The performance of Jimmy Clausen last night against the powerful Baltimore Ravens defense may have many in the 
Carolina area doing an Irish victory dance. The Panthers seem to have gotten Clausen at a deal with a four-year $6.3 million contract with $2.53 million in guarantees.
In fact, ESPN analysts such as Keyshawn Johnson and Jon Gruden were ecstatic while talking about the performance. While the overall stats of Clausen might not be quite so impressive (8 for 15 with an interception), Clausen still seems to be adjusting to NFL life rather quickly. He seemed confident in his abilities and the interception was simply a product of his target falling leaving a wide open Raven waiting in the wings.
Many are also impressed with Clausen standing in the pocket and taking the certain sack rather than throwing a ball senselessly into the way of defenders. This had already led to comparisons to Atlanta Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan. Also of note was his ability to scramble and safely slide to the ground to pick up several yards when absolutely necessary.
The Panthers seem intent on starting Matt Moore at quarterback this season. but Clausen is making a case for starter and the Panthers have made that known. While Matt Moore is 6 – 2 as a starter in the NFL it is worth mentioning that many of those games were meaningless after the Panthers were already essentially dead in contention for a playoff spot.
Some of the better quarterbacks in NFL history have come with late picks. Brett Favre (33), Joe Montana (82) and Tom Brady (199) all came with selections that were in the second round or later. Each of those quarterbacks made many other teams wonder what it was that made them select others ahead of them.
Clausen’s journey to the NFL hit some bumps in the road leading up to the draft. In late 2009 he announced his intention to forego his senior season at Notre Dame and enter the NFL Draft and from that moment on was slated to be one of the best quarterbacks coming out, second only to Oklahoma product Sam Bradford.
In the months leading up to April, Clausen was slotted as high as the 10thoverall with many analysts pointing to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 4 as a potential landing spot. Part of that prediction was based on the fact that former Irish coach Charlie Weis had become offensive coordinator there months after his firing from Notre Dame.
Surprisingly, however,Tim Tebow was the only other quarterback selected in the first round after Sam Bradford leaving Clausen to fall to No. 16 in the second round (48thoverall). After the Draft, many pointed to Clausen’s cocky demeanor as the reason for the tumble. However, many – including former NFL great and Notre Dame Quarterback Joe Montana – would come to the defense of Clausen by indicating that a certain level of confidence is required for a quarterback to be successful in the NFL.
After the performances of both Moore and Clausen last night the Panthers can feel comfortable knowing they have depth at the quarterback position. In fact, they can take comfort in knowing they didn’t pass on Clausen or Moore. In the not too distant future teams like Buffalo, San Francisco and Jacksonville may be scratching their heads while asking . . . . “What were we thinking?”
Used with permission of the author.
Cade Caldwell is an Atlanta-based sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax.
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