So much for Jimmy Clausen being “NFL ready”
Rookie quarterbacks struggle in the NFL – it’s part of the game. But it says something when a rookie is benched for another signal caller who compiled a 41.8 passer rating in his first two starts of the season and who has generally looked awful himself.
The Panthers announced Monday that they’ll start Matt Moore over rookie Jimmy Clausen this Sunday against the 49ers. It’s a move that indicates that John Fox and his coaching staff don’t believe that Clausen is ready to lead a bad team with very little around him (the Panthers are awfully thin at receiver).
The unfortunate part here is that Clausen was regarded as the most “NFL-ready” quarterback prospect in April because he played under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. Now, this doesn’t mean that he’s destined to fail in the NFL and keep in mind that the Panthers became the first NFL team since 1999 to start a rookie quarterback and two rookie receivers when Clausen, Brandon LaFell and David Gettis all started in Week 5 against the Bears.
But it is concerning how unprepared Clausen was in his first taste of NFL action. He failed to move the offense, he never got into rhythm and he displayed little to no accuracy. It’s not fair to compare all rookie quarterbacks because no two situations are similar, but Sam Bradford appears to be light years ahead of Clausen and he didn’t play in a pro style offense at Oklahoma. (He’s also working with a limited receiver corps in St. Louis.) Granted, he was also the top pick in the draft, but Clausen hasn’t shown anything yet to make you believe he can be a starting quarterback.
That said, it’s still early and it’s not like he has the best coaching staff around him in Carolina. This wouldn’t be the first time that Fox mismanaged his quarterback situation and it stands to reason that Clausen just needs a couple of more starts under his belt to figure things out. But seeing as how he won’t get them unless Moore is a disaster again (which could happen), he’ll have to hone his craft in practice.
The Jimmy Clausen era isn’t over with in Carolina, but it isn’t off to a great start either.
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Posted in: NFL
Tags: Carolina Panthers, Jimmy Clausen, Jimmy Clausen Matt Moore, Matt Moore
I think the Sicilian from ‘The Princess Bride’ said it best when he said:
“Never get involved in a land war in Asia and never draft a QB from Notre Dame (unless his initials are J.M.)”
Or something like that . . .
From what I saw of the Steelers-Browns game on Sunday it seems like Colt McCoy is also pretty far ahead of Clausen, and he was a third round pick.
Not that I’m a fan of Jimmy Clausen (it’s hard to like a d-bag who decided that renting a limo to announce he was going to ND was a bright idea… and well it’s hard to take seriously a QB named “Jimmy” – I mean, would you have taken Joe Montana seriously if he went as “Joey Montana” or Tom Brady if he was “Tommy Brady”?), but this quote from the story, “Clausen was regarded as the most “NFL-ready” quarterback prospect in April because he played under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame,” should also send chills down the spine… after all, C. Weis is one of the most overrated coaches in the last few years, and he his “pro-style” QBs haven’t had much success… Brady Quinn, anyone?
I haven’t seen him play, but his stats are pretty bad.
Colt McCoy looked much better than I thought he would, but I’d like to see now how he does with more starts.
That said, McCoy’s arm is stronger than I thought. He is very accurate and he has a VERY quick release. He also has guts – he’s a natural leader.
It’s way to early, but the early signs for McCoy are good.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, after piling up stats while at ND to impress the NFL scouts. Help the Irish win? Purely an after-thought!