Tag: Carolina Panthers (Page 9 of 34)

      So much for Jimmy Clausen being “NFL ready”

      October 18, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 03: Jimmy Clausen of the Carolina Panthers throws the ball against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome on October 3, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Panthers 16-14. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      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.

      External Sports, NFL

      That win is on you, Mike Martz

      October 10, 2010 /
      Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte warms up before before a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 21, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

      With Jay Cutler out and the I-can’t-believe-dude-is-this-bad Todd Collins in, Mike Martz knew he had to change his offensive philosophy for Sunday’s game against the Panthers.

      So for the first time ever in his career, Martz ran the football. And he ran the football. And he ran, and ran, and continued to run until the Bears managed to scoop up a dominating 23-6 win. And thanks to Martz’s dedication to the run game, Matt Forte had an opportunity to be the hero and that’s exactly what he was.

      Forte rushed 22 times for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns, which included a score on the first drive of the game on an 18-yard scamper. He also added a 68-yard score later in the first quarter to give Chicago a 14-3 lead.

      It was rather impressive that the Panthers knew the Bears had to run to win and they still couldn’t stop Forte. Collins was just as bad as everyone feared (he completed only 6-of-16 passes and threw four interceptions), but it didn’t matter because Chicago grabbed an early lead and never looked back. Collins kept Carolina in the game, but thanks to Forte and Jimmy Clausen, the Bears never trailed.

      At 4-1, the Bears now have sole possession of the NFC North.

      External Sports, NFL

      Ah, so that’s why Jimmy Clausen fell into the second round

      October 10, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 19: Jimmy Clausen of the Carolina Panthers warms up before their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      Back in April, some pundits felt as though Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen had first round talent. But good luck trying to find anyone who will admit that now.

      Rookie quarterbacks struggle in the NFL – it’s just the way it is. But so far, Clausen has played in all five of the Panthers’ games and has completed just 34 of his 69 pass attempts for 393 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Worse than his numbers is the fact that he’s shown zero ability to move Carolina’s offense whatsoever.

      The Bears (Carolina’s opponent on Sunday) have a solid defense and they’re liable to make any quarterback look bad. And hey, if I started against Chicago today, I’d probably crap down my pants, too. But with the way Clausen played in his team’s 23-6 loss on Sunday, it makes you wonder what John Fox and Co. saw in him to make him a second round pick in April.

      Clausen completed just 9-of-22 passes for 61 yards and an interception before finally being benched in the fourth quarter. He showed zero accuracy, displayed no rhythm and was rarely on the same page with his receivers. I get that he’s only a rookie, but he hasn’t shown anything that would indicate that he actually belongs in a starting role.

      You hate to pin a loss on one player, but because Clausen was so ineffective, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart had nowhere to run and even though the defense picked off Todd Collins (who may have played even worse than Clausen if that’s possible) four times, the Panthers still only managed six points. It’s almost like Clausen’s putrid play had a domino affect on the rest of the team and it doesn’t say a lot about Matt Moore’s game that the Panthers would rather go with the rookie than with him.

      Of course, it’s not like Clausen has much to work with in the receiving game. Steve Smith was out with an injury, although one would have thought that Clausen would apperciate that seeing as how Smith has torn him a new one at least once a day since the rookie arrived to Carolina. The Panthers’ wideouts are young and inexperienced, although again, Clausen has shown almost zero intangibles to this point. Most of the time you can say, “That rookie QB makes a lot of mistakes, but you can see the zip on his passes,” or “He just needs a little time to mature, but you can see that he’s accurate and has control of the huddle.”

      We’ve got crickets on Clausen.

      Today was a new low for the Panthers and it may be a while before they pick up their first win.

      External Sports, NFL

      Jay Cutler out for Sunday – will Mike Martz be forced to rely on the run?

      October 7, 2010 /
      Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz stands on the field during warmups before a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 21, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

      Mike Martz has long established that he would rather sit next to a crying baby on an airplane than run the football any more than he has to on Sundays. In fact, if it were truly up to him, he may scratch the run entirely and throw the ball on every down.

      But he has a problem this week. The Bears are in Carolina to take on a winless Panthers team and Jay Cutler is still feeling the affects of the concussion he suffered last Sunday night in New York. That means Todd Collins will have to start, which doesn’t bode well for Martz’s pass-happy offense.

      Collins was beyond putrid last weekend and it would behoove the Bears to keep the ball on the ground and allow their defense to win the game. Chicago has two capable running backs in Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, but thanks to Martz’s pass first and ask questions later approach, Da Bears are gaining only 68.8 yards per game on the ground this year.

      If Martz can’t adjust, the Bears are in trouble. The Panthers may not be in the win column yet and they certainly don’t have the pass rush that the Giants (Chicago’s opponent last weekend) have, but they hung with the Saints last Sunday and have two running backs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart that can wear down a tired defense late in games. If Chicago’s defense is on the field for long periods of time thanks to the ineptitude of Collins, then Carolina can take the game out of rookie quarterback Jimmy Claussen’s hand and lean on their ground attack.

      I don’t know what’s least likely to happen, Collins actually throwing the ball for more than 2.5 yards per pass or Martz changing his offense to a run first approach.

      Or Carolina winning a game.

      External Sports, NFL

      The Panthers should rid themselves of Dwayne Jarrett

      October 5, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 03: Dwayne Jarrett #80 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates a first-half touchdown during the game against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on January 3, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

      If Dwayne Jarrett was still at USC and he was arrested for driving while impaired, the tone of this article would be entirely different.

      But Jarrett isn’t a kid anymore and it’s high time he stops acting like one. Since coming into the league as a second round pick in 2007, he’s posted numbers similar to that of a seventh rounder that is primarily used on special teams.

      In three years and four games, he’s racked up 35 receptions for 428 yards and a whopping one touchdown. Many pundits projected him as a first round talent in ‘07, yet apparently the real surprise is not that he fell into the second round, but how he was drafted at all.

      If you remember correctly, this isn’t the first time Jarrett has been arrested for drunken driving. He was also hauled in for a DWI in March of 2008, so a suspension is likely forthcoming from the league.

      But the Panthers shouldn’t wait – just cut him and move on. If he were still at USC, I would implore Pete Carroll (or Lane Kiffin, or whomever) not to give up on him – to keep the structure of football in his life. But this is clearly someone who doesn’t have the focus, determination or decision-making to be a full-time player in the NFL. Only 35 receptions on the field and two DWIs off it prove that.

      Carolina is trying to rebuild on both sides of the ball and they don’t need distractions like this when they’re already 0-4. Not from a Pro Bowler, and certainly not from a player that hasn’t earned the right to be on a NFL roster.

      Maybe a wake up call is what he needs. Maybe Carroll could get through to him in Seattle. Either way, the Panthers should ensure he’s not their problem anymore and just move on.

      External Sports, NFL

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