Bob Magaw
Footballguy
hopefully not obliteration...
i'll expand on this later, but just a cursory overview to start...
the only place to go is up (actually, they could go 1-15 again or even 0-16 - they have become that bad, with historically poor organizational numbers in recent years... the rams have won six games since 2007... that is a month and a half for the colts
)...
STL is on the clock...
GM devaney has stated that for now, it looks like the four players they are taking a closer look at, the two QBs (bradford and clausen) & the two DTs (suh & mccoy).
fairly recently, many early mocks featured suh atop the first round. increasingly, some mainstream media (schefter, clayton, mayock) have speculated that whether for good (bradford grades out as a franchise QB) or bad (STL better start developing a young prospect soon, etc) reasons, bradford will be the rams pick.
two key pieces to the puzzle yet to surface (& why this is still speculation and maybe informed conjecture at this point - by the likes of schefter, clayton, mayock, et al)... bradford needs to have his shoulder vetted by the STL medical team... & his pro day on 3-25.
casserly recently stated that among his sources (presumably many & high level, since he was himself in WAS & HOU), a consensus is emerging that bradford is a clearly superior prospect (IF he checks out medically) to clausen. bradford may be a better athlete and more accurate. clausen may have a stronger arm (not that bradford's is weak), but there have been some rumblings about whether his personality negatively impacts on his leadership (may not be well liked by some of his teammates?). clausen could be more "pro-ready" than bradford (groomed by weiss in an "NFL"-style offense & passing attack... bradford played a lot of spread offense, but not exclusively - the artlcle below alludes to this being a possible misnomer), but i question whether STL would rush either potential starter into immediate action, with unsolved OL & skill position questions... at the combine, it was noted that bradford's ability to roll out & throw decisively and accurately on the run could be a good fit for a WCO (rams OC shurmur was PHI QB coach?)...
as to DT... some have called suh a once-a-decade interior DL prospect (though mayock has said he isn't even his highest graded prospect in this draft)
maybe one way to parse the QB vs. DT question...
with so much money at stake, and more importantly, the franchise's dire need for a playmaker, a difference maker, & a face of the franchise, a bad pick could be equally devastating whether on offense or defense.
yet if STL nails a high pick (for a change), the upside to a franchise QB could far outweigh the benefits that would accrue even from a top 5 DT...
TEAM NEEDS
QB, RB (back up - good with starter jackson), WR (1-2 starters - avery inconsistent and seemed to regress, but that could easily be attributed to OL injuries and erratic, incompetent QB play?), TE, OL (various - inside & outside)
DL (DE & DT), LB (probably WLB & SLB), probably DB (better at safety if RFA atogwe remains... bartell played better in '08 than '09, the team is reportedly high on '09 3rd rounder bradley fletcher, & said he is recovering nicely from injury (knee?)... they could use an upgrade at nickle CB)
ST (upgrade in return game... have they had a dangerous KR artist since world class sprinter ron brown (?)... az-hakim was dangerous punt returner (they got dante hall past his prime - TIME)
at nearly every position across the board, the rams could use better talent for starters & depth, better vets and developmental types, etc. rare positions of strength... jackson at RB, brown at center, MLB laurinaitis, FS atogwe... to steal a line from the coen bros. barton fink... throw a rock at the rams roster, and you probably WON'T hit a star...
recent article from local team reporter...
http://www.ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?5,29...29808#msg-29808
Quarterbacks Vie for Top Spot
Saturday, February 27, 2010
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
INDIANAPOLIS – There is, perhaps, no position in team sports that carries with it the burden and demands of NFL quarterback.
Aside from head coach, it’s probably the most pressure-packed position you will find. You’re the first to get blame when you lose and the first to get glory when you win.
So it’s merely stating the obvious to say that identifying the player you want to play quarterback for the long term future of your franchise comes with an inherent amount of pressure in itself.
