Wondering about Clausen...

[mav1234]

actually bradford has fumbled a couple of snaps this season. hell, even Aaron Rodgers pulled a Clausen and went the wrong way on a hand off to a running back. Instead of getting the ball away he took a sack though

problems with snaps and plays are actually rookie mistakes. the frequency at which Clausen is making them makes them inexcusable, but they are rookie mistakes all the same, and mistakes which have a chance of disappearing still (unlike, imo, his low delivery & throwing motion - both aren't changing any time soon). Further, being unable to complete a handoff even when he has the play right is a major problem, and if it continues, he flat out shouldn't start. This team has enough running game problems without him adding to them.

[RealisticFan]

I thought he ran the same offense at Notre Dame? Him, Fox, Hurney, Weiss have all come out and said it's literally the same offense. Wasn't that a big reason he would come right in here and compete?

I think there is something else besides the offense that is his problem.

What is the common denominator here?

[RealisticFan]

Clausen's junior year stats:

3,722 yards, 68.8% completion rate, 161.42 passer rating, 28 TD, 4 INT. Also named midseason All-American by The Sporting News.

Yeah, that's not very good at all. He was no collegiate superman like Matt Moore.

I get that you don't like Clausen personally and I also think he's playing like hot garbage right now, but why make things up? There's PLENTY of, you know, truthful things to slam the guy over.

How many of those were check down passes that added to his passing yard stats? A three yard check down that is ran for ten more yards is a 13 yard pass play.

I wish that someone had the patience to go through the play by play sheet and add up these numbers. It will not be me though.

[Hoenheim]

I believe that the panthers should give Jimmy Clausen a chance. Let him play 3 more games in a row at least. I hope he improves.

It would help if we didn't stick to "RUN RUN PASS" every single possession.. that's part of how we got drilled by the Saints. Our run oriented playcalling is so obvious and blantant, and their pass rush was good in the first place. Recipe for disaster..

Sometimes I wish we could try passing more just to see if we can effectively get down the damn field, make it from the 20 to the endzone, as efficiently as decent teams in the NFL.

[Woodie]

How many of those were check down passes that added to his passing yard stats? A three yard check down that is ran for ten more yards is a 13 yard pass play.

I wish that someone had the patience to go through the play by play sheet and add up these numbers. It will not be me though.

No, Clausen was very good his last year at ND. He was deadly accurate on the short to intermediate stuff, and really wasn't bad on the deep throws either. What you're seeing now is nothing more than a guy that is overwhelmed and wasn't ready to take over. Give him time to settle down and I think many that didn't watch him much will be surprised at the improvement they will see.

[Woodie]

The thing about Clausen that stands out to me is that he is clearly overwhelmed and rushing things. He has admitted that he is still struggling with the speed of the game as well as recognizing the disguises the defense is showing him. Both are rookie issues that should be cleaned up with experience (of course improved OL play would also be a huge help).

The one thing I have no worries about is his accuracy. I watched several of his games at ND, and he is one of the most accurate QB's I have seen play. And unlike some college QB's that have gaudy stats, he did this while facing all kinds of adversity...including poor OL play, a defense that couldn't keep the opponent out of the end zone, and not much of a running game.

The problems he is having now are two-fold. First, as I have stated, he is dealing with rookie issues that should get better with experience. Secondly, this offense does not ideally fit his skill set. As others have said, he is probably best suited to a WCO. Put him in a position to get rid of the ball quickly and get in a rythem, and I think you'll see a much different Jimmy Clausen. To be honest, he should never have played this year...he simply wasn't ready. But for whatever reason, this team decided not to bring in a vet to step in if Moore struggled or got hurt, and as a result, Clausen was forced in there before he was ready.

[woody]

The thing about Clausen that stands out to me is that he is clearly overwhelmed and rushing things. He has admitted that he is still struggling with the speed of the game as well as recognizing the disguises the defense is showing him. Both are rookie issues that should be cleaned up with experience (of course improved OL play would also be a huge help).

The one thing I have no worries about is his accuracy. I watched several of his games at ND, and he is one of the most accurate QB's I have seen play. And unlike some college QB's that have gaudy stats, he did this while facing all kinds of adversity...including poor OL play, a defense that couldn't keep the opponent out of the end zone, and not much of a running game.

