Now with Falcons, Adrian Clayborn knows why Bucs didn’t re-sign him
Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger (7) passes as he is pressured by Atlanta Falcons defenders Adrian Clayborn (99) and O'Brien Schofield (50) in the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS By Ira Kaufman | Tribune Staff Published: October 29, 2015 at 09:57 PMTAMPA — Adrian Clayborn acknowledges that he didn’t give the Buccaneers a solid return on their investment.The Bucs selected the defensive end out of Iowa in the first round of the 2011 draft, but Clayborn missed 28 games in four seasons due to injuries — most notably an ACL tear and a torn triceps.When Tampa Bay didn’t resign him, Clayborn agreed to a 1-year free-agent deal with the Falcons in March that could be worth $3 million. He is tied for the team lead with two sacks heading into Sunday’s matchup between the Falcons and Bucs at the Georgia Dome.“If you pay somebody and they only play two out of the four years, I wouldn’t pay them again, either,” said Clayborn, who has started four games during Atlanta’s surprising 6-1 start. “There’s no hard feelings. It is what it is. It’s a business.’’Clayborn showed promise as a rookie with 7.5 sacks, but he couldn’t stay on the field. At the age of 27, he has an opportunity to prove himself again with a new team.“I think you guys know A.C. well,’’ Falcons rookie head coach Dan Quinn said on a conference call. “He hasn’t lost that toughness that you guys remember. He’s still not smiling, so that’s a good thing for a defensive lineman. He has the same attitude and mindset to go.“Probably where we’re featuring him a little bit differently is we’re playing him inside in our nickel package and a little bit at defensive end. He’s been a really, really good addition,’’[email protected]Twitter: @IKaufmanTBO
