Per Micheal Silver at Yahoo Sports: Clausen fighting off negative perceptions

[HailGreen28]

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Per Micheal Silver at Yahoo Sports:

Clausen fighting off negative perceptions

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. – Jimmy Clausen remembers the precise moment he became aware of his stigma. A few months ago, the ex-Notre Dame quarterback was busy preparing for the NFL future he’d been dreaming of since childhood when Golden Tate, his top collegiate receiving target, sent him a disturbing text message.

Tate had just watched an ESPN SportsCenter segment in which Todd McShay, a draft analyst for the network, was highly critical of Clausen’s leadership skills, claiming the polished passer was not considered a good teammate by other Irish players.

(click title to read more)

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What stood out to me was: “What no one disputes is his accuracy: Last season Clausen completed 68 percent of his throws, throwing 28 touchdown passes and only four interceptions in 425 attempts. The Irish huddle wasn’t bursting with a slew of talented NFL prospects, particularly on the offensive line and in the backfield, and Clausen accomplished much of this while playing through a pair of torn ligaments in his toe. He might be the most accurate thrower in the draft,” said a personnel executive for one AFC team. “I mean, he’s pinpoint accurate. He’d be a great West Coast [Offense] guy.”

Would like to hear from the more knowledgeable posters here: Is Clausen really worthy of the #4 pick? Or is it still Bradford/Okung first, and then everybody else?

[Burgundy Burner]

If Notre Dame had any sort of a defense last year, this wouldn't be an issue. He would be a no brainer at #4. With nine or more victories (with the decent defense), we would be talking about Clausen being the #1 overall pick.

Yeah, I'm on the bandwagon. None of us can know how any of this year's crop of QBs will be, but Clausen has a decent chance of having a very good pro career. You can't say that (right now) about the others - even Bradford.

Either way, I'll put my trust in Coach Shanahan and GM Allen.

[chipwhich]

If Notre Dame had any sort of a defense last year, this wouldn't be an issue. He would be a no brainer at #4.

Well if that is true, then it isn't an issue. He is a no brainer at number 4.

I mean I hope our player evaluators are at least that smart. :pfft:

[IS guhn RAIN]

For some odd reason I'm actually pretty good at evaluating Qb's before drafts. I have no idea why but i have been almost dead on when predicting who will succeed and who will bust.

I'll be the first to admit when I'm wrong but for some reason with QB's i seem to do well. With every other position its hit or miss and i know nothing more than most people here. I cannot examine oline or dline or even runningbacks any better than most. Anyway, enough with my bragging lol.

Clausen is my favorite in this draft and has been all season. Im not 100% sold on his maturity or how people will react to him in the huddle. But from a pure football standpoint, he is the best. He knows the NFL the best and has been preparing his whole life for it. He is the most NFL ready QB in probably the last 5 years.

Im not sure how high his ceiling is or how much better he will get, but I think he is the most NFL ready QB in this draft by far. His accuracy is great, his arm is decent, and his football knowledge is impressive. I love his pre snap reads with no help from coaches (unlilke bradford). I love how he looks off the safety on almost every play. I love his exceptionally fast release with almost perfect footwork and mechanics.

He puts a little too much air under his deep ball but it allows his receivers to run under it and adjust to it. Too much air actually helps the receivers but it allows the safeties to get over in time. But as long as he looks off the safeties and moves them with his eyes, his deep ball should work fine.

Like i said before, I'm not sure how much better he will get because hes been trained his whole life, but i dont think theres any way the kid busts.

So to answer your question, to me he is worth the number 4. Bradford has higher value so if hes still there i think you have to look to trade out and try to get clausen later. It would be a hard situation but i think Clausen is rated higher than bradford on more teams boards than people realize.

[jflow78]

The guy is a great QB. I think most of the angst against him (on ES) comes from either hating Notre Dame, hating that Vinny would probably pick him, and feeling the need to take sides (Bradford's in this case).

I honestly don't see what people see wrong with this guy. Clausen knows his NFL offensive calls, he recognizes defenses, he played with a bad team around him (not including his WRs), and he had several comebacks that were spoiled by his awful defense. He's a great QB, and I'd be happy to have him on the Skins, especially if we could trade down a few spots and pick up another 2nd.

