Carolina's rookie QB admits this has been a rough rookie season after starring at Notre Dame.
View full sizeCarolina's rookie QB Jimmy Clausen admits it's been a tough transition to the NFL, right from his first appearance in September against Chris Crocker and the Bengals. "It's definitely three steps above what I thought it was going to be," he said. "It's just a lot faster, there's more disguises and everyone's good every single week." CLEVELAND, Ohio -- While most folks agree that the NFL game hasn't been too big for Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy, his Carolina counterpart Jimmy Clausen admitted it's moved a little fast for him.
In his four starts, Clausen, the Panthers' second-round pick out of Notre Dame, has gone 0-4 with one touchdown and four interceptions. He's completed 67 of 138 attempts (48.6 percent) and has been sacked 13 times. He's earned a 53.8 rating, which would be last in the league if he had enough playing time.
"It's definitely three steps above what I thought it was going to be," Clausen said on a conference call. "It's just a lot faster, there's more disguises and everyone's good every single week. There's no off games."
For comparison's sake, McCoy has gone 2-3 in his five starts, with three TDs and three INTs. He's completed 81 of 127 attempts (63.8 percent) and has been sacked 15 times, with six coming last week in Jacksonville. He's earned a 85.3 rating, which would be tied for 20th in the NFL if he had enough reps.
"I actually just talked to Colt [Tuesday]," said Clausen. "I haven't seen too much of him playing, but I've heard he's been playing really well."
Clausen's four starts have come against the Bengals, Saints, Bears and Bucs. Those four defenses are ranked 17, sixth, third and 16th, respectively. McCoy's starts have come against the Steelers, Saints, Patriots, Jets and Jaguars. Those defenses are ranked fifth, sixth, fourth, 30th and 27th.
"At 1-9, there's probably not too many things I'd be excited about," said Panthers lame-duck coach John Fox. "But Jimmy's learning with each snap. He's busting his rear end to get better each week and that's all you can ask for."
McCoy's quicker transition hasn't been lost on Fox.
"What I've seen on tape is a guy who makes good decisions and operates pretty smoothly," Fox said. "For a young player, he's done an outstanding job."
Clausen admitted he wasn't quite ready to start when he was pressed into service to replace injured starter Matt Moore in Week 3 against Cincinnati.
"I did the best I could, but people were flying around all over the place and my head was everywhere," he said. "The game is definitely slowing down for me a little bit and hopefully that will continue."
Clausen lost three straight games before being replaced. He started again Nov. 14 against Tampa, but was knocked out of the game with a concussion and sat out last week's loss to the Ravens. He's been cleared to start Sunday against the Browns.
"They're a real fast defense," he said. "They love to shake things up. You can't really put your finger on one specific thing. They rotate real late at the snap, and one of the things we've seen is that they bring a lot of pressure from the strongside, weakside, and wherever or whenever. We're going to have to do a lot of studying in the film room to get prepared."