Mr. Laz
04-19-2010, 07:03 PM
Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen thinks Cleveland Browns would be a great fit
By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer (http://connect.cleveland.com/user/mcabot/index.html)
April 19, 2010, 3:46PM
UPDATED: 8:52 p.m.
http://media.cleveland.com/browns_impact/photo/jimmy-clausenjpg-038cdd70cd01baa3_medium.jpg
ahram Mark Sobhani / AP
NOTRE DAME QB JIMMY CLAUSEN
Ht./wt.: 6-2 ½; 222.
40 time: 4.88.
College highlights: Completed 68 percent of his passes in 2009 with 28 touchdowns and four interceptions. Set a school record with seven games of more than 300 yards passing, and engineered four fourth-quarter comeback victories.
As a junior, Clausen ranked second in the nation in pass efficiency rating (161.42), third in passing yards (3,722), seventh in touchdown passes (28), and fifth in completion percentage (68.0). Played the last nine games with torn ligaments in his right big toe, which was surgically-repaired in January. Was a finalist for the Manning award, semi finalist for the Maxwell award, and Davey O'Brien award.
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Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen on his meeting with Browns President Mike Holmgren: "Obviously he's worked with a bunch of great quarterbacks in the NFL and it would be an honor to be able to work with him and coach [Eric] Mangini and that staff."
— Mary Kay Cabot
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen cleared the air with Browns president Mike Holmgren and thinks Cleveland would be a great fit.
During the NFL owners meetings last March, Holmgren uttered the quote heard 'round the draft world when he told The Plain Dealer of Clausen, "I wish I liked him more. ... He'll go high. But it would be hard for me [to take him]."
At the time, Clausen didn't get too upset because he knew NFL officials often say things before the draft that might not be true. Then, during Clausen's visit to Cleveland earlier this month, Holmgren confirmed that it might've been a smokescreen.
"We had a great conversation and that's what he said," said Clausen. "He said he tries to do that once in a while to throw people off."
Still, Holmgren didn't give Clausen any indication that he'll spend the No. 7 pick on him. Clausen is widely regarded as the second-best quarterback in the draft behind Oklahoma's Sam Bradford -- although ESPN's Mel Kiper has him ranked No. 1.
"To be honest, they really don't give you any kind of vibe at all," he said. "They kind of keep a straight face the whole time, but it was just good to be able to sit down with him and just talk to him face-to-face. Obviously he's worked with a bunch of great quarterbacks in the NFL and it would be an honor to be able to work with him and coach [Eric] Mangini and that staff."
Clausen said he'd be thrilled to be a Brown, in part because they run a similar system to the pro-style offense he learned under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame.
"I'd be really excited to hear my called by the Browns and at the end of the day be in a system that I'm familiar with," he said.
Clausen had a particularly strong connection during the visit with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who worked under Weis in New England. Daboll called Clausen on Monday to wish him luck on draft day.
"Even though it was the first time I met him, it was just kind of different with him knowing coach Weis so well," said Clausen. "I felt really comfortable with him in the meeting room, getting up on the board, and watching film. With him being in New England, we pretty much speak the same language, and we're pretty much running the exact same stuff."
He said he's not sure if he's overcome the knocks against him by ESPN's Todd McShay and Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki, who have criticized his leadership skills.
"You hear all of that stuff, but teams don't really bring it up," said Clausen. "They just want to get to know me as a person."
Former Browns offensive coordinator and current Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman -- who worked with Clausen before the NFL Combine and ran his Pro Day, is convinced he can be an elite quarterback.
"I don't think there's any doubt that Jimmy has the ability to be a franchise quarterback," said Trestman. "It's just a matter of who needs a quarterback and how badly. I know this -- he's going to be a very, very good player in the NFL."
Trestman said his pre-Combine meetings in January were originally set for 9 a.m., but he changed them to 6 a.m. to see how Clausen would respond. At the time, Clausen was fresh out of surgery to repair torn ligaments in his big toe, so the meetings were mostly on plays and offensive strategy.
"He showed up ... at 5:50 every morning in a cast and on crutches and was wide-eyed and excited about getting to work," said Trestman. "He was very smart and analytical."
Trestman showed up a day early for the Pro Day and got to watch Clausen interact with his teammates.
"They had a tremendous rapport and were very supportive," said Trestman. "I had no sense of any friction. They worked very hard to give him the best workout they could."
Kiper went so far as to say on Monday, "If Clausen's not a successful starting quarterback in the NFL, I'm done." His colleague, McShay, on the other hand, doesn't even think Clausen will go in the top 10, projecting him at No. 17 to the 49ers.
"I have no expectations," said Clausen. "I just feel I'm the most NFL ready.
What they're saying:
Mel Kiper, who has him ranked ahead of Sam Bradford as the No. 1 QB in the draft, is convinced that Clausen has what it takes to win a Super Bowl. “My confidence in this young man has never wavered,” he writes. On nfldraftscout.com, Clausen is a “classic drop-back quarterback with above-average accuracy, good mechanics and a very quick release.” Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki writes that Clausen possesses an “elitist attitude and selfishness that could polarize a locker room.” At Clausen's pro day, Rams GM Bill Devaney told reporters, “Clausen looked outstanding. He threw the ball with velocity, he was extremely accurate, he made all the throws. He's a natural passer; he showed that.” Said ESPN's Ron Jaworski: “He clearly projects to me to be an outstanding National Football League quarterback, and I believe he’s only scratched the surface.”