The technical things I see that I like, he's accurate, he doesn't turn over the ball, and he can move a little. His passes on the run are spectacular and his long ball is placed perfectly. He didn't play in a WC offense, but Shanahan loves bootlegs and having his QB throwing on the run, Clausen would be great there (so would McCoy).

I'm not going to get into the Bradford's better than Clausen thing, because it doesn't matter at this point. I don't think we trade up, it just doesn't seem like Shanahan or Allen's style, and I don't think he falls to #4. We'll just have to see how this all turns out. Regardless of what anyone wants to tell you, either of the top three QBs could succeed here, but I think Clausen could actually start on day one if the OL were much improved. I really think he's going to be great, and I would rather have him than trade our draft to #1 for Bradford. We can be a very good team with a couple 2nd rounders. Think of Clausen, a very solid OT, and either another OT, a NT, a very good CB, Safety, LB, or a game breaker at RB (like Best or Hardesty). Our offense could look 100% better.

[skinsfan190]

Yes he is worth the 4th pick and I pray we get him. I really think Shanahan is gonna love this kid.

[Burgundy Burner]

To those who think we can trade down and still pick up Clausen may want to think again. I'm sure it would be difficult for Oakland, Buffalo, and Cleveland to pass on him. Maybe Kansas City too - are they really happy (and sold) with Cassel?

Stay at 4 and take Clausen is my choice. Get Saffold in rd. 2 (if he is still there).

[StillUnknown]

i'm hoping we take him at #4

i watched damn near all of Notre Dame's games last season (mainly rooting against them), i wanted to hate Clausen, but when you break down his skill set its hard to do

the thing i like most about him is that he's already experienced in reading & diagnosing defenses on his own. that kind of football acumen is necessary for a quarterback to succeed in the NFL

putting him in Shanahan's system will be deadly for the next decade

[skinsfan190]

Stay at 4 and take Clausen is my choice. Get Saffold in rd. 2 (if he is still there).

Agreed. Or Charles Brown if he's there. I think both of those are low key early 2nd guys who I think will be better than Buluga, Davis, and Campbell.

[StillUnknown]

To those who think we can trade down and still pick up Clausen may want to think again. I'm sure it would be difficult for Oakland, Buffalo, and Cleveland to pass on him. Maybe Kansas City too - are they really happy (and sold) with Cassel?

Stay at 4 and take Clausen is my choice. Get Saffold in rd. 2 (if he is still there).

i dont see us being able to trade down and still get him, i'd rather take him at 4 than risk not getting him at all

he's already familiar with reading & diagnosing defenses, something that is required at the next level if you really want to be successful.

him in shanny's system will be deadly for the next decade

[IS guhn RAIN]

To those who think we can trade down and still pick up Clausen may want to think again. I'm sure it would be difficult for Oakland, Buffalo, and Cleveland to pass on him. Maybe Kansas City too - are they really happy (and sold) with Cassel?

Stay at 4 and take Clausen is my choice. Get Saffold in rd. 2 (if he is still there).

I agree. I think if Bradford is off the board there is no way you can trade down because clausen wont be there long. If youre referring to my post, I was saying if Bradford was still available i think you need to somehow try to trade down or pick bradford and work out a trade to swap bradford and clausen. For me, Clausen is my guy hands down and i want him over Bradford. But if you picked bradford and traded him to get more picks and still end up with the guy you want would be a win win. I'm hoping bradford is off the board and they have to choose between okung and clausen. Either way i would be happy with that.

[skinsfan190]

Clausen is very underrated. Biased fools like McShay is putting striaght garbage "personality issues" ?s out there. This guy can play and he proved it. Coming back from a freshman season where he was just crushed. Then to continue to improve under adversity. I love it. This guy is gonna be good. Real good.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

I'm just going to quote the entire article here. Please excuse me mods. I want all the Jimmy haters to read the whole thing and I know some of them wont click on the link to do so.

Clausen fighting off negative perceptions

By Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. – Jimmy Clausen remembers the precise moment he became aware of his stigma. A few months ago, the ex-Notre Dame quarterback was busy preparing for the NFL future he’d been dreaming of since childhood when Golden Tate, his top collegiate receiving target, sent him a disturbing text message.

