Rivera On WFNZ

[CRA]

the fact is, with a new system Moore will be nearly as much of a project to get up to speed as anybody else, so it's not like he's got a headstart on anybody now. he has his habits, good and bad, and he has his abilities, good and bad. it all depends on how confident Chud and Shula are in his ability to be a useful member of the roster, as well as how confident they are in Clausen and Vet X to run the offense and keep everyone involved.

Sure he would have a head start......not b/c he knows the system but b/c he has an NFL release/throwing motion, is comfortable staying in the pocket letting plays develop and throwing downfield.

That is stuff Clausen still has to work on to have shot here. Chud ain't about the checkdown. Clausen simply might have found himself in the 2nd consecutive offense that really just doesn't fit. I think Clausen is a WCO QB.

[mav1234]

Something not noticed is he said that Marshall is a part of the core.

[TakeMyStrongHand]

I seriously wanna hump everybody on this board.

I'm typingg one hamded ..!

[panthers55]

Neither Hurney nor Rivera will say anything negative about Clausen. He is signed for four years and will be here in some capacity moving forward. Even if they were determined to repalce him with a veteran, they wouldn't say or do anything negative about Clausen for 2 reasons. One- you don't know if it will turn out the way you want finding the right vet so you wouldn't ostracize anyone at this point. Two- you hope that the new regime and system will give you more than the old one under Fox. So you still hope that the Clausen can turn into a good QB.

Whether we draft 1 or not will give you some indication of Clausen's worth. If they draft one high, you gotta think they don't think much of Clausen. If they draft one lower down you gotta think it is Pike they want to replace. If they get one in the draft and another in free agency, you gotta believe that Rivera isn't big on any of the guys here.

[Mr. Scot]

Here is the link to the interview

http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2011/02/01/new-sheriff-in-town/

Rivera's words regarding the quarterbacks:

"There are some things that have to get fixed, and probably the biggest question we have right now is at quarterback, you know. Is Jimmy Clausen going to be the guy, or is it Matt Moore? You know, we have to find that out. We have to evaluate those guys. We have to get our offensive coaches an opportunity to look at these guys and spend time with them. At the same time, we gotta do our homework in the draft. We gotta do our homework in free agency and as far as trades are concerned. All those things have to be taken into account."

Regarding Jimmy Clausen, Rivera said that he was thrust into a very difficult position. And stated further "somewhere along the line, somebody could have helped him and stepped up and been a leader." I know that he's referencing players primarily, but I also wonder if that's a bit of a knock on last year's coaching staff and their failure to help Clausen develop.

When asked about potential draft picks at quarterback (Moose mentioned a couple by name) Rivera didn't really discuss them at all. Instead, he talked about the nature of the evaluation process and made clear that he puts far more stock into in-season game performances than workouts.

Also notable: In discussing the defense, Rivera Mentioned the names of players at every position on the defense except defensive tackle. He did not mention a single DT by name, or really even reference the position at all. He said only, after discussing the ends (without mentioning Brayton or Brown) that "we've gotta find answers at the rest of those positions along the D-Line. We've gotta find out if the guys that we need are there."

Other tidbits:

- In the offensive hires, they sought people who had all either played or coached in the kind of system they want to run in order to make the transition easier.

- Rivera watched the tape of four games in order to get a feel for the players on the team (he didn't specify which games).

- Pretty clear that Rivera wants to keep DeAngelo Williams. He likes having Ghidrah, the three-headed monster at that spot.

- Sam Mills was hired at least in part because he has the technical prowess to know what to do with the team's computer systems (not a knock on his coaching).

- Believes Steve Smith can still make plays. Now knows the names of "11 and 12".

- Considers Jeff King the starter at tight end right now, but wasn't that emphatic about it. Complimented Barnidge and Rosario as well.

- Likes the defense. Really likes Jon Beason and wants Thomas Davis back. Likes Charles Johnson and the edge speed of Greg Hardy.

- Also likes the defensive backs too. Mentioned Godfrey and Martin specifically. Also seems to want Richard Marshall back.