By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer (http://connect.cleveland.com/user/mcabot/index.html)
April 19, 2010, 3:46PM
UPDATED: 8:52 p.m.
http://media.cleveland.com/browns_impact/photo/jimmy-clausenjpg-038cdd70cd01baa3_medium.jpg
ahram Mark Sobhani / AP
NOTRE DAME QB JIMMY CLAUSEN
Ht./wt.: 6-2 ½; 222.
40 time: 4.88.
College highlights: Completed 68 percent of his passes in 2009 with 28 touchdowns and four interceptions. Set a school record with seven games of more than 300 yards passing, and engineered four fourth-quarter comeback victories.
As a junior, Clausen ranked second in the nation in pass efficiency rating (161.42), third in passing yards (3,722), seventh in touchdown passes (28), and fifth in completion percentage (68.0). Played the last nine games with torn ligaments in his right big toe, which was surgically-repaired in January. Was a finalist for the Manning award, semi finalist for the Maxwell award, and Davey O'Brien award.
==================
Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen on his meeting with Browns President Mike Holmgren: "Obviously he's worked with a bunch of great quarterbacks in the NFL and it would be an honor to be able to work with him and coach [Eric] Mangini and that staff."
— Mary Kay Cabot
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen cleared the air with Browns president Mike Holmgren and thinks Cleveland would be a great fit.
During the NFL owners meetings last March, Holmgren uttered the quote heard 'round the draft world when he told The Plain Dealer of Clausen, "I wish I liked him more. ... He'll go high. But it would be hard for me [to take him]."
At the time, Clausen didn't get too upset because he knew NFL officials often say things before the draft that might not be true. Then, during Clausen's visit to Cleveland earlier this month, Holmgren confirmed that it might've been a smokescreen.
"We had a great conversation and that's what he said," said Clausen. "He said he tries to do that once in a while to throw people off."
Still, Holmgren didn't give Clausen any indication that he'll spend the No. 7 pick on him. Clausen is widely regarded as the second-best quarterback in the draft behind Oklahoma's Sam Bradford -- although ESPN's Mel Kiper has him ranked No. 1.
"To be honest, they really don't give you any kind of vibe at all," he said. "They kind of keep a straight face the whole time, but it was just good to be able to sit down with him and just talk to him face-to-face. Obviously he's worked with a bunch of great quarterbacks in the NFL and it would be an honor to be able to work with him and coach [Eric] Mangini and that staff."
Clausen said he'd be thrilled to be a Brown, in part because they run a similar system to the pro-style offense he learned under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame.
"I'd be really excited to hear my called by the Browns and at the end of the day be in a system that I'm familiar with," he said.
Clausen had a particularly strong connection during the visit with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who worked under Weis in New England. Daboll called Clausen on Monday to wish him luck on draft day.
"Even though it was the first time I met him, it was just kind of different with him knowing coach Weis so well," said Clausen. "I felt really comfortable with him in the meeting room, getting up on the board, and watching film. With him being in New England, we pretty much speak the same language, and we're pretty much running the exact same stuff."
He said he's not sure if he's overcome the knocks against him by ESPN's Todd McShay and Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki, who have criticized his leadership skills.
"You hear all of that stuff, but teams don't really bring it up," said Clausen. "They just want to get to know me as a person."
Former Browns offensive coordinator and current Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman -- who worked with Clausen before the NFL Combine and ran his Pro Day, is convinced he can be an elite quarterback.
"I don't think there's any doubt that Jimmy has the ability to be a franchise quarterback," said Trestman. "It's just a matter of who needs a quarterback and how badly. I know this -- he's going to be a very, very good player in the NFL."
Trestman said his pre-Combine meetings in January were originally set for 9 a.m., but he changed them to 6 a.m. to see how Clausen would respond. At the time, Clausen was fresh out of surgery to repair torn ligaments in his big toe, so the meetings were mostly on plays and offensive strategy.
"He showed up ... at 5:50 every morning in a cast and on crutches and was wide-eyed and excited about getting to work," said Trestman. "He was very smart and analytical."
Trestman showed up a day early for the Pro Day and got to watch Clausen interact with his teammates.
"They had a tremendous rapport and were very supportive," said Trestman. "I had no sense of any friction. They worked very hard to give him the best workout they could."
Kiper went so far as to say on Monday, "If Clausen's not a successful starting quarterback in the NFL, I'm done." His colleague, McShay, on the other hand, doesn't even think Clausen will go in the top 10, projecting him at No. 17 to the 49ers.
"I have no expectations," said Clausen. "I just feel I'm the most NFL ready.
What they're saying:
Mel Kiper, who has him ranked ahead of Sam Bradford as the No. 1 QB in the draft, is convinced that Clausen has what it takes to win a Super Bowl. “My confidence in this young man has never wavered,” he writes. On nfldraftscout.com, Clausen is a “classic drop-back quarterback with above-average accuracy, good mechanics and a very quick release.” Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki writes that Clausen possesses an “elitist attitude and selfishness that could polarize a locker room.” At Clausen's pro day, Rams GM Bill Devaney told reporters, “Clausen looked outstanding. He threw the ball with velocity, he was extremely accurate, he made all the throws. He's a natural passer; he showed that.” Said ESPN's Ron Jaworski: “He clearly projects to me to be an outstanding National Football League quarterback, and I believe he’s only scratched the surface.”