The problems he is having now are two-fold. First, as I have stated, he is dealing with rookie issues that should get better with experience. Secondly, this offense does not ideally fit his skill set. As others have said, he is probably best suited to a WCO. Put him in a position to get rid of the ball quickly and get in a rythem, and I think you'll see a much different Jimmy Clausen. To be honest, he should never have played this year...he simply wasn't ready. But for whatever reason, this team decided not to bring in a vet to step in if Moore struggled or got hurt, and as a result, Clausen was forced in there before he was ready.

What up woodie

[Carolinator]

We have the Browns old QB Coach that's my excuse.

[TheRealDeal]

The thing about Clausen that stands out to me is that he is clearly overwhelmed and rushing things. He has admitted that he is still struggling with the speed of the game as well as recognizing the disguises the defense is showing him. Both are rookie issues that should be cleaned up with experience (of course improved OL play would also be a huge help).

The one thing I have no worries about is his accuracy. I watched several of his games at ND, and he is one of the most accurate QB's I have seen play. And unlike some college QB's that have gaudy stats, he did this while facing all kinds of adversity...including poor OL play, a defense that couldn't keep the opponent out of the end zone, and not much of a running game.

The problems he is having now are two-fold. First, as I have stated, he is dealing with rookie issues that should get better with experience. Secondly, this offense does not ideally fit his skill set. As others have said, he is probably best suited to a WCO. Put him in a position to get rid of the ball quickly and get in a rythem, and I think you'll see a much different Jimmy Clausen. To be honest, he should never have played this year...he simply wasn't ready. But for whatever reason, this team decided not to bring in a vet to step in if Moore struggled or got hurt, and as a result, Clausen was forced in there before he was ready.

Other rookies aren't dealing with those issues.

Second of all the adversity you speak of, he faced 4 NFL drafted DBs, 3 of those 7th rounders. We have one on our team who hasn't sniffed the field. You really think that's adversity?

As far as his accuracy, how do you explain his below 50% completions? How do you explain him missing wide open guys on underneath routes?

What you saw at Notre Dame was a facade. This kid isn't forreal. Time to face facts.

:auto: I thought I'd add that for fun!

[Woodie]

Other rookies aren't dealing with those issues.

Second of all the adversity you speak of, he faced 4 NFL drafted DBs, 3 of those 7th rounders. We have one on our team who hasn't sniffed the field. You really think that's adversity?

As far as his accuracy, how do you explain his below 50% completions? How do you explain him missing wide open guys on underneath routes?

What you saw at Notre Dame was a facade. This kid isn't forreal. Time to face facts.

:auto: I thought I'd add that for fun!

This post clearly shows that you never saw him play at ND. First of all, the rookies that are not dealing with the issues to the degree Clausen is (every rookie deals with it to some point) are being protected (i.e. short, dink and dunk passing game). They have been put in a position to take advantage of their strengths, and minimize their weaknesses. Not to mention none of them have had anywhere near the OL problems we have. Nobody would look good in an offense that relies on slow developing passing plays when the OL can't hold the pass rushers for more than 1-2 seconds. Basically, it's like comparing apples to oranges.

It doesn't matter where guys are now, or their A-A status. Pressure is pressure, always having to score because your defense cannot stop anyone is always having to score because your defense cannot stop anyone, and a one dimensional team is a one dimensional team. If you had watched him at all, you would know that he was constantly on the run and always had the defenses pinning their ears back because they knew ND did not have a very good run offense. Yet, he always had them in a position to win. The points were on the board, but the defense was so bad that it didn't matter.

His -50% completion rate is very easy to explain, in fact I already have. He is still struggling with the speed in the NFL, he's still figuring out how to recognize the looks the defense is giving him, his OL is giving him almost no time to stand in the pocket and find an open receiver (same reason Matt Moore looked so bad), and as a result of these issues, he is rushing things and not playing relaxed and comfortable. But if you had watched him, you would know that at ND he didn't have all day to stand back there and wait for a guy to get wide open, rather he faced immense pressure yet still almost always put the ball where only his receiver could catch it, and allowed for yac's. Actually, the fact that he is missing so badly on the underneath routes is one thing that lets me know just how hard he is pushing, and that it's not about his physical skill set at this point.

I'm sorry that you have made up your mind about a player that you know nothing about. Sure, I can agree with being disappointed and skeptical based on his play, but to have given up this early just doesn't make any sense to me. I'm not annointing him anything, nor am I assuming he will be a great, or even good one, but what I am saying is that I have seen him enough to know that most of the issues we are seeing from him are an anomoly. He's making unforced errors in areas that he has proven he can do well at (such as missing the short passes even when he can step into his throws) and not playing with the level of confidence that is his trademark.

