Good lord, stop protecting Jimmy

[MHS831]

IF we both agreed he sucked why are you working so hard to make excuses? Clausen has a 4 year contract and will be here for the future. Unless the new HC doesn't like him, he isn't going to be traded and will have a chance to get better and perhaps start for us or someone else. And at this point I don't think Hurney would let anyone dictate trading him.

But the difference between my posts and yours is that while you admit he sucks you are blaming everyone else for it. My take is that sure the line was a problem and he had 2 rookie receivers but he also made plenty of mistakes and was his own worse enemy. The line will be better when everyone is healthy and the receivers will not be rookies anymore, the real question is whether Clausen will improve as well and learns from this dismal year (assuming he gets the chance if we draft Luck).

I give reasons, not blame. I defend him because he was put in an unwinnable situation and people want to sacrifice him for not winning. There are many reasons our second round rookie sucked, most not his fault. Some are due to Clausen's limitations, but it is WAY too early to throw him under the bus. Would he have done better in New England? Much. As you say, will he be better when HE and the WRs and OL are experienced and healthy? That is when we judge him.

[Jpjr]

I don't think Jimmy played well this year. Not well enough to avoid drafting Luck for sure. But I believe his play was out of character and attribute a lot of it to absolutely zero mentoring, a terrible coaching staff, and an all around worst case scenario for a rookie QB.

Two things stuck out to me this year that made me think of Clausen's situation.

1. We saw how bad rookie and second rate receivers can make even Peyton Manning look. The guy threw 4 picks two weeks in a row and jokes were starting to mount that he would be benched. You can't underestimate how tough a situation it would be for a rookie to play with inexperienced receivers and a crybaby.

2. Colinsworth TEED OFF on Bradford during his big stage last Sunday night and I came away convinced that even Jimmy Clausen can throw down field more successfully. Bradford only hit ONE receiver for > 10 yards the entire game and that was for 12 yards. There were some drops that weren't his fault, but there are also drops (most notably by Steve Smith) that weren't Jimmy's fault. The point here is that by the Falcons game Clausen was actually completing downfield passes at a much higher rate than Bradford who dinked and dunked his way to 3,000 yards this season by throwing 50 times a game to his running back. Colt McCoy? Same thing. His #1 receiver was Hillis his running back and as soon as defenses took that option away he started throwing picks left and right. Six in his last two games.

The overall point is that Clausen was in a tough situation and I definitely don't think you can conclude how he will ultimately perform in the NFL. He obviously went to the school of hard knocks this year and should know exactly what he needs to focus on during the off season. Some can argue that he just plain sucks and will never be good. I can't because I watched him when the situation around him was different. I saw him in person go head to head with Andrew Luck and throw 5 touchdown passes in his last college game.

Do I think the Panthers should draft Luck? Absolutely. His phsyical skills are simply superior and he is firing on all cylinders. But guys like Brees show that ultimately size doesn't matter if you can play. Clausen is going to have to become a much faster decision maker to succeed in the league. I think he can. Others do not. That's what makes watching the NFL fun.

[ElkinPanthersFan]

So now we're comparing him to Brees and Ryan, just 2 of the league's 5 best QBs. He's never gonna be in their level, but has the potential to be a solid player if given a a good scheme to play to his strengths, and some protection.

Ryan is not a top 5 qb.. Brady, Rogers, P Manning, Rivers, Brees in no order are all better.

[scarface]

:beatdeadhorse5:

[TheRealDeal]

:beatdeadhorse5:

Trying real hard to get to 100 posts huh?

[Sheldon Wolowizard]

I'm not sure that the Panthers could beat Oregon, Auburn, Stanford or TCU this year. I am not sure it's all Clausen's fault but some of it definitely is. I think coaching has a lot to do with it. Carolina has never developed a successful NFL starting QB. Collins had one season, Jake had 2. The only veteran he had to learn from was Moore. The guy wasn't set up for success very well. Carolina is a run first team and I don't think that the playbook is designed around Clausen. You need to plan around a QBs strengths to minimize his weaknesses and I really don't think that happened.

Probably what happened is Fox tossed clausen the playbook and said here " it is what it is."

Yeah he made bad decisions passing and didn't play as well as we all hoped he would. He looked lost out there and there's a good chance he was. But was it all his fault, absolutely not. Would you want someone fresh out of law school to defend you in a murder case or someone who's had some experience and a chance to learn behind someone else? May seem like a strange comparison, but it's still a rookie in a pool filled with sharks.