2014 Chicago Bears Offseason Thread

[Guest]

Kyle Long ‏@Ky1eLong 1h

Shea looking all Bane-ish and ish %Monsters

 

[jersey cubs fan]

how was a first round pick allowed to spend 2 seasons looking like me?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

He still looks kinda soft for a football player.

[Guest]

at 10% body fat, soft might not be the word you're looking for.

[jersey cubs fan]

He still looks kinda soft for a football player.

 

Not really.

 

The weird thing is he was a guy who climbed the draft boards after everybody was done playing football. That is typically reserved for physical specimens.

[Guest]

@ScotProhaska: Shea Mcclellin & I spent hrs together working to drop hips, getting angles right, explosive… http://instagram.com/p/nEqvznRM5D/

[Wilson A2000]

Scot Prohaska ‏@ScotProhaska Apr 17

Shea McClellin after 10 wks with me. Shea "I've never been under 14% Body fat" #ProhaskaPower #ChicagoBears #NFL pic.twitter.com/Zza1aOETf5

 

 

Scot Prohaska ‏@ScotProhaska 36m

Shea Mcclellin b4 training was 263lb,18%BF,4.74 40 & 320lb bench. NOW 252lb,10%BF, 4.5 40, 365lbs. Perfect for a LB. pic.twitter.com/0WeqLOW1OZ

 

I thought the reason the Bears drafted Shea was that he was a DE who ran a low 4.5 40. But recently he ran a 4.74. Now he's lighter and just back to his old 40 time.

[CubInOK]

How does he have 10% body fat and not have visible abs? Also, how did he cut and make gains on bench press?

[SpongeWorthy]

The long answer is that it's his full time job to be in great shape and has access to the best training, nutrition, supplementation, and therapies.

 

The short answer is PEDs.

[CubInOK]

The long answer is that it's his full time job to be in great shape and has access to the best training, nutrition, supplementation, and therapies.

 

The short answer is PEDs.

I'd go with this.

[Guest]

How does he have 10% body fat and not have visible abs? Also, how did he cut and make gains on bench press?

 

I've done the latter. Granted I wasn't starting from as high a point as he was. The stronger you get, the harder it is to make gains.

[Butterscup1679666578]

bottom line is he looks better than he has the last two years. ive never drank the shea kool-aid but im gonna give him a chance here because hes obviously improving himself. no reason to believe he'll be a solid player, but at least he's not dicking around and collecting his rookie money.

[Soul]

Hmm honestly to me the difference isn't all that shocking. He dropped a few pounds, kind of looks a little slim now without much muscle

[Guest]

Pretty sad that an NFL player who has basically been 3-4 LB size the past two seasons was at 18% body fat.

[Guest]

Hmm honestly to me the difference isn't all that shocking. He dropped a few pounds, kind of looks a little slim now without much muscle

 

 

 

look at the picture of his back

 

and the instagram video i posted above

 

not to mention the fact that he benches 365 pounds. without much muscle?

[Guest]

Pretty sad that an NFL player who has basically been 3-4 LB size the past two seasons was at 18% body fat.

 

This is true.

[cubbyvirus00]

What a bust of a pick. He doesn't even look like a NFL LB. NFL LBs are jacked.

[Sammy Sofa]

Good to see you're approaching this with an open mind.

[Banedon]

It's great that he's getting in shape...about damn time. But it's still a whole new position he'll be learning. Still plenty of room for doubt.

 

But hey...first things first, and this is definitely a step in the right direction.

[WrigleyField 22]

It's great that he's getting in shape...about damn time. But it's still a whole new position he'll be learning. Still plenty of room for doubt.

 

But hey...first things first, and this is definitely a step in the right direction.

You basically have to go in treating this like his rookie season.

[RynoRules]

I'm not sure having a "six pack" means a lot. I've read several accounts from actors (Jackman, Evans, Aniston, to name few) who - in order to appear completely ripped during shirtless / mid-drift scenes - will virtually starve themselves of food and water for 24-48 hours prior. This gives them the appearance of having insanely ripped physiques, when in reality they don't look that way.

 

I get that professional athletes are paid to take care of their bodies and work out constantly, but I don't think that having a six-pack is necessarily indicative of being in shape. There are plenty of athletes out there with different body types who show great endurance and ability despite not being "chiseled". Football examples off the top of my head include Terrell Suggs (SB v 49'ers), Lance Briggs (in fairness, white is never slimming), Reggie White (even in his prime), and Peyton Manning (dude has NEVER looked in great shape).

 

From a non-professional athlete perspective, I am 37.5 years old, have between 10-12% body fat (it varies) and do not have a "six pack". I work my core pretty hard at least three days a week to support my running (15-20 miles a week), plus lift weights. Some folks are lucky enough to have what is considered by the tabloids to be a "great body", others are not. Part of the reason I don't look as good as some with my shirt off may be dietary (3 liters of water per day, vegan diet, and several alcoholic bevies per week), part may be genetics. Regardless, I bet I have better overall "fitness" than many who are smaller and have "tighter skin" than me.

 

Point is - I couldn't care less about what Shea's body looks like so long as he is fit, has endurance to play at speed for 9-10 straight plays, uses proper technique in coverage, tackling and filling gaps, and understands/executes his role in the defensive scheme. The rest is largely bull**** (i.e., Alonzo Spellman or Tony Mandrich).

Edited April 22, 2014 by RynoRules

[WrigleyField 22]

Great post. With that being the case, it's just as exciting to hear about the hours of LB drills as his new physic (not that you'd expect less, but the two things together are reason for optimism).

 

I still think this year we have to approach with expectations of a part time player, but hopefully he can be impactful in limited snaps.

[Guest]

I thought the reason the Bears drafted Shea was that he was a DE who ran a low 4.5 40. But recently he ran a 4.74. Now he's lighter and just back to his old 40 time.

 

He ran a 4.63 at the combine and a 4.81 going into college.

[dcvalpo]

This is what an NFL linebacker looks like...

 

http://www.oneresult.com/sites/default/files/u3/Patrick%20Willis%20Fat%20Loss.png

 

(OMC actually knew (of) this guy in college)

[rawaction]

Gotta remember, Shea was basically asked to put on weight so he could stay at DE. He was drafted around 250ish wasn't he? I think when your goal is to simply put on weight, it's not going to always be "good". He was probably eating a ton of calories during the season and couldn't work out as much probably by design to rest from practices/games and heal from injuries.

 

Now that he's playing LB, I think he's at a more natural weight for him.

 

Also, as a former weight lifter, I dropped weight to get into a lower weight class for a bench press competition when I was in college, all while increasing my bench press a good 30-40lbs. I never had visible abs until I got under 11% body fat. I was typically around 13%, but got as low as 9%, and still didn't have a 6-pack. Only had 4, could never get the lower abs going.

 

And yeah, genetics play a huge part in everything. Some people can just get bigger/toner than others without doing as much. My workout partner back in the day was physically more muscular to the eye than me, but I was 230lbs with 11% body fat and he was 195lbs with 9-10% body fat. So, the concerns with Shea coming out of the draft look to be true. He can't really add much to his frame. Whereas a guy like Idonije could play at anywhere from 270-300 in his career based on what the team needed, and he didn't look sloppy when he was heavier or too skinny when he was smaller.