Nice Article on our Center

[BCEagleATLFalcon]

For those who skip straight to the message board, here's a good read on McClure:

http://www.atlantafalcons.com/News/Articles/2010/06/1-11/Longevity_part_of_McClure_success.aspx

<H1 class="" itxtvisited="1">Longevity only part of McClure's success</H1>by Daniel Cox, AtlantaFalcons.com Contributor Flowery Branch, Ga. -- Centers are rarely the members of a football team to set records.

In fact, it's long been said that if anyone's talking about a member of the offensive line, he's likely not doing his job well.

However, Todd McClure is a center worth talking about, and the talk should be about how long and how well he's done his job.

If McClure, 33, can maintain a streak of good health through this year's training camp, when the Falcons' 1999 seventh-round draft choice snaps the ball to quarterback Matt Ryan in Pittsburgh to begin the 2010 campaign, he'll set the franchise record for consecutive starts with 129, breaking former linebacker Keith Brooking's mark.

McClure, entering his 12th season with the Falcons, believes he's blessed to have even been given the opportunity to come close to such an achievement. The reign as Atlanta's full-time center for nine consecutive seasons meant his family could place roots in the city that provided him his first NFL opportunity.

A man of faith, he doesn't hesitate to recognize a higher authority's hand in his longevity either. He knows when September 12 comes, it won't be an accomplishment he carries strictly on his shoulders.

"The good Lord has blessed me with my health and being able to stay healthy," McClure said recently. "I'm just looking forward to getting that point, to that first game, as the whole team is. We want to get through training camp, that's the worst part of what we do. It'll be an exciting day and I couldn't have done it without the Lord being on my side."

But during McClure's rookie season, none of this seemed possible. A career as one of the more solid centers of the past decade felt well out of reach for McClure, over before it hardly began.

Fresh off the 1998 Super Bowl run, the Falcons newest center prospect tore his ACL on the second day of training camp. But in a move that speaks to McClure's toughness, he got off the ground and finished practice on a mangled knee. Once the news came that he would miss the remainder of the season, however, he thought his football career may face a cruel and sudden ending.

"That day when I tore my ACL I thought my career was over with before it even got started," said McClure. "If you'd asked me that day if I thought I'd be playing this long I probably would have told you no. I never would have thought it. I've just worked hard and I enjoy what I do, playing football, a child's game, for a living and getting paid pretty well. I've made a good career of it and hopefully I've got a few more good years in me."

Now as the most tenured Falcon on the roster, McClure recognizes everything that has gone into getting him to this stage in his career makes him a leader on the team, specifically the offensive line. He's seen centers come to Atlanta to win his job, but thus far he's always emerged as the last man standing. The sage veteran is realistic, however - he knows his life after football is in sight.

In 2010 the Falcons have once again added a young center to the mix in fourth-round pick Joe Hawley from UNLV. McClure understands he's expected to mentor a player that could eventually replace him. But he views it as just another opportunity to help the team while teaching a young player who he'll be watching from his recliner at home during his post-playing days.

"There are been several centers that have been drafted before that were expected to replace me," McClure said. "When those guys come in, when Joe came in, I told them all the same thing. 'Any questions you've got, I'll be there to help you.' That's the only way to go about it. That's the only way you're going to be a good team because if something happened to me during the season and I go down, we expect him to be able to step right in and play. I know I can't play forever, so I'd like to play a part in helping somebody along and know I had a part in it when my career is done."

As McClure ponders a life without football as every player eventually must, the camaraderie of his position group is what he'll miss the most. He considers himself the stoic manager of a young, hungry group of players that are as much characters, bullies, and court jesters as they are football players.

But at the end of the day, or the start of the game, he knows he can look to his left and right and see a player that is committed to their common goal, whether it's keeping Ryan upright or giving running back Michael Turner a lane twice the size of what he needs.

"We've got a great group," McClure said of his fellow offensive linemen. "It's probably one of the best groups we've had since I've been here as far as the personalities and how everybody gets along. We have a lot of fun doing this. When we're in our meetings, we take care of business, but we have a fun time. Out on the field there's a lot of hollering and screaming and we kind of motivate each other. If you're not feeling so good it helps to get through it. It's a great group of guys and I really enjoy playing with them."

