Walterfootball.com : Jimmy Clausen is an Alien Wizard

[killerbee99]

Good read on why I finally jumped on the Jimmy Clausen Bandwagon, even over my boy Bradford.

http://www.walterfootball.com/jimmyclausenhate.php

The original title of this article was "Jimmy Clausen Raped My Mother and Killed My Father," but I didn't want Google picking up anything like that and putting it into its search engine. Plus, it's always good to get a South Park reference in. Damn alien wizards causing sexual addiction.

At any rate, as blue5213 indicated, if you're in the "too long; didn't read" crowd, scroll down to the "in conclusion" portion of this article.

To be perfectly honest, I don't expect to convince anyone. At this point, if you still aren't a Jimmy Clausen fan, you just have some irrational hatred either for him personally or for Notre Dame, because there is no logical reason not to have him as a top-10 player in the 2010 NFL Draft and easily the most sure-fire quarterback in the class. Really, I just want one post to point to that says "You're stupid" whenever I read the same, tired, dumb arguments for why Clausen doesn't deserve a first-round grade.

Let's begin with the situation he was in during his college years. He comes from a pro-style offense, which gives him some big points right off the bat. He was coached by Charlie Weis, who is easily one of the most highly respected quarterback coaches and offensive minds in the NFL, let alone college.

Let's discuss Clausen's running game, or lack thereof. Consider the following facts:

Clausen never shared a backfield with a 1,000-yard rusher.

No running back eclipsed 700 rushing yards while Clausen was at Notre Dame.

No running back had a run longer than 27 yards during Clausen's final two years at Notre Dame.

No running back topped five rushing touchdowns during Clausen's career.

The team as a whole never scored more than 13 rushing touchdowns.

Non-quarterbacks never accounted for more than 11 touchdowns in a season.

Clausen's running game (excluding quarterbacks) averaged 3.56, 3.57, and 4.8 YPC during his career.

Personally, I don't think it's a coincidence the running game miraculously took off just as Clausen had one of the best seasons by a junior quarterback in NCAA history.

Click on link for rest of article.....

[dfbovey]

Que MiraclemanMD in 3...2...

[HailfrmDEN]

Why dony you like campbell?

[Laxpunk2006]

It sounds like a pretty solid resume he has put together. We'll just have to see if our coaches are as impressed with him as the author here is. For what it's worth Holmgren has gone out and said he isn't a huge fan but that could always be a smokescreen hoping he falls. It would be interesting to be able to sit down with a few coaches/GM's and get "off the record" actual opinions on these guys. The media "draft gurus" can be so clueless sometimes it's hard to make too strong of an opinion on any of these guys.

[LB Dizzle]

I am all for Clausen as our QB. Not just after reading this novel. But mainly all the intangibles about this guy that leads me to believe he is franchise QB material:

Quick Release (no slow wind up like you know who)

Accurate

Pocket Presence (got better throughout collegiate career with mediocre line)

Good Arm

Highly Competitive

Leader

Takes accountability

Motivates teammates

Highly devoted (worked with his WRs in the offseason)

Tough (not frail like Bradford)

Can read a defense (something us skins fans aren't used to...)

Pro System Experience (not spread offense like Bradford)

Coach-able

Adequate size (6-3 is fine, look at drew brees, what is he 6-1?)

Clutch (leads team to comebacks, something I'm not sure Bradford has ever had to do)

Football smarts (seems to have at least twice Campbells football IQ)

...the list could go on.... now I dare someone try to make a list of the negatives that out-weigh these positives...bring it!

[.THEkid.]

I am all for Clausen as our QB. Not just after reading this novel. But mainly all the intangibles about this guy that leads me to believe he is franchise QB material:

Quick Release (no slow wind up like you know who)

Accurate

Pocket Presence (got better throughout collegiate career with mediocre line)

Good Arm

Highly Competitive

Leader

Takes accountability

Motivates teammates

Highly devoted (worked with his WRs in the offseason)

Tough (not frail like Bradford)

Can read a defense (something us skins fans aren't used to...)

