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Jimmy Clausen was absolutely atrocious last season. I've never liked the kid, and always felt he was over-rated. But if a team is willing to spend a 2nd-round pick on a QB, they need to give the kid more than one year to prove himself.
Plenty of quality NFL QBs have played poorly in their first seasons. Even some who had the luxury of sitting and learning still struggled the first time they got extensive playing time.
Eli Manning played in 9 games, starting 7 his rookie season, and had a worse QB rating than Clausen (55.4 to 58.4). While Eli isn't a star, he's a decent starter in the league. Kyle Orton started 15 games for the Bears his rookie season, and had a QBR of 59.7 before being benched in favour of Rex Grossman. He mostly sat for two years before getting a starting job again, and blossomed after being traded to Denver in his 5th season.
Donovan McNabb had a QBR of 60.1, completion percentage of 49.1%, and threw 8 TDs vs. 7 INTs. Even the great Peyton Manning struggled early on, throwing 12 TDs vs. 18 INTs in his first 9 games while completing 55% of his passes for a 62 QBR before the light came on and he finished strongly.
I'm not saying Clausen is the answer. I'm saying we can't possibly know what he is after only just one season where he was thrown into the fire in one of the best divisions in football. If the Panthers need a reminder that you can't give up on a QB too soon, they only need to look above them in the division to the Saints.
Drew Brees wasn't forced to start his rookie season with the Chargers, but he struggled for two years as a starter before breaking out in his 4th year. Of course this happened only after the Chargers gave up on him and drafted Philip Rivers. While I'm sure the Chargers are happy with Rivers, the Saints are probably happier with Brees and their Super Bowl trophy.
If there was an elite QB prospect, I'd understand. But at the top, all I see are major question marks at the QB position, certainly not great bets to out-do Clausen with a year under his belt.
Plenty of quality NFL QBs have played poorly in their first seasons. Even some who had the luxury of sitting and learning still struggled the first time they got extensive playing time.
Eli Manning played in 9 games, starting 7 his rookie season, and had a worse QB rating than Clausen (55.4 to 58.4). While Eli isn't a star, he's a decent starter in the league. Kyle Orton started 15 games for the Bears his rookie season, and had a QBR of 59.7 before being benched in favour of Rex Grossman. He mostly sat for two years before getting a starting job again, and blossomed after being traded to Denver in his 5th season.
Donovan McNabb had a QBR of 60.1, completion percentage of 49.1%, and threw 8 TDs vs. 7 INTs. Even the great Peyton Manning struggled early on, throwing 12 TDs vs. 18 INTs in his first 9 games while completing 55% of his passes for a 62 QBR before the light came on and he finished strongly.
I'm not saying Clausen is the answer. I'm saying we can't possibly know what he is after only just one season where he was thrown into the fire in one of the best divisions in football. If the Panthers need a reminder that you can't give up on a QB too soon, they only need to look above them in the division to the Saints.
Drew Brees wasn't forced to start his rookie season with the Chargers, but he struggled for two years as a starter before breaking out in his 4th year. Of course this happened only after the Chargers gave up on him and drafted Philip Rivers. While I'm sure the Chargers are happy with Rivers, the Saints are probably happier with Brees and their Super Bowl trophy.
If there was an elite QB prospect, I'd understand. But at the top, all I see are major question marks at the QB position, certainly not great bets to out-do Clausen with a year under his belt.
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