Defensive end Shea McClellin got his first real chance Sunday to show what he could do with starters in a contact scrimmage, and if the Chicago Bears' first-round draft pick impressed some people, one of them wasn't himself.
"Today my pass rushing wasn't very good, so I was kind of disappointed," he said. "I'm pretty hard on myself, so I've got to do better than that."
Coming back with a day practice Sunday after a night practice, coach Lovie Smith gave veteran defensive end Julius Peppers time off and let McClellin work with the first team at defensive end.
The Bears will do that from time to time with veterans like Peppers and Brian Urlacher, particularly following a night practice.
"We're not going to beat him up," Smith said. "We pretty much know what he can do. We'll monitor his reps."
McClellin struggled at times going against the first team offensive line, then had a little success against second-team right end James Brown by shaking his blocker in scrum around quarterbacks Jay Cutler or Jason Campbell. Using that method, he did make what would have been a sack in a game. It gave an indication that scouting reports saying he had a high motor were accurate.
"I just have a mentality of never quitting and that's what I try to do," he said.
McClellin's presence changes the dynamic at defensive end. The Bears like using three ends in games to keep each player fresher -- and even have used four at times. The odd man out with McClellin's presence appears to be former Northwestern player Corey Wootton, who has had numerous injury problems while getting into just 13 games his first two seasons. It was easy to see the pressure would be on Wootton when McClellin was drafted.
"The biggest thing it meant for me was that they were looking for somebody else to fill the void of third end," Wootton said. "Unfortunately, last year I didn't really contribute like I wanted to and that's why they drafted him."
Wootton thinks he's in better position to impress coaches this camp despite having to contend with Peppers, Idonije, and McClellin. He's healthier than he's ever been after suffering from knee and hand injuries in the past, and coming into the NFL directly from a severe knee injury.
"Maybe I'll be able to stay injury-free this year and really show them what I can do," he said.
At the very least, he can provide an extra hand on days in camp when Peppers gets a day to rest.
Follow Bears reporter Gene Chamberlain on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLCHI.
