Up next for the Carolina Panthers in the preseason is a home matchup against the New York Jets on Saturday night. Hopefully, the focus on this game will be on the action on the field and it will not morph into another love-fest for rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

The talent and skills are there with the former Notre Dame All-American, but can we just dial it back a bit as it relates to anointing him as the next “big thing” in a Panther uniform and the NFL? Announcers on the NFL Network as well as ESPN’s NFL Live program were breaking down his performance and seemed to be ready to pencil him in as the starter for the opening game against the Giants on September 12.

To be fair, fellow rookie quarterbacks Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams and Colt McCoy with the Cleveland Browns got some airtime, too, after their first game. Guess everyone is curious to see which one will emerge sooner rather than later.

You can check off Bradford’s name for that honor by default. The Rams notched one win in 2009 and are clearly in rebuilding mode, which means Bradford will get every chance to take the reins of that team.

Clausen, on the other hand, has two roadblocks in front of him. First, everyone knows Carolina is a run-first team, with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart leading the charge.

Matt Moore is the second reason. He’s no Pro Bowl quarterback, but he’s undoubtedly the starting signal caller this team.

Not to mention John Fox needs to win games and get the Panthers back to the playoffs, and there’s no better way to do that than to lean on the few game-experienced veterans he has on offense, including Williams, Stewart, Steve Smith and Moore.

What’s good is that Clausen has laid low, not feeding into all the headlines and hype. He’s a competitor and looks content with just getting better on the field, not getting a quote in the paper or an interview on Sports Center.

Smart, move rookie.

Next Preseason Game: Carolina Panthers vs New York Jets
Where: Bank of America Stadium
When: Saturday, August 21 at 8 p.m.

Damon Ford is a former journalist who is now a public relations professional working in the public and private sectors in Charlotte.
 

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