This weekend, Rolando McClain, Alabama linebacker and top draft pick of the Oakland Raiders, sat down for for an interview with Decatur Daily, his hometown newspaper, for a friendly, nice interview before rejoining the Raiders this week for off-season practices.

It’s the kind of small town, sweet interview with the newspapers where you aren’t asked any hard questions. Usually no real news is made.

However some news, indeed, was made by Rolando McClain.

In the interview with Decatur Daily, McClain said I don’t plan on sitting out. I really need to be at training camp to play for this team. I will go to OTAs and won’t worry about the contract.

It may not be news really. However for guys fresh from the draft, it’s not normal these days for them to say “I am not worried about my contract.” These guys’ agents tell them to not ever say those kinds of things.

It’s been the opposite two out of the last three years for Oakland. It’s been a problem.

During the whole 2007 summer, JaMarcus Russell was a hold out. In 2009, Darius Heyward-Bey was a brief hold out. They both sat practices, holding out for bigger pay days. To put it nicely both stumbled early on for the Raiders.

Maybe it’s the family of McClain’s that won’t allow him to miss any games or hold out. Alabama is, after all, territory of the Tennessee Titans. On September 12, the Raiders will be opening the season versus the Titans.

McClain has admitted that family and friends, including ones he didn’t even know he had, have besieged him with ticket requests. McClain told the Decatur Daily, I might need to buy some tickets from my teammates.