Pro System Experience (not spread offense like Bradford)

Coach-able

Adequate size (6-3 is fine, look at drew brees, what is he 6-1?)

Clutch (leads team to comebacks, something I'm not sure Bradford has ever had to do)

Football smarts (seems to have at least twice Campbells football IQ)

...the list could go on.... now I dare someone try to make a list of the negatives that out-weigh these positives...bring it!

The amount of gel he uses on his head will always outweigh those positiveness

[StillUnknown]

i've been saying Clausen was the best QB in this draft

bradford will be good, clausen will be better

[.THEkid.]

i've been saying Clausen was the best QB in this draft

bradford will be good, clausen will be better

yo, the guy in ur sig didn't even get punched. Or did he?

[MR2Drift]

Since I don't know much on Clausen, answer me a few questions? Did Notre Dame play in a tough conference? How did he do against elite defenses?

[Brett81]

Why "dony" you like campbell?

What does that have to do with anything? Op never said he "dony" like Campbell in his post that I saw.

Since I don't know much on Clausen, answer me a few questions? Did Notre Dame play in a tough conference? How did he do against elite defenses?

I'm guessing you don't know much about college football then either unless you're being sarcastic. ND doesn't even belong to a conference.

Some of the better defensive teams that ND faced just last year were USC, Pitt, BC, and even NAVY was a tough game for all who played them last year.

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

And that's all she wrote for the Jimmy Clausen hate-fest. Can't wait to see him in B&G.

If Bradford and Clausen are on the board, take Clausen - no questions asked.

[LaRonDontLikeUgly]

Dude it's sad you jumped on the Jimmy Wag over Bradford because of this "article" which is actually just some other bum ranting on a forum.

If you've seen Walterfootball.com ONCE over the past 5 months you would know that the guy who runs this page has a borderline homosexual infatuation going on with Clausen. (I don't mean that to offend anyone- I am actually being dead serious here.... I've never seen ANYTHING like it before on a sports-website posing as "legit".) The first page of his Mock Draft only displays picks 1-16, yet the word 'Clausen' appears 21 times.

If the fact that the only 'exclusive interview' on the entire site is with Clausen doesn't immediately jump out on you, or the 705-word blog post defending Jimmy's height, then just go ahead and read the beginning of his Mock Draft! This guy picks Bradford #1, then discusses [for several paragraphs] how foolish the Rams will be for not picking "The Best NFL-Ready Junior QB in the History of the NFL." C'mon now!

There is a serious bias going on here with Walterfootball, and the only thing "legit" about this site is how much money they pay Google each month to be #1 on the search engine.

[FrFan]

We will see on draft day how much infatuation he will generate.

[TSO]

As I've stated already in another thread...

I have a hunch we will pick Clausen.

Which means we will definitely not pick him. I have some of the worst hunches, lol.

[The Full Monty]

If Bradford's gone, I still say go with Okung over Clausen. But if Shanahan wants him at #4 overall, I'll support the move. What do I know?

[CM916]

I'm very high on Clausen as a ND fan who saw all his games the last two years. We don't seem to be showing much interest in him but I really hope that's a smokescreen as the recent Tebow talk scares the crap out of me. Bradford has zero chance of falling to 4.

That said, this guy is wrong about the "pointing at opposing coaches" accusation. After scoring a TD he went up to Pete Carrol and said "you can't do that." It was a one time thing though, caught up in the moment in a big rivalry game.

Clausen has the numbers with a mediocre supporting cast, multiple comeback wins, and a ridiculous tollerance for pain, constantly playing through injuries. Bradford's injuries and system really concern me and I despise Tebow living in Florida.

[Paul_E27]

I'm just not that convinced by Clausen, and this article really doesn't change that fact. It just seems his agenda/bias clouds his writing and his analysis to such an extent it makes it difficult to take too seriously. I got the impression he would instantly dismiss any criticism of Clausen, nomatter how valid. However, I don't pretend to be some sort of guru of this stuff myself.

