On report day, Matt Forte said, "As you get older, the veterans that are smart get lighter." And while Brandon Marshall's weight loss has been well-publicized, new Jets DT Steve McLendon also dropped his weight from 330 pounds to 318.
"When I came here, they wanted me on a different diet plan," the former Steeler said. "They wanted me to get my weight down and I did exactly what they asked me to do. I'm very excited and I'm very excited to be here."
While McLendon is already light on his feet, he believes he's just as powerful despite the weight loss.
"It feels good," he said. "I still have my strength, but I have to keep it up. It's better on the body, plus I'm getting a little older — I don't need all that weight. I need to be able to move, run."
The Troy product has earned the reputation as a run-stuffer with the Steelers, totaling 90 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss along with five sacks and eight quarterback hits throughout his career. However, his newfound mobility should allow him to be quicker and get in the backfield faster, which has been the main component of his summer workouts.
"I'm pretty much focusing on attacking up field," he said. "My attack is different because in Pittsburgh I was a two-gap guy and here I'm still a two-gap, but it's more of an attack two-gap. Attack the guy in front of me and beat him across his face and shed blocks faster."
McLendon has been working with the first team throughout training camp and is expected to be a key contributor on one of the top defensive lines in football.