While it’s far from certain at which point the Rams will look for that person, it’s the job of general manager Billy Devaney, coach Steve Spagnuolo and their respective staffs to do everything possible to figure out who that person will be when the time comes.
Devaney has been in the personnel game for a long time and has seen plenty in that time. So, what will he be looking for when he begins talking to prospects to fill that role for the future of the Rams?
“Kind of in my history with quarterbacks, the guys that I have been involved with that didn’t pan out, (it’s) the intangibles for me,” Devaney said. “I have come full circle. If you don’t have the intangible to play that position…to me the physical skills are almost the easy part for these kids. There’s so much that goes into being a quarterback in the NFL that the work ethic you have to have, the leadership, the time that you put in, the media scrutiny, if you can’t handle all of that stuff you are going to have a hard time performing on the field. It’s the intangibles as much as anything.”
In this year’s draft class, the Rams could well have their pick of the litter when they make the choice on who the next quarterback could be. As it stands, two prospects – Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen – stand above the rest with Texas signal caller Colt McCoy considered by many to be next in line.
As Devaney points out, those players wouldn’t be regarded as highly as they are if they didn’t have the physical tools to succeed. That much, we know.
What remains to be seen is how they will separate from one another in three areas where each must answer some important questions.
INJURY ISSUES
After putting together impressive college careers, Bradford, Clausen and McCoy’s college careers each ended with an ailment that has teams left waiting for the opportunity to see them throw in person.
More than any other player in the draft, Bradford probably has the most to prove in terms of showing he’s healthy.
Bradford suffered a grade three separation of his right (throwing) shoulder early in the season, costing him the rest of his junior year and preventing him from making a run at repeating as Heisman Trophy winner.
After missing the bulk of the season, Bradford had Dr. James Andrews perform surgery to reconstruct the AC joint in his shoulder. While he’s been training and has recently started throwing 20 to 40 yard routes with as much effort as possible, he hasn’t been able to throw in front of teams yet and won’t until his March 25th pro day in Norman.
In the meantime, he’s packed on about 12 pounds to get to 236 and impress scouts with his newfound frame. That will be the ultimate test for Bradford and any team interested.
“It’s extremely important,” Bradford said. “Obviously it will be the first time that I have been with pro scouts since they have seen me play when I got injured. I think everyone is really anxious to see my arm and how it looks after surgery.”
Clausen’s injury isn’t as serious. He suffered what was deemed turf toe early in the season but was later revealed as torn ligaments in his right big toe. Clausen had surgery on the toe and has spent the offseason recovering from it.
Like Bradford, that injury has kept Clausen from throwing in front of scouts or doing much in the way of running. His pro day is set for April 9 and will also be an important test.
“You have to see a quarterback live,” Devaney said. “You can’t judge arm strength off of tape. But we have seen a bigger body of work on Clausen because he played all the games this year and was unbelievably impressive with his accuracy and all. We just want to look at arm strength that you can’t judge all the time on looking at tape.”
McCoy suffered a nerve injury in the BCS championship game and also won’t be throwing at the combine. He’s looking forward to returning to throw for scouts at his pro day in Austin on March 31.
“My shoulder is doing great,” McCoy said. “I’m way ahead of schedule. It’s unfortunate I’m not going to throw here, I’m bummed out, I would love to get out there and compete, I’d love to get out there and throw. But it’s healing up great, I’m throwing every day. I’m on a strict routine, but I’m confident that everything is going well and I’ll be 100 percent ready to go in a couple weeks.”
SYSTEM ANALYSIS
Maybe the hardest part of evaluating the actual tangible, on field performance of college quarterbacks comes about because of the proliferation of spread offenses in the college game.
Of the three, only Clausen comes from a true pro style offense, learning under the guidance of former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who was the offensive coordinator for Tom Brady and the Patriots before that.
