I don't like Jimmy Clausen because...

[MrBubba]

You do realize that if Fox does not get a contract extension did this year that he can't take Clausen with him, right?

Painfully aware!!:cornut:

[CRA]

Give it a rest. It's not like there are tons of former Panthers out starring for other teams around the league because they weren't "given a fair chance" by Fox.

Fox wants to win, and will start the people he thinks give the Panthers the best chance of winning. He will make that decision based on what he sees in practice, in games, and from what his assistants tell him. If Moore can't beat out Clausen, it's not because the game is rigged, it's because Clausen is better.

yeah, just like he did last year w/ Jake, huh.

[monstercat]

yeah, just like he did last year w/ Jake, huh.

The great Bill Belichick did the exact same thing. Tom Brady only got his chance when Bledsoe got hurt.

Also, look at how many rookies Fox has started, and draft status didn't have a thing to do with it in some cases. Just look at Captain Munnerlynn last year. He was only a 7th round pick.

[cookinbrak]

I've read this argument ever since Friday night. Because that is what happened last year?? Jake was the best guy to start last year?? After losing games himself repeatedly, and Fox never would pull him. Took an injury to pull Jake and Matt went 4-1 and had the team finish .500. Even during the injury Fox waited before committing to Matt and putting Jake on IR. Everyone saw Willilams was better than Foster; yet Fox kept putting Foster out there. Fact is that Fox has his "guys" and will play them.

Fox doesn't always do what is "best" for the team, he does what he feels is "safest". Jake Delhomme had to get injured before Moore got to play. Rodney Peete had to take himself out of the JAX game before Delhomme got to play. And remember, it wasn't Dan Henning's idea to run draw plays on 3rd and long, or he would have done it in Miami.

That said, I don't think Fox has as much say as he used to.

[CarolinaSock]

The great Bill Belichick did the exact same thing. Tom Brady only got his chance when Bledsoe got hurt.

Also, look at how many rookies Fox has started, and draft status didn't have a thing to do with it in some cases. Just look at Captain Munnerlynn last year. He was only a 7th round pick.

You do realize Bledsoe was not sucking out loud before he was injured right? Completely different circumstances from Jake single handedly losing games for us for 3/4 of a year.

[Cyberjag]

Fox doesn't always do what is "best" for the team, he does what he feels is "safest". Jake Delhomme had to get injured before Moore got to play. Rodney Peete had to take himself out of the JAX game before Delhomme got to play. And remember, it wasn't Dan Henning's idea to run draw plays on 3rd and long, or he would have done it in Miami.

That said, I don't think Fox has as much say as he used to.

Total BS. Fox calls trick plays (remember the Gamble lateral on the punt return against Minnesota a few years back), he allowed Henning to install the wildcat, he's run tons of draws and counters and reverses over the years. He does what he thinks it will take to win, and if you want to call that the "safest" way of doing things he does it very well. You can hate on him all you want, but he's one of the better coaches in the NFL.

Rodney Peete didn't take himself out, Fox did. And Fox surprised a lot of people by going with his third string QB instead of Weinke. That was a chance in and of itself, and he took it. He does what it takes to win, which is why he's still here after 8 years and why he's one of the winningest coaches in the NFL over that span.

I like Matt Moore. I'm happy we have him. I think it's great that he wins games, and I think he's capable of being a quality starter for us. But he didn't beat out McCown last year. After doing well as a rookie, he couldn't do better than third on the depth chart in his second year either. When McCown got hurt, the coaching staff had so much confidence in Moore at the time that they threw McCown on IR and signed Feeley. And that was WHILE Jake was in meltdown mode.

They played Moore because they had to, not because he earned it. Once he got his chance, I'm sure the coaches were as happily surprised as the rest of us to see him go 4-1. But those wins weren't all about Moore. Against New England the Panthers gave up 20, and he didn't move the ball well. Against Tampa Bay, Minnesota, New York, and New Orleans we gave up 6, 7, 9, and 10 points. And in all four games Stewart went over 100 yards (he had over 200 vs. the Giants).

Moore had nice, safe stats and looked every bit the part of a starting NFL quarterback last year. But he didn't win those games by himself, the entire team came together and did it (remember giving up 20 points to Buffalo at home? Surrendering 24 to Miami?). We didn't win because Moore came in and started throwing the ball around with reckless abandon, making all the right throws at the right time. We win because he managed the game well, didn't turn the ball over, and took what the defense gave him.

I like Moore. But I don't think he's perfect, and I bet there's some flaws to his game that our coaches know about which have kept him from being the number two guy the past couple of years, and which gave them pause before turning the team over to him last year. They get paid for making these decisions, these jobs are hyper-competitive, and the ones in them know tons more about evaluating these situations than you can ever imagine.

I believe that Moore has the inside track at the starting job, but we have at least one young guy on the roster who has more physical skills than he does. If Clausen starts, it will be because he gives us the best chance, not because of some "No fair!!!" sort of condition. This isn't the playground, after all...

[CatMan72]

Clausen has the potential to be our franchise QB, that's all you can ask for. He's the first blue-chip QB we've drafted since Collins.