An unbiased look at Clausen

[CLTPanther]

This season is shot. So as long as Clausen is improving behind a not so good Oline and is getting chemistry with his receivers that are not named Steve Smith, then is that respect the season will be a success.

Word. As long as he's improving, we have hope for the future and should consider this season not completely wasted, like Oakland in the last 7 years.

[Jaxel]

Look at it this way, if Clausen doesn't show improvement, we'll be 2-14 at best and we can go ahead and draft the next big QB prospect.

For those that are worried.

[Jpjr]

NO he didn't play well enough to win. We had no points in the 4th quarter which is your money quarter. Truth is that NO let us hang around or it wouldn't be close. 10 first downs is not going to win any games. The reality is that I told all of you that if Clausen started this year we were in a world of hurt and we are. He was nowhere ready to start and won't be for months. And even if he played better from week 1 it isn't enough to win.

Don't know why it so hard to see. He sucks and the team sucks. It isn't his fault. He just got thrown in too soon and is doing the best he can at this point.

Decent QB rating (I know, meaningless). Zero turnoevers (again, meaningless). A few clutch plays and a touchdown mixed in with rookie mistakes. If a rookie quarterback plays like that your team is in a position to win if everyone does their jobs. I'm not saying Clausen was exceptional, but the team could have won with his performance. In fact, they were winning most of the game for once until they blew it in the end.

Why not reset your expectations and enjoy progress? You said it yourself if Clausen is in then Plan A did not work.

[CLTPanther]

Decent QB rating (I know, meaningless). Zero turnoevers (again, meaningless). A few clutch plays and a touchdown mixed in with rookie mistakes. If a rookie quarterback plays like that your team is in a position to win if everyone does their jobs. I'm not saying Clausen was exceptional, but the team could have won with his performance. In fact, they were winning most of the game for once until they blew it in the end.

Why not reset your expectations and enjoy progress? You said it yourself if Clausen is in then Plan A did not work.

Some people don't grasp the concept that we could have won that game if DWill hadn't got dropped for a loss and/or the o-line didn't collapse on that last play.

[scpanther22]

NO he didn't play well enough to win. We had no points in the 4th quarter which is your money quarter. Truth is that NO let us hang around or it wouldn't be close. 10 first downs is not going to win any games. The reality is that I told all of you that if Clausen started this year we were in a world of hurt and we are. He was nowhere ready to start and won't be for months. And even if he played better from week 1 it isn't enough to win.

Don't know why it so hard to see. He sucks and the team sucks. It isn't his fault. He just got thrown in too soon and is doing the best he can at this point.

So I guess all the FO/coaches that know way more about football than you and me are wrong and Clausen sucks?

[Liminy]

I don't believe anyone can rightfully say that our rookie WRs are the worst in 30 years. That seems ridiculous.

[CLTPanther]

You read it on the interweb, so it must be true.

[panthers55]

Decent QB rating (I know, meaningless). Zero turnoevers (again, meaningless). A few clutch plays and a touchdown mixed in with rookie mistakes. If a rookie quarterback plays like that your team is in a position to win if everyone does their jobs. I'm not saying Clausen was exceptional, but the team could have won with his performance. In fact, they were winning most of the game for once until they blew it in the end.

Why not reset your expectations and enjoy progress? You said it yourself if Clausen is in then Plan A did not work.

The truth is that I knew this was going to happen. I was the one who predicted we could be 0-5 at the bye and likely 1-4. I reset my expectations in the spring and told all of you that we were going to win no more than 6 games this year. This is like the grieving process. Some of you are in denial, some angry and other bargaining. I have come to accept that this is who we are going to be this year. I don't like it and don't want it to be true but it is. THose of you elevating the team, thinking Clausen is playing well or is going to soon act like a veteran and other notions are the ones who need to reset your expectations.

Fox is the biggest enemy there. He tries to be optimistic and tells everyone we are improving as if Otah coming back or making a few plays on defense will change the outcome. Truth is if this team would admit they are playing sucky right now and it will take a different kind of effort from everyone this year to improve, they could make the moves needed to do that. There is not one phase of the team that is good right now. Special teams is improved but lets be real, when you were 32nd last year, it couldn't get worse.

It is only when the team accepts that they suck right now that we can move on to make the changes and show the effort needed to become a winner. And really winning cures everything. If the team doesn't win a few of the next 3 or 4, I really don't see 6 wins this year.

I was there for the 1-15 season but I didn't think we would ever go there again. This team is close. Young players, no real playmakers, rookie quarterback, coach on the way out. A lot of the same ingredients.

[panthers55]

Some people don't grasp the concept that we could have won that game if DWill hadn't got dropped for a loss and/or the o-line didn't collapse on that last play.

SOme people are always looking at the shoulda, coulda, woulda, instead of what happened. In psychological terms we call it musterbation. Since we coulda won, then things must not be that bad.

You need to start clapping, chewing gum and smacking guys butts and join the John Fox cheering squad.

[Guild]

P55,

I agree every phase could see significant improvement, but I think overall we have a good to great defense that suffers from a very mediocre front four (made up for in other areas), and from not being able to stay off the field due to the worst offense I've seen in a long time.

[mav1234]

p55, why do you think the team hasn't admitted they are playing poorly? Many interviews, from players on both sides of the ball, seem to indicate they know that is happening.

Do you really think Fox is going to go on TV and say "Yeah this team sucks. Man, we've got tons of young players, like that Hardy guy, making mistakes, letting the back sneak out behind him"? Or "Marshall didn't make the tackle he was supposed to" or "Gamble has been playing soft"? Do you really want that in public? I sure as hell doesn't. He doesn't give us specifics because he doesn't need to. His players CLEARLY are getting that treatment.

Nothing I've seen or read about this team in the last two weeks implies ANYONE thinks the team is playing fine.

[panthers55]

So I guess all the FO/coaches that know way more about football than you and me are wrong and Clausen sucks?

No all of them passed over him twice and most of the reports I have read about his performance so far are like the original analysis. He isn't very good and not NFL ready.

As for our guys and FO, answer this. Have we ever been right about drafting a quarterback? Ever?? What makes everyone think that Clausen is now the one. I remember when Weinke was the next greatest thing. For that matter I remember when Collins was going to be great too. I totally bought into that. Bought his rookie card, got it signed, just waiting for him to be the next All pro. Maybe after 15 years of watching the next greatest guy fizzle away. I have learned to be a little more cautious in expecting much or wanting to wait years in the hopes he actually develops.

[panthers55]

P55,

I agree every phase could see significant improvement, but I think overall we have a good to great defense that suffers from a very mediocre front four (made up for in other areas), and from not being able to stay off the field due to the worst offense I've seen in a long time.

I think the defense is not good at all. We have some great indivdual players but they play poorly as a group. Seems on every play someone is out of position, not where they need to be. Look at the tackling on Sunday. We had a bunch of guys in the Saints backfield or between the Saints player and the sticks and almost without fail we missed tackles and allowed them to make the first down and get lots of extra yards.. How many times did the DE for example take an inside rush, lose contain and they popped it outside for a big run. We didn't get off the field because we let them convert 60% of their third downs. We didn't get off the field because we gave up 27 first downs. The Saints had a few drives of like 8 or 9 minutes. Seems to me that part of the problem is just the opposite, we didn't give the offense the ball enough or in very good position. The defense didn't break but it was silly putty the rest of the time. If not for a few bellringing hits that jarred the ball loose. we would have lost once again by double digits.

[Jaxel]

I see your argument and I don't disagree P55... but if he turns out to be a great QB... man alot of people are gonna be bringing up your posts aha.