The bottom line, do I think Clausen is a starter in this league, much less our QB of the future? I think he can be, but the jury is still out. Based on what I know of him from seeing him play, I think he can be a very good QB in the right offense, but there's no guarantee. A lot of good college QB's bust, and until he shows he can step up, the possibility remains that he might be one of them. He's had opportunities, but between circumstances and his lack of readiness, he hasn't taken advantage. So we have to wait and see. Fortunately (but unfortunate for Matt Moore) we have the rest of the year to find out if he can show signs of being that guy. However, it's way too early to make any difinitive statment on him...except for those that are too quick to judge or have an agenda.

[TheRealDeal]

I'm sorry that you have made up your mind about a player that you know nothing about. Sure, I can agree with being disappointed and skeptical based on his play, but to have given up this early just doesn't make any sense to me. I'm not annointing him anything, nor am I assuming he will be a great, or even good one, but what I am saying is that I have seen him enough to know that most of the issues we are seeing from him are an anomoly. He's making unforced errors in areas that he has proven he can do well at (such as missing the short passes even when he can step into his throws) and not playing with the level of confidence that is his trademark.

The bottom line, do I think Clausen is a starter in this league, much less our QB of the future? I think he can be, but the jury is still out. Based on what I know of him from seeing him play, I think he can be a very good QB in the right offense, but there's no guarantee. A lot of good college QB's bust, and until he shows he can step up, the possibility remains that he might be one of them. He's had opportunities, but between circumstances and his lack of readiness, he hasn't taken advantage. So we have to wait and see. Fortunately (but unfortunate for Matt Moore) we have the rest of the year to find out if he can show signs of being that guy. However, it's way too early to make any difinitive statment on him...except for those that are too quick to judge or have an agenda.

I've seen him play since HS so don't talk to me about knowing nothing about him. I know more about him and his career than you will ever know, but that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to have an opinion.

You say his play now is the anomaly, but refuse to face facts. The guy had 3 NFL caliber receiving options at ND on his team. He faced 4 DBs in his whole career that got drafted, 3 of those in the 7th round!!! I don't care how bad his defense was. If anything, that helps his numbers because other teams score so quick he gets the ball back and gets to do it again. I'm in no way trying to diminish his college career and especially his junior year because it was phenomenal but look deeper than just the numbers.

How good was the competition level? How many 50/50 balls went his way? How many times did he drop back from center instead of shotgun? How many times did defenses disguise what they were doing? How many YAC yards were there?

What you see on the field is nothing near an NFL quality QB. He has trouble handling the football, he has trouble hanging in the pocket, he has trouble getting the ball past the Dline, he has trouble making plays.

Maybe he lacks confidence in his receivers that they can make plays, after all, his whole career his receivers were far and above better than most/all DBs they played. Maybe his bad motion/low release are catching up to him? Whatever it is, he's not what we were told he was and the sooner everyone realizes that the better off we will be.

[Carl Spackler]

he has trouble making plays.

Who doesn't on this offense?

[PantherFanOne]

I am beginning to feel that TheRealDeal doesn't believe that Clausen is the real deal.

[Woodie]

I've seen him play since HS so don't talk to me about knowing nothing about him. I know more about him and his career than you will ever know, but that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to have an opinion.

You say his play now is the anomaly, but refuse to face facts. The guy had 3 NFL caliber receiving options at ND on his team. He faced 4 DBs in his whole career that got drafted, 3 of those in the 7th round!!! I don't care how bad his defense was. If anything, that helps his numbers because other teams score so quick he gets the ball back and gets to do it again. I'm in no way trying to diminish his college career and especially his junior year because it was phenomenal but look deeper than just the numbers.

How good was the competition level? How many 50/50 balls went his way? How many times did he drop back from center instead of shotgun? How many times did defenses disguise what they were doing? How many YAC yards were there?

What you see on the field is nothing near an NFL quality QB. He has trouble handling the football, he has trouble hanging in the pocket, he has trouble getting the ball past the Dline, he has trouble making plays.

Maybe he lacks confidence in his receivers that they can make plays, after all, his whole career his receivers were far and above better than most/all DBs they played. Maybe his bad motion/low release are catching up to him? Whatever it is, he's not what we were told he was and the sooner everyone realizes that the better off we will be.

Lol, somehow I don't think you are quite telling me the truth . But it doesn't really matter, anyone that passes judgement this early and refuses to even consider the possibility that there may be more to the story than he simply "sucks" isn't really worth the time and energy it takes to argue with. You are trying way too hard to find reasons not to like him and justify your bitching. So I'll let you have at it.