At 6'1", 301 pounds, McClure was never blessed with awe-inspiring size or a first-round reputation. The 2008 USA Today All-Joe Team member believes the mental aspect of his game has aided in his permanence in an Atlanta Falcons uniform.

"I've seen guys come through over the years that had all the talent in the world but if they're jumping offsides because they don't know the snap count or they're having a lot of mental errors, they can't play the game no matter how strong, fast, or quick they are," said McClure. "The majority of it is mental. Once you get this game down and you know what defenses are doing, it all slows down for you. Then you can use your physical abilities to go out and perform well."

Since taking over the center position in Week 9 of 2000, McClure's seen every snap of every Atlanta game with the exception of the season finale in 2001, which he missed with a foot injury. When his name is etched into the team's record books in September his longevity will affirm his unique faith-based, mental and physical approach to the game.

remoteComments.writeCommentsByGuid('http://www.atlantafalcons.com/News/Articles/2010/06/1-11/Longevity_part_of_McClure_success.aspx');

[kibitzer]

+1 Excellent article. Guy's got a great attitude, and yes, gets under rated by many around here. While I wanted us to draft Pouncey this year, it was not a knock on McClure in any way. I just think the position is extremely important, and if he goes down, moves on or retires, was hopeful for that prospect to grow under his tutelage. If Hawley is smart, he will listen well and soak up as much as he can. There aren't too many much better than McClure.

[Dog River]

+1. Good article.

[AutoMax]

I hope Hawley can pick up a wealth of knowledge before McClure decides to retire. I'm glad that we have a good one for him to learn behind.

[Izo#2883]

I might have been out of the loop here, but when the heck did Daniel Cox start writing for atlantafalcons.com??

Man Im excited about the future articles, this is great news imo

[NFL Draft Fan 07]

I hope Hawley can pick up a wealth of knowledge before McClure decides to retire. I'm glad that we have a good one for him to learn behind.

Agreed. I think Hawley will be our starting Center in 2011, so hopefully he can learn a lot from McClure before then, or maybe even during that season if McClure is around as a back-up.

This was a great read though. You love to hear about guys who take young players under their wing to try to show them the ropes. Those are the kinds of players we want on this team.

[Tandy]

Thanks Lindsey - this was a great article.

[FalconFanSince1970]

Thanks BCE. As an avid McClure supporter this article warms my heart. He is still one of my favorite guys on this team.

A lunch pail guy that comes to work everyday and quietly gets the job done.

Gazoo where are you? You gotta love this one. Me and the Gaz man have suffered numerous battle scars defending this man on this board the last ten years.

Every year many here thought we should put him in the scrap heap. Well you don't last through four regimes without being good. I hope he can make it through camp healthy and break the record. Well done my friend, well done.

[redwolfcfc]

Yep, that is a great article, thanks for posting.

Thanks for all the great work Todd!

[gazoo]

Great article Lindsey.....McClure has clearly proven to stand the test of time. Played on a blown out knee, that's one tough Falcon.

McClure is correct, this is the best group of OL he's played with and we can see he was part of the solution, not the main problem as many of his ardent detractors insisted was the case for years. The criticism on him the last couple of years has trickled down to nary a peep.

McClure is finally getting what I had always hoped would be the case, a fair shake with the fans who now realize this guy has been a great, standup field general for this organization for years, even tough as nails enough to play on a blown out knee.

[BCEagleATLFalcon]

Great article LindsAy.....McClure has clearly proven to stand the test of time. Played on a blown out knee, that's one tough Falcon.

McClure is correct, this is the best group of OL he's played with and we can see he was part of the solution, not the main problem as many of his ardent detractors insisted was the case for years. The criticism on him the last couple of years has trickled down to nary a peep.

McClure is finally getting what I had always hoped would be the case, a fair shake with the fans who now realize this guy has been a great, standup field general for this organization for years, even tough as nails enough to play on a blown out knee.

Fixed my name (), but other than that, 100% agree. Would love to see him get a ring before he retires.

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the article as much as I did. Here's the interview that goes along with it:

http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media_library/Videos/Player_Interviews/2010/05/Falcons_Insider_Todd_McClure_Interview_6-1-10.aspx

[theProf]

I might have been out of the loop here, but when the heck did Daniel Cox start writing for atlantafalcons.com??