Tate had just watched an ESPN SportsCenter segment in which Todd McShay, a draft analyst for the network, was highly critical of Clausen’s leadership skills, claiming the polished passer was not considered a good teammate by other Irish players.

“He was mad,” Clausen said Thursday, recalling Tate’s text over breakfast at the Four Seasons Westlake Village, a luxuriant hotel in the Southern California suburb where he became the nation’s most coveted high school quarterback. “He said something like, ‘If I ever see that Todd McShay … .’ – that type of deal. It was crazy. I didn’t know where it was coming from.”

In a world in which top NFL draft prospects are vetted like U.S. Supreme Court nominees, Clausen understood this was something he couldn’t easily shrug off. In the months that have followed, Clausen has answered questions from potential employers about his perceived personality defects over and over again.

He’ll do so Friday when he meets with new Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan and other team officials at the franchise’s headquarters in Ashburn, Va., and at subsequent visits to the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills, all of which hold top-10 picks they might use on the most polished pro-style passer in the draft.

“Obviously, there’s that perception out there that I’m ****y, arrogant, a bad teammate, a bad leader or whatever,” Clausen said between bites of his egg-white omelet. “It’s kind of hard answering those questions; you don’t want to put yourself at the forefront like that. I say, ‘Go ask my teammates why they voted me captain.’ I’d rather have them talk about it.”

On Thursday, I talked to three of Clausen’s former teammates, all of whom adamantly defended the three-year starter who last season led the Irish to four victories on their final drive of the game.

“Anyone who says that stuff isn’t seeing the same Jimmy that we see,” Tate said of the co-offensive captain. “For me it’s kind of frustrating, because what I see is a guy who’s very passionate about the sport, who works hard and puts his team in position to win. I see him more as a family member than as a teammate.”

Added ex-Irish receiver David Grimes, who played with Clausen in South Bend in ’07 and ’08: “Seeing Jimmy mature from when he came in as a freshman, it’s light years apart. It’s sad to hear this stuff that’s being said. Jimmy’s a great kid. I don’t think anybody who played with him would badmouth the guy.”

That might be a bit of a stretch – I’ve been in enough football locker rooms to know that, when you put scores of highly competitive athletes together on a daily basis, some manifestation of creative tension is inevitable – but I don’t blame Clausen’s supporters for engaging in a bit of hyper-defensive damage control. After all, these days it’s not enough to say, “Look at the game tape and draw your own conclusions.” Remember, this is an era in which an ultra-talented NFL passer like Jay Cutler(notes) can be eviscerated by analysts for bad body language, whatever that is.

Clausen seemed like a pleasant kid during our meal Thursday, but that’s hardly an experience from which conclusions can be drawn. What I can tell you is that Clausen put up insanely productive numbers last season in a pressure-packed environment while demonstrating toughness and poise.

It’s also clear that of the four quarterbacks mentioned as top prospects in this draft, Clausen is by far the most NFL-ready. Whereas Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, who the St. Louis Rams may select with the No. 1 overall pick, Texas’ Colt McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow all operated primarily from the spread offense, Clausen played in a pro-style attack for coach Charlie Weis, the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator who now holds that role with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, who spent time with all four quarterbacks for an ESPN draft special, was wowed by Clausen’s ability to recognize plays they watched together on film and replicate them on the chalkboard. Gruden’s three-word assessment of Clausen: “Love that guy.”

Some scouts question Clausen’s arm strength, while others believe he’s a dangerous downfield thrower. What no one disputes is his accuracy: Last season Clausen completed 68 percent of his throws, throwing 28 touchdown passes and only four interceptions in 425 attempts. The Irish huddle wasn’t bursting with a slew of talented NFL prospects, particularly on the offensive line and in the backfield, and Clausen accomplished much of this while playing through a pair of torn ligaments in his toe.

“He might be the most accurate thrower in the draft,” said a personnel executive for one AFC team. “I mean, he’s pinpoint accurate. He’d be a great West Coast [Offense] guy.”

A front-office executive for another AFC team had a different take: “He can throw the ball downfield. He’s the perfect Raiders quarterback, what Al [Davis] has been dreaming about for years. I don’t want to like him, but I do. I mean, just look at him – when you see that guy, you just want to punch him.”