“That’s why I went to Notre Dome was because it could best replicate what it would be like as a NFL rookie in the National Football League,” Clausen said. “That progression went from freshman year to sophomore year to my junior year this past season what it’s going to be like and I just want to jump from wherever I was this year to wherever I am going to be and help my team win games.”
McCoy is the only of the trio that spent his college career in a true spread offense. In his four years as starter, McCoy spent the first two years under center about 30 percent of the time. He didn’t spend a whole lot of time taking snaps under center in his final two years. But he doesn’t view that as a hindrance to his ability to play in the NFL.
“I realize that's something I really need to work on because the last two years we didn't spend that much time underneath center,” McCoy said. “We ran some play action out of it, but that's about it. We played to our personnel, we played with what we had and we won a lot of games. But playing underneath the center is not foreign to me. The good thing with my shoulder after the game for about three weeks I wasn't able to throw, so I committed myself to working on my feet, working on my drops, my play-action drops. My feet are going to be perfectly fine.”
Contrary to popular belief, Bradford didn’t play in a spread-exclusive offense. In fact, the Sooners’ set was essentially a hybrid offense in which he was asked to work out of the shotgun and under center.
It’s one perception that seems to annoy the mostly unflappable Bradford.
“I think people have this misconception if you play in the spread, you play in the shotgun that you don’t know how to take a drop,” Bradford said. “It’s just a shorter drop. When you are in the gun, you still take a three step drop. At Oklahoma at practice every day, our first drops were under center. Our coach made us take drops under center. We threw two out routes, the first was under center, the second was in the gun. I am very comfortable with being under center. It’s something I have done since I have been in college going back to high school. It’s nothing new to me.”
LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
Without question, the one trait shared by the top quarterbacks in the league, the Peyton Mannings’, Drew Brees’ and Tom Bradys’ of the NFL is their unquestioned “It Factor” that allows them to lead their teams with an iron fist.
Those players spend obscene amounts of time studying film and aren’t afraid to speak up if a teammates doesn’t put in the effort to win on Sundays.
“I think what you do is you assess the team that have been successful lately it seems to me those leadership type of guys, the guys who can get the job done in a pinch and certainly all the other things that go along with it,” Spagnuolo said. “(You obviously want) a guy that can throw the football and has all the physical qualities. But leadership to me is really important at that particular position.”
Among this year’s draft prospects, this is one area that seems to be most dominated by Florida’s Tim Tebow who by all accounts has intangibles to spare. Bradford and McCoy are thought of in similar ways.
Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams saw up close the type of leader and player Bradford can be.
“I honestly think he's one of the best — best in my class and hopefully he can be one of the best of the era,” Williams said. “Because he has it all: smarts, accuracy. I mean, anything you want in a quarterback, Sam has.”
Bradford isn’t necessarily a rah rah type guy but that doesn’t mean he’s afraid to express himself if someone is out of line.
“I think I am a great leader,” Bradford said. “I think if you ask any of my teammates that played with me at Oklahoma, they would tell you I was one of the leaders on our team. I can be vocal; I think a lot of people question that. But they don’t see our practices; they don’t see what I do in our locker room. I am vocal; I will get after guys when I need to. I also like to lead by example and that’s something I believe in. If you don’t practice what you preach, no one is going to follow you. I believe I have all the different leadership styles you need.”
McCoy drew similar rave reviews for his work in leading the Longhorns. As a four-year starter at a major program like Texas, it could have been especially hard for McCoy to take the reins as he followed the footsteps of Vince Young.
“Leadership is a tough word,” McCoy said. “It's hard to talk about. A lot of guys can say things about it, but can't back it up. God gave me the ability and opportunity to play for four years at Texas which was a dream for me. I learned a lot of lessons on leadership through those four years. My freshman year, I stood in the huddle with five guys who had just won the national championship and just played with Vince Young. You can imagine what that's like in spring ball trying to call a play in front of them. And they're like, I'm not listening to you, dude. You're a freshman.' Overcoming that and where I am today, a lot of leadership lessons learned and a lot of lessons that will carry on into the NFL”
Despite his leadership role at Notre Dame, the perception around the draft is that Clausen is lacking in the intangibles department. Labeled by some as cocky or arrogant, people wonder if Clausen can successfully lead a team.
