Jaws: "I wouldn't give up on Jimmy"

[Lout]

If Jimmy Clausen starts for this team next season, I will look forward to drafting Andrew Luck in the 12' Draft.

[Jhyler12]

The defense was the only bright spot! Clausen just wore the defense out by not doing anything right! Jaws suck on it...

[grateflday]

He said that was ONE of the reasons, and our D indeed was not amazing this season. Jesus, people. He said it wasn't where it should've been, and he was 100% correct. But go on, hate anyone that "rips" our beloved Panthers.

We are not hating on Jaws nor would I on anybody who "rips" our beloved Panthers. The issue I had was he didnt really list the real truth why not to give up on Clausen and it had nothing to do with what he said.

you've got to look at what happened throughout the year – the running game, the injuries, all those factors came into play. The defense wasn't where it should have been,” forcing the Panthers to play from behind nearly every game.

It had nothing or very little to do with the above and I escpecially hate the ole blame on injury one. The reason Clausen should be given more of a chance the biggest reason was because of JOHN FOX period!! I am not saying Davidson because I dont think Fox would have let him do anything different. Fox would not allow or do anything to adjust, gameplan, create plays for what he had. The Panther ran the same vanilla stripped down offense that was super easy to stop and the main reason it happened was not because Clausen was the QB and the reason Jaw's mentioned but because of Fox. If Jaw's had even put some of the blame on Fox I would have given him a bit more credit.

[Jhyler12]

If Jimmy Clausen starts for this team next season, I will look forward to drafting Andrew Luck in the 12' Draft.

You got that right!

[bleys]

Not true. I didn't say every game.....I said the majority of his starts. They were statiscally a top attack and they simply were a good attack in the majority of his starts (the biggest thing that limited their production was the fact Clausen couldn't aid them in picking up first downs.....not opposing defenses).

I'm not sure what you mean by attack? I'm assuming you mean a running game? until the last 6 games or so (will have to look it up), our run game was horrible.

alot had to do with defenses knowing what we were going to do and stacked the box. a lot of our passing woes came from our coaching staffs inability to call plays that would be a good crutch to a rookie QB..

yes, Clausen couldn't aide those 1st downs.. most of the reason being we never called plays to help aide him in doing that. and one big reason Sam Bradford was successful had to do with playcalling more than anything. I'm not comparing the 2, but I am saying one huge difference was playcalling..

but to say we had a top rushing attack isn't accurate.. matter of fact, NO rookie is going to have success when you run it on 1st and 2nd, and then have him throw 3rd and long.. that happened a lot.

Accept it, we are rebuilding! And as a fan, I will be tickled pink if Rivera walks away from his first year with at least 7 wins and a top-ten defense!

At that point, as a fan, I would expect offensive woes addressed next offseason. I would also at that point, as a fan, expect nothing but playoffs yearly and both off. and def. units in the top ten! hahaha! Whether I get it or not is a different story!

that's where I'm at.. everyone should throw their expectations out the window and enjoy the ride.. be patient and let's see where we end up in 2-3 years..

[MadHatter]

Ball control offenses are not always on the attack. They usually seek to shorten the game by controlling the time of possession, and obviously, every team will try to milk out the clock at times. I have no doubt he will utilize that, but I don't think he's going to tailor his offense to that concept the way John Fox has in the past. He wants a defense and offense that are both constantly attacking... at least, if we are to believe what he said. Rivera said he wanted to control the game basically on both sides of the ball by not letting the opponents dictate what they had to do.

What Jaws is saying is that Rivera isn't going to have an offense that relies on the quarterback quite so much, because it's ball control, so Clausen could have time to grow into it still (or at least, that's how I read it). This is exactly the opposite of what Rivera himself has said.

Depends on how you define "ball control offense". My take is that you will not see a Saints type of offense where you are slinging it down the field. You will see a balanced offense of running and utilizing the short to medium passes.

You do not have to be slinging the ball down the field to be "attacking".

This is the same mis-conception that you have to be a defense that blitzes every down to be an agressive and attacking defense.

People confuse these definitions all of the time.

This is VERY different than what Fox tried to do....run, run, sling the ball 25 yards down the field.

[MadHatter]

I wouldn't give up on him either. I'd sign a vet who can start the next year or two and let Jim stand on the sidelines and learn...which is what he should've been doing the whole time.

Exactly.

Peopel are again misunderstanding what jaws is saying. There is a difference in "not giving up on Jimmy" and waltzing into next season with him as you starter (with no vet in competition).

[CRA]

I'm not sure what you mean by attack? I'm assuming you mean a running game? until the last 6 games or so (will have to look it up), our run game was horrible.

..

last 6 starts.

Run game averaged 141.5 yards a game. 5.5 yards a carry. They did that despite teams being able to focus on the run and Jimmy giving little to no help of aiding in picking up first downs.

Jimmy did have a top ground attack late in the season. They did all that despite Jimmy allowing teams to focus on them w/ no help from the QB keeping drives going. If that ain't top ground game.....what is?

also, go back and check how often he was throwing on 3rd and long vs. 3rd and short late.....when Clausen was put in a good situation he simply was no better. Clausen comp % was actually worse the better the scenario he was put in on 3rd down.

