Tide’s McClain leads defense

NEW ORLEANS — Rolando McClain is a lab experiment come to life.

He has the size of a tight end, the speed of a safety, the strength of a lineman and the savvy of a coach.

None of those are his greatest asset. As Alabama’s middle linebacker, he’s got the personality of a modern-era Dick Butkus.

Nose tackle Terrence Cody says McClain is always in a bad mood. That’s not true, of course. But McClain is a leader, and he is a linebacker.

“If you are on an opposing team, you would think I am in a bad mood,” McClain agreed, not taking offense to Cody’s observation.

“If you get to know me for real, I stay to myself most of the time. So I am weird. I stay to myself.”

Not on the football field. The 6-foot-4, 249-pound sophomore from Decatur leads the Crimson Tide with 91 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. He ranked second on the team with three sacks, intercepted a pass, broke up five others and recovered two fumbles.

Those numbers barely scratch the surface about his role on the team.

“Rolando’s one of the brightest players I’ve been around. We challenge him and (safety) Rashad (Johnson), probably more than anybody else to make calls, make checks, do this, do that,” defensive coordinator Kirby Smart said.

“Rolando did a great job of that last year, and he’s only gotten better this year. He’s going to be a great player for us. I’m happy to have him. His size gives us more power and bulk, which is what we need. We need big linebackers.”

And now the Tide has two. McClain, the only returning linebacker with any experience in Alabama’s complex 3-4 scheme, deserves some credit for the development of true freshman Dont’a Hightower.

McClain makes every call for the defensive front seven. Alabama finished tied for second in the nation in the regular season in rushing defense.
McClain was named to the third team of the Associated Press All-America team. He was an honorable mention All-America by Pro Football Weekly.
His work with the 6-4, 250-pound Hightower helped the Alabama defense, which faced so many question marks before the season, fall into place.

“He’s a unique player. He’s a lot like me when I came in. He’s eager to learn,” the sophomore said of the freshman. “Just being how big and fast and strong he is, that was just a bonus.”

McClain said film work and technique were areas he worked with Hightower.

“I had to do a little but I didn’t have to do much because he wanted to learn so much,” McClain said. “He always wanted to go full speed everywhere. He only knows one speed.

“I’d tell him in certain formations against certain teams you’ve got to slow your footwork down. You’ve got to just control your eyes. That was the main part for Dont’a. Now that he has better eyes and better footwork, he’s a good player. He was good before, but he’s going to be even better now.”

McClain proved himself a fine teacher, but his teammates take their cue from the linebacker.

Cody grimaced as he talked about feeling sorry for scout team players in practice when going against McClain.

Asked about hitting in practice, McClain smiles.

“Just trying to go hard,” he said, shaking his head. “Coach demands it. If I hit you then I’m sorry.”

It is the most unconvincing apology ever offered — and McClain knows it. He sees big hits as part of his role. He loves making his teammates react.

“They feed off of it. In practice, the first three or four plays I make a big hit and that sets the tone for the rest of the day,” McClain said. “That lets the offense know when we go against them they better watch out, ’cause we’re hitting today. I don’t know.

“I mean, it’s a good thing that they look at me for intensity — because I don’t mind. I’m going to go hard every practice, every play. When you hit somebody hard, it’s just a bonus.”

Friday night’s Sugar Bowl against Utah is a bonus game for Alabama. It is also the final game McClain will play in front of Johnson, the All-American senior safety.

“You can’t replace him. That guy is amazing. He’s smart. He’s smarter than me,” McClain said. “He calls all the shots. I call the shots for the most part. But if I ever don’t know anything, I look back to Rashad and he’ll tell me. I’m going to miss him. You can’t replace him. I haven’t put any thought about (it being Johnson’s last game). I’m not gonna worry about it right now. Just be glad I’ve got him for Utah.”