Man Im excited about the future articles, this is great news imo

In addition to still writing free-lance articles for the Atlanta Falcons Examiner, Daniel Cox now also writes articles directly for the atlantafalcons.com website. It appears that he has been writing directly for atlantafalcons.com site only since May 19. A recap listing of these Daniel Cox articles as follows:

Falcons don aprons, wait tables to aid Atlanta children

By Daniel Cox, 05/19/10, 11:34AM

Atlanta Falcons players, coaches and front office executives served as wait staff at The Capital Grille, earning "tips" that benefitted Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's "Huddle Up For Miracles" program.

Rookies assess their own mini camp progress

By Daniel Cox, 05/20/10, 04:30PM

Five Falcons rookies offer up assessments of their progress thus far in mini camp practices.

Schillinger parlays small town hope into big league reality

By Daniel Cox, 05/23/10, 03:51PM

Chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Shann Schillinger has come a long way from the tiny hamlet of Baker, Montana.

Falcons not averse to mining small school talent

By Daniel Cox, 05/24/10, 01:41PM

The Falcons have not shied away from sending their college scouting personnel to small, lower profile schools to find NFL level talent.

Wednesday OTA Notebook

By Daniel Cox, 05/26/10, 02:43PM

Notes and observations after the Atlanta Falcons OTA practice on May 26, 2010.

Position switch for Meier paves road to NFL

By Daniel Cox, 05/26/10, 03:35PM

A position change for Kerry Meier, the Atlanta Falcons' fifth-round draft choice in the 2010 NFL Draft, paved the Pittsburg, KS native's path to the NFL.

Longevity only part of McClure's success

By Daniel Cox, 06/01/10, 11:24AM

Atlanta Falcons center Todd McClure is on the verge of setting a Falcons record for consecutive games played, but his longevity and durability are just two of the reasons for his success.

The complete articles for each of the above recaps can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.atlantafalcons.com/News/Landing.aspx

[Izo#2883]

@ TheProf:

Thanks for taking the time to clarify this for me, appreciate it. Dunno how I could have missed it though, guess I dont pay attention to the authors from AF.com alot. Thats something I will have to remedy.

[FalconFanSince1970]

In addition to still writing free-lance articles for the Atlanta Falcons Examiner, Daniel Cox now also writes articles directly for the atlantafalcons.com website. It appears that he has been writing directly for atlantafalcons.com site only since May 19. A recap listing of these Daniel Cox articles as follows:Falcons don aprons, wait tables to aid Atlanta childrenBy Daniel Cox, 05/19/10, 11:34AMAtlanta Falcons players, coaches and front office executives served as wait staff at The Capital Grille, earning "tips" that benefitted Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's "Huddle Up For Miracles" program. Rookies assess their own mini camp progressBy Daniel Cox, 05/20/10, 04:30PMFive Falcons rookies offer up assessments of their progress thus far in mini camp practices. Schillinger parlays small town hope into big league realityBy Daniel Cox, 05/23/10, 03:51PMChosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Shann Schillinger has come a long way from the tiny hamlet of Baker, Montana. Falcons not averse to mining small school talentBy Daniel Cox, 05/24/10, 01:41PMThe Falcons have not shied away from sending their college scouting personnel to small, lower profile schools to find NFL level talent. Wednesday OTA NotebookBy Daniel Cox, 05/26/10, 02:43PMNotes and observations after the Atlanta Falcons OTA practice on May 26, 2010. Position switch for Meier paves road to NFLBy Daniel Cox, 05/26/10, 03:35PMA position change for Kerry Meier, the Atlanta Falcons' fifth-round draft choice in the 2010 NFL Draft, paved the Pittsburg, KS native's path to the NFL. Longevity only part of McClure's successBy Daniel Cox, 06/01/10, 11:24AMAtlanta Falcons center Todd McClure is on the verge of setting a Falcons record for consecutive games played, but his longevity and durability are just two of the reasons for his success. The complete articles for each of the above recaps can be viewed at the following link:http://www.atlantafalcons.com/News/Landing.aspx

How did these get past Jbo? Is he falling down on the job? The 6/2/10 rapid report even escaped him. What up Jbo?

[Dem Birds]

Mud duck>>>>>>>>>>>

[Derek J]

McClure is the man! GO FALCONS!