It’s been one disappointment after another for Rolando McClain in his short NFL career, on and off the field. The Baltimore Ravens took a chance on him, but the linebacker was arrested for a third time in 11 months, which leads some to believe that the Super Bowl champions must really need him.

It’s not like the Ravens didn’t see this coming. They made sure there’s no guaranteed money in case they have to cut him, and McClain played into the hands of those who have lost all faith in the former Alabama star, who was a first round pick by the Oakland Raiders and turned out to be a flop up to this point in both pass and run coverage.

After losing both Ray Lewis (retirement) and Dannell Ellerbe (Free agency), the Ravens needed to plug holes. One of them was showing a leap of faith in McClain, and the other was selecting Arthur Brown out of Kansas State in the second round.

While some thought Brown will be the one to start in case McClain proves to be at his worst behavior, it’s hard to believe the small kid out of Wichita is going to be a starter anytime soon. Not just his size (6’0, 241) that’s probably going to be a problem for him, at least early on, but also adjusting from the 4-3 system he played under Bill Snyder during his college days.

If it wasn’t for this situation, McClain would have probably been released. So far in his career his off-field antics have proved that the meager production he provided on the field isn’t worth the hassle. Still, the Ravens seem to be quite in a bind, because despite the early troubles since acquiring McClain, there seems to be no rush to let go of him.

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