McClain is intelligent and can be insightful to be interviewed, but he prefers not to talk to the press, and not just to avoid being fined by the NFL. Linebacker 25-year-old twice-retired is not a rah-rah guy in his field, which "leads to their pads," as Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jeremy Mincey put.
McClain is definitely not the type of person who is going to make small talk nonsense. That's what made the brief conversation McClain began in training camp one day so memorable for the defensive captain Barry Church.
"He came up to me and was like, 'I love you all. Guys make this game fun for me again,'" recalled after McClain starred Church Dallas 26-10 victory Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. "Once he said that, I knew he was back to his old ways, like the way it was back in Alabama. Just a love for the game and love to win. Need that kind of guy around us. Just what we need in our defense and I'm glad you're here. "
Man, do the Cowboys never need that kind of player, that kind of talent on defense. The agreement to acquire rights safe McClain of the Baltimore Ravens - and recruit his retirement - was rooted in despair after a defense that ranked last in the league last season lost plays middle linebacker Sean Lee to a knee season-ending injury in May.
McClain was a miserable failure for the Oakland Raiders, who the eighth overall pick in the 2010 draft but was released less than three years and countless headaches later. It never entered the field in Baltimore, and many figured it was a lost cause if Bama teammate Ozzie Newsome man, general manager of the Ravens, McClain could not get on the right track.
"I was in a bad way," said McClain, who has been arrested three times since entering the NFL and is appealing a jail sentence of 18 days derived from a 2013 incident in his Alabama hometown. "I do not deserve to play football, so to speak. I was not all the way in the game. You will not be the best if it does not focus at work, so I had to take time to do what was important, get myself right, and I got that right.
"Now I'm in a great organization, I have some great teammates, and happy to play football."
Finally, it appears as if McClain has a legitimate chance to harness the potential that led to Alabama coach Nick Saban tell people that the NFL physical specimen 260 pounds 6-foot-4 with a nasty streak, the natural instincts and excellent Xs and Os mind was one of the best players he had ever coached.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett recalled Saban, the head of Garrett broke when training in Miami, raving about McClain during a trip Garrett Alabama pro day. He called Saban when the Cowboys first considers McClain as an option and was told it was worth taking a shot on a talented player with a troubled past who was really trying to get his life together.
McClain, the father of two children, reoriented his life around faith and family. He eliminated the negative influences, giving you the opportunity to take advantage of their gifts football, which he has done with the music of his team with 22 tackles (coaches per film), a sack and a spectacular interception in two games a defense that is exceeding expectations-basement low.
There have been bumps in the road for McClain during his brief time with the Cowboys. Training camp was especially difficult for him after a layoff of 20 months. A handful of practices because of their appearance in court in Alabama and health problems associated with under-conditioning was lost.
But McClain, who resigned two NFL teams, the Cowboys convinced that they could count on him.
"[We] try to give you the opportunity to come and show you can be a football player," Garrett said. "Creating the right environment for him to do that, and really emphasize take it day by day, play by play. Just focus on this task here, and I think over time, has been shown to be a reliable player for us. "
By their actions speak much louder than words, McClain has definitely shown his talent.
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