Admittedly, I haven't watched Clausen that much, (watching college football in the UK isn't easy when you don't pay to get ESPN) but the times I have seen him, I haven't seen much to make me think he's going to be amazing in the NFL. He didn't lead game winning drives, and in 2 (I think it was 2, definitely in 1) of the games I watched, he failed in the red zone in the 4th, with, from what I can remember, his passing/choices being at fault. Being 'NFL ready' isn't going to make you the best QB to come out of a particular year IMO.

And just as an aside, I don't really care if he comes across as arrogant or abrasive or whatever. He's meant to be a sportsman, not a good will ambassador. A lot of top sports people I have come across are arrogant. Self belief is crucial in such a situation.

If he is drafted at 4, I obviously hope I'm wrong, but I'd rather they drafted someone else.

[Gregpeck99]

Who do you like better? Clausen and Gerhart ... or Clausen and Best?

In one swelled foop ... Skins immediately become competitive ... and fun!

Touchdown Washington Redskins!

[Shiv]

"At the skill positions, Clausen had a substantial amount of talent - but that talent was constantly hurt."

No mention of Golden Tate in this section? Clausen always had someone to heave it to.

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

So just because a guy had a late 1st, early 2nd round WR he's just heaving it to someone?

Why isn't that held against Sam Bradford heaving to Gresham/Pettigrew/Kelly behind a line of All-Americans?? Or McCoy heaving it to Shipley behind a line of All-Americans? Even prospects who busted didn't have the talent they played with held against them, but give Clausen a WR and very little else, and all of a sudden, Clausen is just a product of that talent.

Also, Clausen missed Rudolph in the end zone against USC, but his target slipped when he was open on a route.

Also, I don't see how much more biased this site is than your average ESPN analyst, and I don't know how random ad-hominems about the pundits there defending Clausen actually refutes the content of the article.

[bedlamVR]

I am all for Clausen as our QB. Not just after reading this novel. But mainly all the intangibles about this guy that leads me to believe he is franchise QB material:

Quick Release (no slow wind up like you know who)

Accurate : He has OK accuracy nothing spectacular

Pocket Presence (got better throughout collegiate career with mediocre line) : He was not under constant pressure the number of sacks didn't really change year from year, but what is a little worrying is his lack of escapably from the pocket with a -355 yards rushing in his career .

Good Arm : Many scouts say he has an adequate arm . What is worrying is his tendancy to throw off his back foot and his 3/4 release which will see a lot of passes knocked down at the line . http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/jimmy-clausen?id=497108

Highly Competitive : Not going to debate this

Leader : possibly ...

Takes accountability : Yet comes accross arrogant, enough so to put off potential employers such as Mike Holgrem

Highly devoted (worked with his WRs in the off season) : Many QBs work out with their WRs in the offseason . One of the knocks on Clausen is he is manufactured . He has been groomed as a QB from early childhood.

Tough (not frail like Bradford) : In fairness to Bradford is he came back too soon from a bad injury and got re-injured . Clausen played through the year with a bad toe . A toe he put off getting looked at because he was trying to play his way into the NFL . This Toe injury could be an issue ...

Can read a defense (something us skins fans aren't used to...) : Yet scout after scout refer to him starting down WRs (Tate specifically) and not looking off the safety . He had one good year and two not so good years in ND . 28 TDs to 4 Ints is impressive but I wonder if he isn't thowing at Golden Tate how good he would be.. also against pro defenses with pro DBs ...

Pro System Experience (not spread offense like Bradford) : Bradford will get pro system experience as soon as he is drafted . Collage is not the pros .

Coach-able : given he has only had one coach at ND then what does that mean . He has improved year on year and that is impressive but then he has had the luxury of stability and no competition .

Adequate size (6-3 is fine, look at drew brees, what is he 6-1?) : Drew Brees is the exception NOT the rule . For every Brees there are 1000 Chase Daniels or Colt Brenans who don't have to size to be successful . Couple that to his release he may need to adjust his throwing style .