Notre Dame receiver Golden Tate disputes that after spending his college career in a huddle with Clausen.
“I think he was a great leader,” Tate said. “He’s really consistent. Everyday he showed up to work. Sick, hurt, we got the same Jimmy. He did a great job keeping the team together. Overall I think Jimmy did a great job.”
For his part, Clausen believes that anyone playing quarterback at a high profile school like Notre Dame is going to automatically face the haters. And though Clausen admits that he did plenty of growing up and maturing in his time in South Bend, he does believe all the teams need to do is get to know him to see that those perceptions are incorrect.
“There have also been adverse times that I have had to overcome, different situations I have been through that I realized being in the fish bowl at Notre Dame and being the quarterback at Notre Dame, you have to act in a certain way and it has helped me,” Clausen said. “I’m going to become the face of the franchise somewhere and being at Notre Dame will definitely help me do that.”
DECISION DAY
According to most draft analysts and pundits, Bradford is the highest rated of the quarterbacks with Clausen trailing behind and McCoy a notch below and likely second-round draft choice.
Between now and April’s NFL Draft, all three will have to prove themselves healthy and capable of throwing the ball at a NFL level. They’ll need to wow teams with their interview skills and their knowledge and passion for the game.
Bradford must show that his shoulder is fine and he can make all of the NFL throws. Clausen must prove he has the leadership skills that go with his undeniable physical talents. And McCoy must find a way to elevate his status to even enter the first-round conversation with Bradford and Clausen.
Because ultimately, the quarterback of the football team, especially one drafted first overall, does more than take the snaps, hand the ball off and throw it.
“When you are the first pick in the draft, there’s something about that regardless of position,” Devaney said. “That follows you forever. I think whoever we take with the first pick that becomes in our mind part of the foundation but out there yeah, he would probably be the face of the franchise.”
i'll expand on this later, but just a cursory overview to start...
the only place to go is up (actually, they could go 1-15 again or even 0-16 - they have become that bad, with historically poor organizational numbers in recent years... the rams have won six games since 2007... that is a month and a half for the colts
)...STL is on the clock...
GM devaney has stated that for now, it looks like the four players they are taking a closer look at, the two QBs (bradford and clausen) & the two DTs (suh & mccoy).
fairly recently, many early mocks featured suh atop the first round. increasingly, some mainstream media (schefter, clayton, mayock) have speculated that whether for good (bradford grades out as a franchise QB) or bad (STL better start developing a young prospect soon, etc) reasons, bradford will be the rams pick.
two key pieces to the puzzle yet to surface (& why this is still speculation and maybe informed conjecture at this point - by the likes of schefter, clayton, mayock, et al)... bradford needs to have his shoulder vetted by the STL medical team... & his pro day on 3-25.
casserly recently stated that among his sources (presumably many & high level, since he was himself in WAS & HOU), a consensus is emerging that bradford is a clearly superior prospect (IF he checks out medically) to clausen. bradford may be a better athlete and more accurate. clausen may have a stronger arm (not that bradford's is weak), but there have been some rumblings about whether his personality negatively impacts on his leadership (may not be well liked by some of his teammates?). clausen could be more "pro-ready" than bradford (groomed by weiss in an "NFL"-style offense & passing attack... bradford played a lot of spread offense, but not exclusively - the artlcle below alludes to this being a possible misnomer), but i question whether STL would rush either potential starter into immediate action, with unsolved OL & skill position questions... at the combine, it was noted that bradford's ability to roll out & throw decisively and accurately on the run could be a good fit for a WCO (rams OC shurmur was PHI QB coach?)...
as to DT... some have called suh a once-a-decade interior DL prospect (though mayock has said he isn't even his highest graded prospect in this draft)
maybe one way to parse the QB vs. DT question...
with so much money at stake, and more importantly, the franchise's dire need for a playmaker, a difference maker, & a face of the franchise, a bad pick could be equally devastating whether on offense or defense.
yet if STL nails a high pick (for a change), the upside to a franchise QB could far outweigh the benefits that would accrue even from a top 5 DT...