That brings us back to the perception of Clausen as, in that same executive’s words, “a punk.” It probably was formed back in high school, when he received massive hype while leading Oaks Christian to a California Division III state title. Choosing Notre Dame, where he became a starter almost immediately, undoubtedly expanded the pool of Haterade.

Clausen, who skipped the spring semester of his senior year of high school to enroll early in college, says part of what motivated him to join the storied program in South Bend was that he thought it would prepare him for the transition to the pros.

“That’s one of the reasons I went there, to best replicate what it was going to be like playing in the pros as a rookie quarterback,” he said. “Notre Dame is one of the top five franchises in all of sports. Just being in the fishbowl, it was a good experience.”

One less-than-enjoyable experience occurred late last season outside a South Bend bar, when Clausen, after sticking up for his then-girlfriend while being heckled by a seemingly drunken patron, was, in fact, punched in the face. (There’s no truth to the rumor that the previously quoted AFC executive was the perpetrator.)

Clausen, who says he has been asked to recount the incident following the UConn loss by every NFL coach, executive and scout with whom he has spoken, did it one more time for me on Thursday: “… The seniors wanted to go out one last time following a home game with their families, and I decided I’d go out, too. A few hours later I decided to leave and I walked out with my arm around my girlfriend at the time. At the front door a drunk fan recognized me and starting yelling and ripping me about the loss and hassling her. I just laughed it off and walked by him, and he just hit me in the side of the face. That was the whole thing.”

Certainly, there are legitimate reasons why players on other teams would detest Clausen. On the field, he’s neither the shy nor retiring type; it’s fair to say he has some Philip Rivers in him.

“A lot of [the perception about Clausen] is because he plays with so much passion,” Tate says. “It appears he’s being an [expletive]. A guy who plays with passion is gonna play with some emotion. If those big guys are out there trying to kill you, and you make a play, you’re gonna go talk some crap.

“The guy’s getting hit back there, he’s under pressure all day. What’s he supposed to do, get up and say, ‘Hey, you hit me – that’s great’? Before one of our games, when he had a bad toe, people [from the other team] came up and stomped on his toe while the music was still playing. So yeah, when he burns you, he’s gonna let you know.”

One former foe who has recently changed his opinion of Clausen is ex-USC safety Taylor Mays. He and Clausen are both represented by L.A.-area agent Gary Wichard and have been working out together on a frequent basis over the past couple of months.

“I thought he was a little *****,” Mays admitted Thursday. “Before we played him, we watched highlights of him playing in Hawaii in the [2008 Hawaii Bowl], and he [made the aloha sign with his hand]. We wanted to beat the crap out of him.

“He’s still got the same personality, but I know him now, and I like him. He thinks he’s sweet, but he is good – I can’t take that away from him. I can see why his teammates like him. They respect how seriously he takes the game, and they respect his work ethic. I take him seriously, too.”

In less than three weeks, an NFL franchise will take Clausen in the first round, stigma be damned. Then it will be up to 52 new teammates to assess his personality traits and leadership skills.

“I can’t wait,” Clausen says. “Some people told me [the lead-up to the draft] would be the worst time of my life. It really hasn’t been that bad. It’s a dream come true.”

Until then, let’s hope Golden Tate and Todd McShay don’t end up outside any South Bend bars at the same time.

[skinsfan190]

This was really a great piece by Michael Silver. Never read any of his stuff but this was very good. I wonder is ESPN gonna have Todd McHater interviewing Clausen at his Pro Day. That would be very interesting. If I was Clausen I would say, "U still talkn ****" Just playn. That is prob what he will think tho. Obviously Clausen is smart enough to handle that interview professionally. He aint dumb now. IMO McShay has no clue what he is talking about. Maybe talkn to Clausen will change his biased opinion, but who knows.

Maybe they should just let Kiper handle Clausen's pro day. I'm tired of seeing McShay anyway.

[Main-Maine]

I dont know about Clausen because alot of ND fans even say he wasnt to good. I rather take Bradford because I think he is NFL ready.