- Believes it will be more important for Steve Smith to have a relationship with Rob Chudzinski than with Fred Graves.

-Said that you must find ways to get the football into the hands of the playmakers like Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams and "a tight end". But insists it has to be a team effort.

- When asked to make a Super Bowl pick, he wouldn't do it. He said only "th eteam with the defense" (Moose offered "the team with the yellow")

As a side note, Frank Garcia mentioned that he played for two of the coaches on staff during his career (Matsko in Saint Louis and Hoener in Arizona).

Also this final observation: I get the definite impression that Rivera will be far more media-accessible than John Fox ever was.

[panthers55]

Something not noticed is he said that Marshall is a part of the core.

At this point he is going to say that. No need to throw anyone under the bus until they find someone better. Until free ageny is determined and the draft occurs, he is going to say positive things about everyone. It shouldn't be taken as a true indication of who will be on the final roster come July.

[MHS831]

agreed with this 100%.

I know what your point is and I agree, but didn't the fact that he is talking about possibly drafting a QB--he mentioned a senior QB, which suggests later in the draft--make you feel like apoligizing to ole MHS? :eek:

[mav1234]

Sure he would have a head start......not b/c he knows the system but b/c he has an NFL release/throwing motion, is comfortable staying in the pocket letting plays develop and throwing downfield.

That is stuff Clausen still has to work on to have shot here. Chud ain't about the checkdown. Clausen simply might have found himself in the 2nd consecutive offense that really just doesn't fit. I think Clausen is a WCO QB.

I dunno dude, both of our offenses targeted the WRs and RBs the same percentage of completions... the biggest difference was the TE in the game plan... so you never know.

[TheRealDeal]

I'm assuming they watched the 49er and Cardinal games. One game was the type of offense I think they prefer a little more and one wasn't. Not sure what the other two games were. That could be why Moore's name is getting brought up now and wasn't before.

[mav1234]

I'm assuming they watched the 49er and Cardinal games. One game was the type of offense I think they prefer a little more and one wasn't. Not sure what the other two games were. That could be why Moore's name is getting brought up now and wasn't before.

tbh, he was very defensive of Jimmy, perhaps a bit more supportive of him than I had expected, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

edit: let me put it this way, listening to him talk I got a different impression of what he thought about our QB situation than when he talked during our first presser.

[MHS831]

It's time that Barnidge and Rosario gets serious looks. They are the ones with the talent and play making ability to win games. No offense to King, but the safe trustworthy blocking guy isn't going to cut it anymore. I don't think we need to sign a TE. B&R can be the guys we're looking for.

Barnidge seemed to catch his eye. I went to 2 OTAs last year. He looked fast and made great catches. Because the TE was usually the third option, things like speed were not issues. King never ran the seams. We have 2 TEs who can beat a SS or LB. We didn't use them. I do not think TE is a need, but we could take one late.

[CRA]

I dunno dude, both of our offenses targeted the WRs and RBs the same percentage of completions... the biggest difference was the TE in the game plan... so you never know.

watch some Browns football where he made Anderson a Pro Bowler....Chud believes in being aggressive and attacking (just like Rivera has talked about). It is about how you target the guys. I mean, there is a reason Anderson was the guy (who isn't great) and not Quinn. Quinn is a short throw/checkdown QB.

[Mr. Scot]

I'm assuming they watched the 49er and Cardinal games. One game was the type of offense I think they prefer a little more and one wasn't. Not sure what the other two games were. That could be why Moore's name is getting brought up now and wasn't before.

It would make perfect sense to watch the two games we won so that he could see what we did right.

Maybe the other two were our worst losses.

[MHS831]

I see a lot of people politely dissing king. He only catches practically everything. He just isn't the yac TE that so many of us (including myself) want.

He can still be a great redzone target, and chain mover. We'll still need depth. He may not be the starter for us anymore in the new system, ut that doesn't mean he can't help put points on the board in their efforts to spread the ball around.

He finds the open spot and sits in it usually. He blocks well. He is also a leader, something many don't realize. Watch him at practice. Watch who usually helps the RB up after a run. King was a leader, and he was one of Fox's favorites.