TEAM NEEDS
QB, RB (back up - good with starter jackson), WR (1-2 starters - avery inconsistent and seemed to regress, but that could easily be attributed to OL injuries and erratic, incompetent QB play?), TE, OL (various - inside & outside)
DL (DE & DT), LB (probably WLB & SLB), probably DB (better at safety if RFA atogwe remains... bartell played better in '08 than '09, the team is reportedly high on '09 3rd rounder bradley fletcher, & said he is recovering nicely from injury (knee?)... they could use an upgrade at nickle CB)
ST (upgrade in return game... have they had a dangerous KR artist since world class sprinter ron brown (?)... az-hakim was dangerous punt returner (they got dante hall past his prime - TIME)
at nearly every position across the board, the rams could use better talent for starters & depth, better vets and developmental types, etc. rare positions of strength... jackson at RB, brown at center, MLB laurinaitis, FS atogwe... to steal a line from the coen bros. barton fink... throw a rock at the rams roster, and you probably WON'T hit a star...
recent article from local team reporter...
http://www.ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?5,29...29808#msg-29808
Quarterbacks Vie for Top Spot
Saturday, February 27, 2010
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
INDIANAPOLIS – There is, perhaps, no position in team sports that carries with it the burden and demands of NFL quarterback.
Aside from head coach, it’s probably the most pressure-packed position you will find. You’re the first to get blame when you lose and the first to get glory when you win.
So it’s merely stating the obvious to say that identifying the player you want to play quarterback for the long term future of your franchise comes with an inherent amount of pressure in itself.
While it’s far from certain at which point the Rams will look for that person, it’s the job of general manager Billy Devaney, coach Steve Spagnuolo and their respective staffs to do everything possible to figure out who that person will be when the time comes.
Devaney has been in the personnel game for a long time and has seen plenty in that time. So, what will he be looking for when he begins talking to prospects to fill that role for the future of the Rams?
“Kind of in my history with quarterbacks, the guys that I have been involved with that didn’t pan out, (it’s) the intangibles for me,” Devaney said. “I have come full circle. If you don’t have the intangible to play that position…to me the physical skills are almost the easy part for these kids. There’s so much that goes into being a quarterback in the NFL that the work ethic you have to have, the leadership, the time that you put in, the media scrutiny, if you can’t handle all of that stuff you are going to have a hard time performing on the field. It’s the intangibles as much as anything.”
In this year’s draft class, the Rams could well have their pick of the litter when they make the choice on who the next quarterback could be. As it stands, two prospects – Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen – stand above the rest with Texas signal caller Colt McCoy considered by many to be next in line.
As Devaney points out, those players wouldn’t be regarded as highly as they are if they didn’t have the physical tools to succeed. That much, we know.
What remains to be seen is how they will separate from one another in three areas where each must answer some important questions.
INJURY ISSUES
After putting together impressive college careers, Bradford, Clausen and McCoy’s college careers each ended with an ailment that has teams left waiting for the opportunity to see them throw in person.
More than any other player in the draft, Bradford probably has the most to prove in terms of showing he’s healthy.
Bradford suffered a grade three separation of his right (throwing) shoulder early in the season, costing him the rest of his junior year and preventing him from making a run at repeating as Heisman Trophy winner.
After missing the bulk of the season, Bradford had Dr. James Andrews perform surgery to reconstruct the AC joint in his shoulder. While he’s been training and has recently started throwing 20 to 40 yard routes with as much effort as possible, he hasn’t been able to throw in front of teams yet and won’t until his March 25th pro day in Norman.