Clutch (leads team to comebacks, something I'm not sure Bradford has ever had to do) . Clutch ? I am sorry a guy who leads the Irish to back to back late season slumps cannot be in any way be described as clutch . ND were 3-9, 7-6 and 6-6

Football smarts (seems to have at least twice Campbells football IQ) : Thats subjective . That said on the wonderlic test he scored a 23 (46%) . There will be someone who says Jason Campbell got a 14, but that was as a Junior . Before he entered the draft Campbell scored a 28 at the combine .

...the list could go on.... now I dare someone try to make a list of the negatives that out-weigh these positives...bring it!

I have annotated your comments to give another view of Clausen...I am not saying Clausen is doomed to failure but he is not a great cannot miss prospect . There are a bunch of guys who are really collage football fans (so I have to wonder why post on the Skins board) who have a woody for this guy ... and then there are the anyone but Campbell crowd .

But Clausen is not a good choice at 4th overall . We have taken 2 1st round Qbs in the last 10 years and only taken 1 WR, no RBs, no OL in the same time .

[bobzmuda]

I'm very high on Clausen as a ND fan who saw all his games the last two years. We don't seem to be showing much interest in him but I really hope that's a smokescreen as the recent Tebow talk scares the crap out of me. Bradford has zero chance of falling to 4.

That said, this guy is wrong about the "pointing at opposing coaches" accusation. After scoring a TD he went up to Pete Carrol and said "you can't do that." It was a one time thing though, caught up in the moment in a big rivalry game.

Clausen has the numbers with a mediocre supporting cast, multiple comeback wins, and a ridiculous tollerance for pain, constantly playing through injuries. Bradford's injuries and system really concern me and I despise Tebow living in Florida.

He still never beat a ranked team. =\

If he's such a transcendent talent, you would think he could put the team on his shoulders and carry them to victory in college.

Even Jason Campbell led Auburn in a last minute comeback win against defending national champions LSU and carried the Tigers in a win the 2nd ranked defense in the country, and fierce in-state rival, Alabama.

Over ten teams have expressed their concerns about Clausen's maturity to guys like McShay and John Keim.

I'm not against drafting him, but I'm highly, highly cautious. Especially at 4.

[TheBeast36]

He still never beat a ranked team. =\

If he's such a transcendent talent, you would think he could put the team on his shoulders and carry them to victory in college.

Even Jason Campbell led Auburn in a last minute comeback win against defending national champions LSU and carried the Tigers in a win the 2nd ranked defense in the country, and fierce in-state rival, Alabama.

Over ten teams have expressed their concerns about Clausen's maturity to guys like McShay and John Keim.

I'm not against drafting him, but I'm highly, highly cautious. Especially at 4.

You obviously never watched a Notre Dame game this year. Their offense was awesome because of Clausen. They didn't beat good teams because Charlie Weis is a TERRIBLE head coach and fielded a defense that had about a junior college grade. It's hard to beat any good team when they can impose their will on your defense every single drive.

[Mahons21]

He still never beat a ranked team. =\

1 man against 22...

If he's such a transcendent talent, you would think he could put the team on his shoulders and carry them to victory in college.

-he consistently put his team ahead in the 4th quarter only to have his defense squander the lead. He probably should have been playing FS too though right?

Even Jason Campbell led Auburn in a last minute comeback win against defending national champions LSU and carried the Tigers in a win the 2nd ranked defense in the country, and fierce in-state rival, Alabama.

-His TWO TOP 5 RB's had nothing to do with that? What about the countless defenders from that team that were drafted so high? Give me a break

Over ten teams have expressed their concerns about Clausen's maturity to guys like McShay and John Keim.

-Link please

I'm not against drafting him, but I'm highly, highly cautious. Especially at 4.

What necessary QB talent don't you believe he possesses?

ie. accuracy, decision making(he's ranked the highest among prospects this year), pocket presence. Don't tell me about his stats or record. From your own personal evaluation what doesn't he possess?

[demarc007]

I can't believe these Clausen fanboys. Talk about a man crush, he probably has a Clausen poster for every excuse he gave in that article. Everytime Clausen failed to execute it's someone else's fault. I don't want a QB that needs a ****load of excuses of why they didn't get the job done.