IRVING, Texas – Rolando McClain isn't interested in looking too far into the future, as he demonstrated Friday when asked about his contract.
"We haven't talked about it, I'm not worried about it – I'm getting ready for the Giants," he said.
The question was bound to come up at some point, given the way McClain has played this season. The Cowboys acquired him from Baltimore for a sixth-round draft pick, but McClain has spent the year playing very much like the No. 8 overall pick he was expected to be in 2010.
McClain is the team's leading tackler through six games, and his presence at middle linebacker has helped spark the Cowboys defense to a surprisingly good start. It was enough to prompt Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones to express his desire to secure McClain longterm, as he is currently playing on a one-year deal.
"I certainly see a situation where we're going to be trying to sign him to a longterm contract and keep him here with the Dallas Cowboys," Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Oct. 6.
Pressed for further comment Friday, McClain repeated himself: "We haven't talked about it, I'm not worried about it – I'm getting ready for the Giants."
In fact, McClain said he didn't even want to look ahead as far as game day, when the Giants visit AT&T Stadium for the Cowboys' division opener. He missed two days of practice attending to a personal issue back in Alabama, and he said there's still plenty of work left to do before the game.
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"We've got to take every day for what it is – still got a process to do," McClain said. "Still a few steps left to get done before Sunday and get prepared for the game, so -- still got some stuff to do before Sunday."
McClain said the groin injury that has hampered him on-and-off this season feels better than it did last week, and Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said he seems healthier coming out of the Seattle win.
"He was able, for the most part, to get through that game and got some treatment and rehab while he was away," he said.
This would be the third time this season that McClain has played after practicing just one day during the week – though the circumstances are admittedly different. Linebackers coach Matt Eberflus met with McClain both before and after he left for Alabama, and he studied game film on his iPad in the interim.
"I'm just happy to be with the Dallas Cowboys, and I'm happy with our success so far. I'm having fun with our teammates and having a good time," McClain said. "We've jelled together and we're just having a good time right now."
