The Pro Clausen Thread....

[pantherclaw]

3rd year.

Ya draft a qb, ya let him get use to nfl defenses, the flow of games, and ownership of the playbook.

Then he stands a chance, and can be evaluated.

There was a reason that many of us fans, didn't want clausen to even see the field this last season. Its called player developement. Every player goes through it. Ask Manning.

Newer fans seems to have no concept of this. Understandable, as there have been a few qbs that have played decent in their first year. Now they think every qb should be able to.

Haven't given up on clausen, and I won't. I do hope we bring back moore and another vet, so clausen can sit and learn. Then one day, he may be a starter in this league.

[Crixtala]

an offense built with him in mind

this is the biggest thing i'd like to see...

has anyone noticed a difference in our passing play calling from Delhomme to Moore to Clausen...? i'm not saying this could turn him into a stud, but it could result in some more positive play from the kid. i don't think he had ANY help from ANYone last season... players, coaches, etc.

[Jpjr]

Clausen will be expotentially better next year. Whether you think he couldn't get any worse, or you see the potential... you should all agree.

When I think about Clausen I keep coming back to two very relevant observations...

1. One year ago when he played head-to-head against Andrew Luck/Stanford in his last college football game, there was absolutely no one in the crowd, announcing booth, sideline, whatever, that had any doubt who the better quarterback was at the time. Go back and watch the tape, look at the stats, read the storylines, whatever....The point is how fast perceptions can change. In the course of one year many think Clausen is an outright bust and Andrew Luck is all of the sudden Chuck Norris. The truth is that we won't know about either for years.

I agree with most that Luck might have managed a little bit better with Carolina's terrible offense given his superior physical attributes, but that would in no way indicate his future success in the NFL. Same goes with Clausen. The role of quarterback is a thinking man's game and it takes years to become "proficient". Aaron Rogers is not the quarterback today that he was five years ago. Neither is Drew Brees. Size takes a big back seat to quick decision making over time so I don't think you sell off Clausen just because he isn't tall.

2. Anyone who watched the Seahawks/Rams game knows just how close all the rookie QBs are in development. Bradford completed ONE pass the entire game > 10 yards, and it was for 12 yards. By the end of the season Clausen was throwing downfield as or more successfully than the soon to be offensive rookie of the year. As Bradford showed this season, a rookie is capable of dinking and dunking 5 yards passes and having it add up to 3000 yards in a season. Does that tell me Bradford will be a Super Bowl MVP QB? Absolutely not. It tells me the guy has a great arm, and can hit timing routes pretty accurately at home and indoors. But his decision making is no further along than Clausen or McCoys.

I guess I could have skipped my usual rhetoric and simply said "the jury is out" and that Zod is right. I'll do that next time...

[TheRealDeal]

Couldn't the same thing be said for a lot of young Qbs though? Both in college and in Pros? (Pros for example) Ryan/Flacco/Rodgers/Sanchez... All inherited great talent, or, their teams went out and picked up great FAs their rookie year, to help them. All have found success in the nfl.

We don't know how they'd perform on a team as disorganized as the '10 Panthers were. Or how Clausen would perform on a team like the Falcons/Ravens/Jets/Packers. In no way am I comparing Clausen to the Qbs I mentioned above, just situations or a lack thereof.

They all put up good numbers in college as well without superior talent. That's the difference. We know they have the ability to make plays. You've seen Clausen's ability compared to them if you watched any of them in college and any of them in the NFL. Comparing them is very disrespectful.

Also, all those guys have far better physical tools than Clausen does. Far better. I know as a fanbase most of you don't want to waste 2 second round picks in one year but there is no point in "giving" him another shot. If he goes into camp and earns it that's fine but to say he deserves another shot is ludicrous.

[Sloth]

Let's list Clausen's positives:

1. Not afraid to throw away the ball. Even on 3rd down with the game on the line.

2. Only took roughly 8 games to handle snaps from Kalil.

Negatives:

1. Makes Moore look like the Hulk in terms of arm strength.

2. Accuracy is all over the place.

3. Short but throws 3/4 because he's cool like that. Likes to drill DTs in the head with his passes.

4. Terrified of the pass rush, rarely steps into a pocket, prefers to wet himself and run screaming for the sideline.

5. Emotional equivalent of an ottoman while on the field.

6. Only comfortable throwing the long ball when defender is 10 yards off or in the parking lot.

Call me crazy guys but we can build on this!

[Mr. Scot]

I have no problem with giving him another shot under a new coach.

I'm not confident, mind you, but I agree with the notion.