[JoeKnowsBest]

I want to be sold on Jimmy Clausen but I think he is a few years away from being any good on the NFL level. Right now if you play him his rookie season I would bet that would be the death of his career. The reason why is he seems to inexperienced and immature as a man, let alone football player. (His interviews are not impressive at all. He states the same old meaningless talking point about ND's "pro style" offense and can't come up with saying anything else.) As a football player I see guys like Golden Tate making all the plays that pat his stats and make him look good. So I really don't know how much stock you can put into Jimmy Clausen. However if there is one good thing I do know for sure, it's that the guy is a competitor and is clutch. When the Irish were down, he put the Fight in Fighting Irish. He usually rallied them back. He's definately good in the 4th quarter when his team needs a big spark.

[jflow78]

I want to be sold on Jimmy Clausen but I think he is a few years away from being any good on the NFL level. Right now if you play him his rookie season I would bet that would be the death of his career.

Every scouting report I've heard/read says exactly the opposite. They all say the most pro-ready QB in the draft is Clausen, over Bradford even. They say Bradford will take a while to adjust, but Clausen already knows how to read and make adjustments, he already understands the game far better than any other QB in the draft. He also makes his throws before the receivers make their break and get open.

In fact, the only things I've heard negative about him are his attitude (and this is mostly coming from Todd McShay, but everyone else says he's matured and his teamates loved him), and that his ceiling might not be as high as Bradford's.

I think, and this isn't my usual preference, that if we pick him at #4, he will be starting for us before the year's over (depending on how the OL performs). The guy is good, and he's ready to start from day one if the OL is good (which it doesn't look like it will), but like I said, starting a rookie isn't my preference. I'd rather work him in as the season wears on, then let him earn the position a little bit.

I dont know about Clausen because alot of ND fans even say he wasnt to good. I rather take Bradford because I think he is NFL ready.

A lot of Eagles fans thought McNabb sucked enough to cut a couple years back, they also booed him on draft day. A lot of BYU fans don't think they pass enough (something like 70% of the time), a lot of Cowboys fans think they're going to the SB every year, and a lot of Notre Dame fans think they should be winning titles. Obviously, all of these are ridiculous. I'm not saying they might not be right, I'm saying they might not be very objective.

Bradford is going to need time to adjust, from learning to read defenses and make adjustments to taking 90% of his snaps under center (not to mention he basically has had a year away from football which means there will be some rust to knock off), that doesn't mean he's not going to be amazing, it just means he's not NFL ready on day one.

I'm just going to quote the entire article here. Please excuse me mods. I want all the Jimmy haters to read the whole thing and I know some of them wont click on the link to do so.

Great article, basically says what I was trying to put down. Very good read. I'd love to have a guy who has this kind of fire leading our team. It would drive Dallas crazy, their fans too.

[Main-Maine]

A lot of Eagles fans thought McNabb sucked enough to cut a couple years back, they also booed him on draft day. A lot of BYU fans don't think they pass enough (something like 70% of the time), a lot of Cowboys fans think they're going to the SB every year, and a lot of Notre Dame fans think they should be winning titles. Obviously, all of these are ridiculous. I'm not saying they might not be right, I'm saying they might not be very objective.

Bradford is going to need time to adjust, from learning to read defenses and make adjustments to taking 90% of his snaps under center (not to mention he basically has had a year away from football which means there will be some rust to knock off), that doesn't mean he's not going to be amazing, it just means he's not NFL ready on day one.

Well you also get conflicting reports about Clausen rep in the locker room. I am not saying that I am buying all this, but I think its somthing to be noted that Donavan dint have these rumors I believe.

I do believe Bradford should sit behind Jason unless the coaches feel that he is ready. I will say that I am not a big fan of drafting a QB, but rather a O-Line. I think Jason somtimes give fans reasons to not instill confidence in him being the franchise QB.

[bobisimo]

That was a good column to read. I'm loving all the pro-Clausen commentary love, and I've really become sold on the guy.

To me, Clausen feels like a guy who may have slipped a little because of the attitude/Notre Dame perception from his detractors -- kind of like Randy Moss slipped a little because of marijuana. The perception, seemingly erroneous, has turned a guy who probably should be the #1 pick (or at least the #1 QB) into a guy who will go in the 4-10 range -- which is great for us.

I'll be so frustrated if the 'Skins trade up and give away a lot to get Bradford when it looks like Clausen might fall right into our lap for no additional cost.

I'll admit when the NFL season ended and I was looking at the big names being thrown about, I liked what I saw of Bradford. He was the guy I wanted to see the Redskins draft. And I would have been happy, very happy, to see us trade up to get him so that we'd have that focal point to build around. But now I'm certain Clausen is every bit as good -- if not a better fit for the Shanahans than Bradford.

