron McClain (1 Viewer)

[WarRedbirds]

18 carries for 82 yards today for the Ravens.

Discuss...

 

[Thunderlips]

I admit....I don't know who he is. I didn't look past Rice in BAL's running game.

 

[Tommy Collins]

Was a 5th round pick as a FB. 260lbs, he's the same size as Brandon Jacobs.

 

[timschochet]

John's secret grandson?

 

[[scooter]]

FBGuys says he's the 2nd string fullback and #5 fantasy option. NFL.com lists him as the starting fullback. FFToday has him as the RB3.

While everyone is wondering if Brian Leonard is going to be a fullback or a running back in the NFL, there is a true #1 rated fullback on the board that hasn't received the pre-draft press that Leonard has.

Admittedly, fullbacks aren't something you casually follow in college, so my first introduction to McClain was at the 2007 Senior Bowl, where the former Bama standout exhibited himself very well.

At that event, NFL's Gil Brandt wrote:

It took five minutes of the first contact drill to realize Alabama fullback Le'Ron McClain is one tough football player. Is he a first-round pick? No. Is he a first-day pick? Only if a team is interested in a man who is going to get on linebackers and physically dominate them and can catch a short pass to move the chains when the defense overplays the run. A 6-foot, 255-pound bulldozer, McClain is in the model of NFL fullbacks Lorenzo Neal, Mack Strong and Heath Evans. He's not winning any beauty contests, but he is going to set the tempo for the running game.

It's hard to narrow down exactly how much McClain weighs. We know he's an even 6 feet tall. While his espn, yahoo, and nfl.com profiles list him at 257 pounds (reflecting his weight at the Combine), McClain weighed in at the Senior Bowl at 265 and then was a svelte 247 at his Alabama pro-day. He's not a gifted athlete like Leonard, but McClain is nimble enough on his feet to be able to stay with linebackers at the next level.

Throwback fullbacks like this aren't for every NFL franchise anymore, but for teams in search of one, Le'Ron McClain is a pure lead fullbacks who can also can catch the ball enough out of the backfield to be valuable on all three downs.

http://www.sportsfrog.com/2007/04/2007_nfl...n_mcclain_f.php

 

[BringItOn]

Will be one of the top 10 players picked up after week 1, then the #1 dropped player after week 2.

 

[Alluro]

Sep. 12 - 7:32 pm et

Ravens beat writer Jamison Hensley suggests that LeRon McClain could be a bigger threat to Willis McGahee's carries than Ray Rice going forward.

It's possible that McClain, who played very well in Week 1 and is 6'0/260, could emerge as the "thunder" to McGahee or Rice's "lightning." Hensley says McClain has "shown flashes of being a special power back." We'd grab him in dynasty leagues and watch to see if McClain gets more carries going forward. He'd be very difficult to stop in short-yardage situations.

Source: Baltimore Sun

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sep. 13 - 12:58 am et

Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron strongly suggested that the Ravens may employ a committee backfield when Willis McGahee's knee heals.

The writing on the wall has pointed to this for some time now. "If we have a group of guys that we know that can help us win," Cameron said, "we'll play them all." McGahee is listed as probable for Monday's game at Houston and will be active, but the Baltimore Sun says he may not start. A three-headed monster including LeRon McClain and rookie Ray Rice appears imminent.

Source: Baltimore Sun

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did anyone who watched the week one matchup think McClain showed the goods to get a decent slice of the RB Baltimore pie? I can't find any highlights of the guy to view for myself, is he worth holding in dynasty? what is his upside?

 

[BigRed]

It's impossible to say right now if any BAL RB is even worth having now except in bigger leagues/rosters.

 

[ravnzfan]

Sep. 12 - 7:32 pm et

Ravens beat writer Jamison Hensley suggests that LeRon McClain could be a bigger threat to Willis McGahee's carries than Ray Rice going forward.

It's possible that McClain, who played very well in Week 1 and is 6'0/260, could emerge as the "thunder" to McGahee or Rice's "lightning." Hensley says McClain has "shown flashes of being a special power back." We'd grab him in dynasty leagues and watch to see if McClain gets more carries going forward. He'd be very difficult to stop in short-yardage situations.

Source: Baltimore Sun

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sep. 13 - 12:58 am et

Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron strongly suggested that the Ravens may employ a committee backfield when Willis McGahee's knee heals.

The writing on the wall has pointed to this for some time now. "If we have a group of guys that we know that can help us win," Cameron said, "we'll play them all." McGahee is listed as probable for Monday's game at Houston and will be active, but the Baltimore Sun says he may not start. A three-headed monster including LeRon McClain and rookie Ray Rice appears imminent.

Source: Baltimore Sun

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did anyone who watched the week one matchup think McClain showed the goods to get a decent slice of the RB Baltimore pie? I can't find any highlights of the guy to view for myself, is he worth holding in dynasty? what is his upside?

McClain showed a decent 'burst' for a guy of his size, and had huge holes to navigate thru running behind NealI think the Ravens decided rather than sign/carry another RB when it appeared McGahee wasn't going to be ready to open the season that getting Lorenzo Neal in to start @FB gave them a super-jumbo "thunder" attack that could shorten a game when it also appeared that Flacco was going to have to start

consider all this happened right around the same time:

McGahee had a lingering knee

Boller had a shoulder problem that sent him to IR

TSmith was a late scratch for a scheduled preseason start that was to get him ready to open the season, leaving Flacco as the starting QB

O-line was being juggled due to injury

now, with the Ravens week 2 game scratched, it is even more important these guys "multi-task", as the roster has been mutilated w/injuries (like~7 IR's!) and they face 15 straight weeks of "punch them in the mouth" football if they are going to be close in games

while Cam & Co haven't discussed the game plan directly, my guess is that to employ a "shorten the game as much as possible" while Flacco gets setteled is where this is headed, leading me to believe McClain will have plenty of carries this season

it would make sence to pound the ball 35-40X's as much as possible, so McGahee would still see plenty of work as "the lead back", but don't be shocked to see some goalline/short yardage work be handled by McClain, behind Neal--also in any situations where the Ravens get up and look to milk some clock

I mean, that's 500+ lbs of beef w/McClain+Neal, and awfully though to stop, once LMc gets going!

Ray Rice won't see signifigant carries until he can secure the football--the last thing a team needs that is as short handed as the Ravens are is to start giving away the ball, and 'lil Ray still isn't there yet in this area---close , but...

Cleveland is a team the Ravens have had some success running on...stayed tune, as I wouldn't be supprised to see 40-ish carries in this one Sunday