In the meantime, he’s packed on about 12 pounds to get to 236 and impress scouts with his newfound frame. That will be the ultimate test for Bradford and any team interested.
“It’s extremely important,” Bradford said. “Obviously it will be the first time that I have been with pro scouts since they have seen me play when I got injured. I think everyone is really anxious to see my arm and how it looks after surgery.”
Clausen’s injury isn’t as serious. He suffered what was deemed turf toe early in the season but was later revealed as torn ligaments in his right big toe. Clausen had surgery on the toe and has spent the offseason recovering from it.
Like Bradford, that injury has kept Clausen from throwing in front of scouts or doing much in the way of running. His pro day is set for April 9 and will also be an important test.
“You have to see a quarterback live,” Devaney said. “You can’t judge arm strength off of tape. But we have seen a bigger body of work on Clausen because he played all the games this year and was unbelievably impressive with his accuracy and all. We just want to look at arm strength that you can’t judge all the time on looking at tape.”
McCoy suffered a nerve injury in the BCS championship game and also won’t be throwing at the combine. He’s looking forward to returning to throw for scouts at his pro day in Austin on March 31.
“My shoulder is doing great,” McCoy said. “I’m way ahead of schedule. It’s unfortunate I’m not going to throw here, I’m bummed out, I would love to get out there and compete, I’d love to get out there and throw. But it’s healing up great, I’m throwing every day. I’m on a strict routine, but I’m confident that everything is going well and I’ll be 100 percent ready to go in a couple weeks.”
SYSTEM ANALYSIS
Maybe the hardest part of evaluating the actual tangible, on field performance of college quarterbacks comes about because of the proliferation of spread offenses in the college game.
Of the three, only Clausen comes from a true pro style offense, learning under the guidance of former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who was the offensive coordinator for Tom Brady and the Patriots before that.
“That’s why I went to Notre Dome was because it could best replicate what it would be like as a NFL rookie in the National Football League,” Clausen said. “That progression went from freshman year to sophomore year to my junior year this past season what it’s going to be like and I just want to jump from wherever I was this year to wherever I am going to be and help my team win games.”
McCoy is the only of the trio that spent his college career in a true spread offense. In his four years as starter, McCoy spent the first two years under center about 30 percent of the time. He didn’t spend a whole lot of time taking snaps under center in his final two years. But he doesn’t view that as a hindrance to his ability to play in the NFL.
“I realize that's something I really need to work on because the last two years we didn't spend that much time underneath center,” McCoy said. “We ran some play action out of it, but that's about it. We played to our personnel, we played with what we had and we won a lot of games. But playing underneath the center is not foreign to me. The good thing with my shoulder after the game for about three weeks I wasn't able to throw, so I committed myself to working on my feet, working on my drops, my play-action drops. My feet are going to be perfectly fine.”
Contrary to popular belief, Bradford didn’t play in a spread-exclusive offense. In fact, the Sooners’ set was essentially a hybrid offense in which he was asked to work out of the shotgun and under center.
It’s one perception that seems to annoy the mostly unflappable Bradford.
“I think people have this misconception if you play in the spread, you play in the shotgun that you don’t know how to take a drop,” Bradford said. “It’s just a shorter drop. When you are in the gun, you still take a three step drop. At Oklahoma at practice every day, our first drops were under center. Our coach made us take drops under center. We threw two out routes, the first was under center, the second was in the gun. I am very comfortable with being under center. It’s something I have done since I have been in college going back to high school. It’s nothing new to me.”
LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
Without question, the one trait shared by the top quarterbacks in the league, the Peyton Mannings’, Drew Brees’ and Tom Bradys’ of the NFL is their unquestioned “It Factor” that allows them to lead their teams with an iron fist.