[bleys]

last 6 starts.

Run game averaged 141.5 yards a game. 5.5 yards a carry. They did that despite teams being able to focus on the run and Jimmy giving little to no help of aiding in picking up first downs.

Jimmy did have a top ground attack late in the season. They did all that despite Jimmy allowing teams to focus on them w/ no help from the QB keeping drives going. If that ain't top ground game.....what is?

also, go back and check how often he was throwing on 3rd and long vs. 3rd and short late.....when Clausen was put in a good situation he simply was no better. Clausen comp % was actually worse the better the scenario he was put in on 3rd down.

right.. I'm not sure what you're point is.. you just said the same thing I did.. our run game was horrible up until the last 7 games (I said 6).. but it was more like 7, and the Steelers game was a sub-par showing on the ground... (around 71 yards on the ground that game)

up until that point, we didn't really have a run game.. defenses stacked the box and our coaches certainly didn't know how to call a good football game to help Clausen out..

======================

nevermind.. I re-read your original point.. disregard this.. you were talking about the majority of his starts..

although I still contend that Davidson/Fox didn't help Jimmy out on passing plays.. but yes, the last 6 games or so was there as a crutch for him..

==============

one thing to note: Goodson was the only thing that sparked our running game, for whatever reason.. it could have been a combination of our line coming together, but the 1st day Goodson was plugged in as the starter, he was the spark we needed to carry us through the rest of the season..

[CarolinaKat]

Give up on Jimmy....If there is any hope of winning...just give up on Jimmy

[CRA]

right.. I'm not sure what you're point is.. you just said the same thing I did.. our run game was horrible up until the last 7 games (I said 6).. but it was more like 7, and the Steelers game was a sub-par showing on the ground... (around 71 yards on the ground that game)

up until that point, we didn't really have a run game.. defenses stacked the box and our coaches certainly didn't know how to call a good football game to help Clausen out..

======================

nevermind.. I re-read your original point.. disregard this.. you were talking about the majority of his starts..

although I still contend that Davidson/Fox didn't help Jimmy out on passing plays.. but yes, the last 6 games or so was there as a crutch for him..

==============

one thing to note: Goodson was the only thing that sparked our running game, for whatever reason.. it could have been a combination of our line coming together, but the 1st day Goodson was plugged in as the starter, he was the spark we needed to carry us through the rest of the season..

well, Goodson and a healthy Stewart sparked it. Stewart was a beast once he got healthy.

I don't argue that Fox/Davidson didn't help out much.....but they have never helped much w/ anyone. I guess I just accept that as it has really been a consistant thing and not unique to this season.

[Ricky Spanish]

I already started a poo on clausen thread. no one came to an agreement. i foresee the same thing happening with this thread too.

[TheRealDeal]

I already started a poo on clausen thread. no one came to an agreement. i foresee the same thing happening with this thread too.

Zod started a pro clausen thread so I started a poo Clausen thread. It got locked very shortly after

[PantherFanForLife]

Sure, Rivera wants to control the ball. But to call what he has described so far a ball control offense seems a little bit of a... uh, a mis-statement.

Mav, it doesn't matter what Rivera says right now. He's a new HC, and a new coach for the Panthers. He can say anything right now, especially so early in the year, but there's a huge difference between a vision and execution. You still have to have the personnel to do it. Jaws is being a realist, and disregarding Rivera's comments as most should. He's looking at this team as a whole and he's seeing what anyone else would see looking at us from the outside, with an objective viewpoint. New coach or not, we just don't have the personnel on offense right now to make that happen.

Not only that, but it's also quite obvious Rivera's going to be focusing on defense, not offense.

It seems some people are hoping for some offensive miracle turn-around, but as it stands right now, those that hope this team will be a new team on offense next year are in for disappointment. At its best, the Panthers franchise were above average as a passing team. At its best, running game included, we were a top 10 offensive team, but still would not say elite.

But "at our best" also meant when we had Jake playing his best, one of the best O-lines in the NFL, Smith in his prime, Moose, Proehl, and a defense that would keep that O on the field more than our opponents' O.

We are so far away from that right now, with us having a shadow of our old O-line, two rookie receivers and an aging Smith, poor QB play and even a weaker running game, that the chances of us even coming close to the old Panthers offense are slim to none. Without major offensive acquisitions in the draft, such as Green, major QB improvement or FA vet pick-up in the off-season and major overhaul to our O-line, I fully expect a ball control offense come 2011.

Not much different from that of John Fox.

I really was hoping we would go in an offensive direction. But what I get from Rivera's statements is not that at all. Reading between the lines tells me he has his work cut out for him just to put together a scoring offense, let alone an aggressive, offensive, touchdown scoring machine like he "wants".

We just don't have the personnel for that. Period. And at least, right now, it doesn't look like we're seeking them. Now of course, that's as of right now, and anything can change, but unless some of those changes take place, ball control offense is what we'll get in 2011. If there is one.