We need to play it cool and wait for Clausen to drop into our lap -- and then continue growing him into a superstar. It'll be so worth it.

[Snagletooth]

Clausen is the front runner for me. If we could pick up Flozell and land an OT in the 2nd we might be solid enough up front to get Clausen some good game experience this year.

I wouldn't mind a little attitude at the QB position if the guy is producing.

[jflow78]

Well you also get conflicting reports about Clausen rep in the locker room. I am not saying that I am buying all this, but I think its somthing to be noted that Donavan dint have these rumors I believe.

Yet he was unanimously voted as a captain by his teamates, and any one of them that's been interviewed says the same thing, "he was a punk when he got here, but we love him now."

As far as Donovan, no, he didn't have character "issues" but that's exactly what I'm saying, even though there was nothing, has been nothing, wrong with him, his teams own fans wanted him cut a few years ago, and traded now. Fans aren't always an objective source, so just because some Notre Dame fans didn't think Clausen was any good, maybe it's because they sucked as a team and were disappointed because of their expectations, not because Clausen wasn't any good. Just like Eagles fans, they're disappointed because every Eagles fan I've talked to (when they are being honest) thinks they have a chance at the SB every year, when they don't make it, they go blame McNabb for it, even though he may have played a great game.

To me, Clausen feels like a guy who may have slipped a little because of the attitude/Notre Dame perception from his detractors -- kind of like Randy Moss slipped a little because of marijuana. The perception, seemingly erroneous, has turned a guy who probably should be the #1 pick (or at least the #1 QB) into a guy who will go in the 4-10 range -- which is great for us.

Interestingly enough, after Bradford's pro-day, and before Clausen's, Kiper has Clausen as the top QB in the draft. He's one spot higher than Bradford now, at #4, Bradford at #5.

Also, today on ESPN radio in St. Louis, they interviewed Trent Dilfer, who has been watching every snap of the top 3 guys (Bradford, Clausen, and McCoy) not just once, but 3 or 4 times. He said today that he also thinks Clausen is the #1 guy in the draft. He said he's not sold on Bradford, though he thinks he's going to be very good, but that picking him at #1 is a draft disaster. He said a lot of scouts and coaches around the league are now saying the same thing, basically "man I'm glad we're not at #1, and that the Rams don't have any options to move out of the pick.

At the end they asked him who he thought would have the best career in the NFL and he said he thought it would be Clausen, but, in the end, it could very well be McCoy, though he's about 3 or 4 years from really being a really good NFL QB.

[JoeKnowsBest]

The question really is, is Jimmy Clausen better than Jason Campbell? I'm not sure he is. Although I do get caught up in daydreaming about champagne caviar offensive seasons and superbowl mvp dreams. That doesn't mean he can live up to that though. Very few actually can. But I honestly am starting to view this debate like the Peyton Manning vs Ryan Leaf decision from a few years ago. We all know how that turned out. I just don't want to be the team that gets caught up in wanting a franchise QB so bad that we take a Ryan Leaf just because of hopes and dreams. We got to be smart about it.

Man I'm glad we have the Shannahan's to make these kinds of decisions. There are many in the bussiness that know quarterbacks like they do.

[iMeast]

He is accurate but so was Colt Brennan in college. So far that has gotten him nothing but a few splinters in his butt from riding the pine.

HTTR

[demarc007]

Still amazing everyone is so willing to overlook Clausen's production vs. top competition. Very interesting.....

[Spartacus87]

I dont know about Clausen because alot of ND fans even say he wasnt to good. I rather take Bradford because I think he is NFL ready.

I wouldn't listen very closely to the mass opinion of Notre Dame fans.

One of the most arrogant and self-entitled groups in college sports.

He is accurate but so was Colt Brennan in college. So far that has gotten him nothing but a few splinters in his butt from riding the pine.

Not really an equal comparison.

Personally, I don't know how good Clausen will be at the NFL level. I'll be surprised if he completely flames out, but I don't know that he'll ever be this elite QB the way guys like Brees, Brady, Rivers, and Manning are today. But I have a hard time believing he couldn't be as good as someone like Matt Schaub.