Those players spend obscene amounts of time studying film and aren’t afraid to speak up if a teammates doesn’t put in the effort to win on Sundays.
“I think what you do is you assess the team that have been successful lately it seems to me those leadership type of guys, the guys who can get the job done in a pinch and certainly all the other things that go along with it,” Spagnuolo said. “(You obviously want) a guy that can throw the football and has all the physical qualities. But leadership to me is really important at that particular position.”
Among this year’s draft prospects, this is one area that seems to be most dominated by Florida’s Tim Tebow who by all accounts has intangibles to spare. Bradford and McCoy are thought of in similar ways.
Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams saw up close the type of leader and player Bradford can be.
“I honestly think he's one of the best — best in my class and hopefully he can be one of the best of the era,” Williams said. “Because he has it all: smarts, accuracy. I mean, anything you want in a quarterback, Sam has.”
Bradford isn’t necessarily a rah rah type guy but that doesn’t mean he’s afraid to express himself if someone is out of line.
“I think I am a great leader,” Bradford said. “I think if you ask any of my teammates that played with me at Oklahoma, they would tell you I was one of the leaders on our team. I can be vocal; I think a lot of people question that. But they don’t see our practices; they don’t see what I do in our locker room. I am vocal; I will get after guys when I need to. I also like to lead by example and that’s something I believe in. If you don’t practice what you preach, no one is going to follow you. I believe I have all the different leadership styles you need.”
McCoy drew similar rave reviews for his work in leading the Longhorns. As a four-year starter at a major program like Texas, it could have been especially hard for McCoy to take the reins as he followed the footsteps of Vince Young.
“Leadership is a tough word,” McCoy said. “It's hard to talk about. A lot of guys can say things about it, but can't back it up. God gave me the ability and opportunity to play for four years at Texas which was a dream for me. I learned a lot of lessons on leadership through those four years. My freshman year, I stood in the huddle with five guys who had just won the national championship and just played with Vince Young. You can imagine what that's like in spring ball trying to call a play in front of them. And they're like, I'm not listening to you, dude. You're a freshman.' Overcoming that and where I am today, a lot of leadership lessons learned and a lot of lessons that will carry on into the NFL”
Despite his leadership role at Notre Dame, the perception around the draft is that Clausen is lacking in the intangibles department. Labeled by some as cocky or arrogant, people wonder if Clausen can successfully lead a team.
Notre Dame receiver Golden Tate disputes that after spending his college career in a huddle with Clausen.
“I think he was a great leader,” Tate said. “He’s really consistent. Everyday he showed up to work. Sick, hurt, we got the same Jimmy. He did a great job keeping the team together. Overall I think Jimmy did a great job.”
For his part, Clausen believes that anyone playing quarterback at a high profile school like Notre Dame is going to automatically face the haters. And though Clausen admits that he did plenty of growing up and maturing in his time in South Bend, he does believe all the teams need to do is get to know him to see that those perceptions are incorrect.
“There have also been adverse times that I have had to overcome, different situations I have been through that I realized being in the fish bowl at Notre Dame and being the quarterback at Notre Dame, you have to act in a certain way and it has helped me,” Clausen said. “I’m going to become the face of the franchise somewhere and being at Notre Dame will definitely help me do that.”
DECISION DAY
According to most draft analysts and pundits, Bradford is the highest rated of the quarterbacks with Clausen trailing behind and McCoy a notch below and likely second-round draft choice.
Between now and April’s NFL Draft, all three will have to prove themselves healthy and capable of throwing the ball at a NFL level. They’ll need to wow teams with their interview skills and their knowledge and passion for the game.
Bradford must show that his shoulder is fine and he can make all of the NFL throws. Clausen must prove he has the leadership skills that go with his undeniable physical talents. And McCoy must find a way to elevate his status to even enter the first-round conversation with Bradford and Clausen.
Because ultimately, the quarterback of the football team, especially one drafted first overall, does more than take the snaps, hand the ball off and throw it.