[OneBadassCat]

Let's get one thing straight. Clausen sucked balls all season. He didn't have one game that showed promise. He played scared and he didn't show leadership. And he was so unbelievably scared to throw deep because he might get a another wittle INT on wittle baby stat sheet. Even by rookie standards he was terrible. The rest of the offense can only take so much blame. Moore had less consistency on the offensive line and was at least able to get the offense charged and moving.

That said Jimmy has no where to go but up. I think he will be better and he should expect to be better. The same people that say he has no talent are the one's that thought he was the next Peyton Manning last season. The QB position is no longer about physical skills. It's not about how far you can throw. It's your timing, your ability to read the defense, and your accuracy. Physical talent does not mean a thing at this position anymore unless you are Mike Vick.

I wish Jimmy luck next season. But if any of you think that he got shafted this season or he got it bad, then please, that is nothing compared to the bag of poo that was given in confidence to Matt Moore.

[Happy Panther]

They all put up good numbers in college as well without superior talent. That's the difference. We know they have the ability to make plays. You've seen Clausen's ability compared to them if you watched any of them in college and any of them in the NFL. Comparing them is very disrespectful.

Also, all those guys have far better physical tools than Clausen does. Far better. I know as a fanbase most of you don't want to waste 2 second round picks in one year but there is no point in "giving" him another shot. If he goes into camp and earns it that's fine but to say he deserves another shot is ludicrous.

People should go watch some of Clausen's college hilights. When he has lots of time and an open WR he can make a throw. Transitioning to the NFL means getting the ball through a needle eye to a WR with two guys hanging over him and the pocket collapsing.

He can't do it

[bleys]

There are two types of people on this board.

Those who know for sure that Clausen is a bust.

And those with actual football knowledge.

These two traits cannot exist in the same person.

Plain and simple, the jury is still out on Clausen. No one knows what he is capable of within a legit NFL offense and adequate coaching. To pretend otherwise just makes you look like a football ignoramus.

just to reiterate..

This isn't about having faith in Clausen.. this isn't about Clausen being a pro QB.. this isn't about Clausen being OUR QB next year.. Clausen could have looked like he had ABSOLUTELY never played QB before in his life and that's irrelevant to whether he'll improve or not..

none of that has anything to do with the situation at hand..

it's very simply, you cannot judge a ROOKIE QB off of one year. Exponentially so with the situation that occurred this past year..

He may not be anything close to a good QB in 3 years.. but no one with football knowledge is going to make an asinine statement like that because they put all factors together.

Let me spell out the equation: Rookie QB (2-3 years before ready) + incompetent coaching staff = what you saw last year.. if anyone disregards any part of that equation, then quite simply, you are a tool who everyone is tired of listening to all the outrageous poo you spout off day after day, nevermind the topic..

I also want to point out that any idea that states "we'll give him one more year to play" or "he is our QB for one more year" is just as inaccurate.. he should not see the field for 2 more years unless he is our absolute last resort. This is called a period of transition into the NFL. One that all rookies need, especially ROOKIE QBs..

if you think 1 more year is justification enough that you tried to coach up the rookie and he sucks, then you still don't get it..

[mwright350]

I still think he ends up as a backup at best in the NFL - but I agree he deserves a shot under a different coach / offensive system.

[TheRealDeal]

I still think he ends up as a backup at best in the NFL - but I agree he deserves a shot under a different coach / offensive system.

He doesn't deserve anything.

[TheMaulClaw]

Clausen's toast, end of story. Physically he can't compete. Maybe when he finishes puberty.

[mav1234]

The issues I have with Clausen are more centered on what his physical tools are that he is bringing on the field versus how he is performing on the field. Because of those tools, if he is going to turn out to be a good quarterback, he is going to have a hell of a lot of work ahead of him, and our OC/QB coach will need to work hard at it. I think it is possible, though, and I do hope for the best. He did make HUGE strides in college from year to year, so maybe he can here too.

I think it's clear from this thread there really are more than "2 groups of people" when it comes to Clausen, and the vast majority of us expect him to get a shot in camp but sure as hell don't want him going in as our only option 'cause we don't think he's going to be able to do it.

[mwright350]

He doesn't deserve anything.

Why not? Let the kid compete for his job - I do not believe there is a QB on the roster currently who will do better because of how awful our QB roster is.

You don't think he deserves a shot to keep his job given the current state of our QB roster? Really?

*edit for clarification*

I don't think he's going to be good - I'm really not confident he can hold onto the starting job for a full season. But I do think he absolutely deserves the chance to keep his job under an offensive system that doesn't have it's head up it's proverbial ass.