Pick #33

The pick for Clausen looks terrible now. 12 months ago, it looked marginal. Some would argue that Clausen’s only had 2/3 of a season, in a horrible situation, to prove himself. True.

In terms of our QB, I don’t really need a screamer. Plenty of QB’s have proven successful, less the dramatics. Jake had some success here, and was a pretty overtly passionate guy. Perhaps that’s why the transition to Clausen, who can look a little lost sometimes, is hard for some fans to deal with.

I’d love it if Clausen was the guy. I’ve watched enough football to have a general sense that he’s not the guy. As for Smith not liking him: whatever. Smith should focus on being a professional, helping his team win and not concerning himself with things he can’t control. His indifference towards Clausen was/is discouraging, but I’m not going to blame a rookie QB for that.

Newton is a better athlete, has a stronger arm, and is a better leader than anything we have. True: he’s not, in a stronger draft, a #1 overall pick. He’s unique, in what is a very unique offseason. No free agency, no trade options and no tangible options on the roster, as is. (unless you feel Clausen can do it).

If this was year #2 for Jimmy under the same system, I might be more inclined to stick with him. But, it’s not the same system. Not to marginalize Clausen’s valuable experience from 2010, but he’s essentially a rookie all over again, learning new terminology (none of which has any affiliation with the Weis/Davidson tree).

Edwards had no chance. Fox didn’t have a place in his rotation for him, and it’s clear that he wasn’t in favor of the choice. I don’t think Hurney did it to appease JR, or any regional contingent. I think he did it because he and his staff evaluated him closely, and felt he could be a dynamic player in the offense. Still might become one, and Rivera is on record as saying he wants to explore it. But by the grand old “value grid”, he was a fairly significant reach.

Mags: fair point about Pike, and our spending freeze in 2010. If we knew we had no intentions on bringing in a vet, going with Pike—in their view—fills the need for a 3rd QB. Turns out, we had 5 take a snap from center last year.

Which brings me back to Newton. Since 2007, 9 different QB’s have seen playing time (Jake, Moore, Vinny, Carr, McCown, Clausen, Pike, St. Pierre and Edwards). If I missed one, fill me in.

I see Newton as not only an imposing figure at QB, but someone that is built (unlike anyone we’ve ever had) to go 16 games. Freaky things happen, but in terms of taking hits, he’s going to be taller, faster and—in some cases—stronger than anyone on the other side of the field looking to either sack him or tackle him in the open field.

Hurney has done a fine job with his 1st rounders. It’s a hard debate to win by taking any other position. IMO, he needs to slow down, moving forward, and be a little less aggressive with respect to trading future 1st-3rd round picks away.

Then again, I’m sure former Ravens Head Coach and Super Bowl Champion Brian Billick has a few thoughts to share.