“When you are the first pick in the draft, there’s something about that regardless of position,” Devaney said. “That follows you forever. I think whoever we take with the first pick that becomes in our mind part of the foundation but out there yeah, he would probably be the face of the franchise.”
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i think he also said recently he reminded him of peyton manning, at a comparable stage of their careers...
Wasn't expecting a lot of movement for the Rams in the first day, if I'm being perfectly honest. With all the team's needs, what are people looking for in terms of free agents?
Wasn't expecting a lot of movement for the Rams in the first day, if I'm being perfectly honest. With all the team's needs, what are people looking for in terms of free agents?
Wasn't expecting a lot of movement for the Rams in the first day, if I'm being perfectly honest. With all the team's needs, what are people looking for in terms of free agents?
Wasn't expecting a lot of movement for the Rams in the first day, if I'm being perfectly honest. With all the team's needs, what are people looking for in terms of free agents?
i realize the timing, and footwork are different, as well as lines of sight and field vision POV.it does raise an interesting question (maybe i'll start a thread)... is there a success/bust rate correlation between being groomed in college pro style attack vs. spread-types.... off the top of my head, there must be examples of each on both sides.can he withstand the rush... along with accuracy, timing, the ability to process information quickly, having a sense a the pass rush, etc... you never really KNOW how they did in college will translate to the NFL... i think he is more accurate than any QB i have seen in the past 3-4 classes (in reverse chronological order... stafford, sanchez, ryan, flacco, russell, etc... three of these guys took their teams to the playoffs AS ROOKIES (ATL was a shock, but of course BAL & NYJ had better teams than the rams when they took their rookie QB).as to the shoulder, how can we judge if we aren't doctors... i have to trust the medical staff... they could make a mistake, and say he is fine and than look foolish if he is hurt. they could also be wrong if they are overly conservative and he stars for the next 15 years for another team. andrews has said it is not an issue. not just that it is ok NOW, but as in he is in no greater appreciable risk to suffer another shoulder injury any other QB would be to have a first injury. maybe his testimony is tainted and suspect, as he did the operation... but his rep and his credibility is contingent on being neutral and unbiased... if that is called into question, his opinion won't be any good (though his surgical skills would still be in demand 
)... and andrews was just one doctor that looked at him... he was gone over with a fine-tooth comb at the combine, and by all accounts, his shoulder isn't a concern. he does have two shoulder injuries, but only one surgery... it was an AC joint reconstruction, which i don't think is as serious as the torn rotator cuff/labrum-type. and his second injury happened because he probably wasn't fully healed.i don't really like the options at QB in 2nd round... no guarantee rams are locked into a chance at a franchise QB next year... what if a QB gets hurt (like a shoulder injury 
the issue i am struggling with, is that we can point to many successful teams that went to the playoffs & even the super bowl, with ordinary DTs. it seems harder to me, to advance with an inferior QB (CHI with grossman & BAL with dilfer a couple recent contra-indicators to my premise, though)...
) as their predecessors... the hope is, recent past entrenched organizational tendencies (ie - incompetencies) aren't locked and grooved into the future for perpetuity... a new front office, coaching staff and scouting department (maybe it will be the one after?) can break with the past, and do a better job... it is possible to get two to three starters from a draft (not always immediately, and maybe not every year... if bradley fletcher returns to form after knee injury, STL did that last year)... lots of teams have done it, in the past, and contemporary franchises. string a few drafts like that together, and you can become dramatically more competitive quickly... especially if the upgrades are at critically important positions... like QB 
) manner to your chain of reasoning that because they went away from shotgun... you were willing to bet he didn't do drop back as well... and from that, it appears he wasn't good at it. the end statement doesn't flow or derive NECESSARILY from your premise... you agreed they shouldn't have changed their offense, so there could be other explanations. just because he may be better at shotgun, doesn't mean he is (or will be) bad at dropback.
