Carolina Panthers Call Clausen's Name At Pick #48

The recent NFL draft featured some surprising selections in the first and early second rounds. Inside linebacker Rolando McLain was the 8th overall selection by the Oakland Raiders (a good selection by Al Davis for once), Tim Tebow at #25 by the Denver Broncos, and teams like San Francisco, Buffalo, and Seattle not selecting a quarterback when given the opportunity. But the one surprise to nearly all draft experts and followers of football was Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen falling back to the 48th selection in the 2nd round by the Carolina Panthers.

Why did Clausen fall into the Panthers lap at pick forty-eight? Supposedly, there are some character and leadership issues that frightened many NFL general managers. Here's a quick synopsis of what was said.

Clausen was aloof, somewhat of a loaner, and was a troublemaker. As an incoming high profile rookie, those are damning allegations and unfortunately,there is some truth to this. Not always a solid citizen,Clausen got into a scuffle he got into at a bar while at South Bend. Apparently he wasn't always liked by teammates and supposedly lacked the fire that showed a lack leadership. To my knowledge, he isn't the only football quarterback to have these issues. Does the name Ben Roethlisberger ring a bell?

As far as talent, there can be no denying that Jimmy was the most NFL ready quarterback in this draft class. Under the tutelage of former Irish head man Charlie Weis, Clausen has the ability to read defenses, see the entire field, and make solid decisions to go with a strong arm.

On top of those attributes, Clausen will benefit in Carolina via the strong running attack the Panthers possess. That should limit the number of passing attempts Jimmy would make.

Also, Clausen will be pushed hard in camp by veteran starting quarterback Matt Moore and fellow rookie in 6th round pick Tony Pike, the prolific signal caller from the University of Cincinnati. This will keep Clausen motivated.

All in all, I believe Jimmy Clausen will have a very good if not outstanding career in the NFL. I foresee several playoff appearances and several Pro Bowls, maybe a Super Bowl too. He may not start immediately, but by mid season should the Panthers or Matt Moore struggle, Jimmy Clausen will have his chance to shine.

Those are my thoughts on Jimmy Clausen. What are yours?

Dick

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An Easy Explanation for the BCS --- Take Out the”C”

If you are a fan of major college football, you know that there is one method determining the two teams playing for the national championship within the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). It is a system that weighs 2 polls, computer rankings, and has a unique formula to determine standings or rankings. It also is a source of frustration for most college football fans due to 2 reasons --- its complexity and some of the qualifications. I will give a synopsis of the system that some say is BS.

Welcome to the Bowl Championship Series, better known as the BCS.

There is only one question to ask … How are teams selected for BCS games?

To answer that, there are teams that automatically qualify for a BCS game, namely the champions of the following conferences: Atlantic Coast (ACC), Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and Southeastern (SEC) throughout the 2013 regular season.

Easy enough, right? Now there are provisions for non-Automatic Qualifiers.

The conference champions of Conference-USA, Mid-American (MAC), Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic (WAC) will earn a berth at a BCS game if one of two events occur:

One of these teams is in the top 12 in the final BCS standings OR
One of these teams is a top 16 BCS team and is ranked higher than a conference champion of an automatic qualifier.

Okay, that may not be so confusing --- but then there's this little piece of information that must be considered:

Notre Dame will earn a BCS berth should it finish in the top 8 in the final BCS standings.

But what happens if 2 or more non Automatic Qualifying teams fulfill these provisions? Well, only one team can go to a BCS game and that will be the higher ranked team in the final BCS standings while the other team(s) may earn a BCS bid should it meet the previously mentioned criteria.

There are other provisions too, but it becomes complicated so I won't elaborate.

Such an easy concept --- yeah, right!

The next provision is that of at-large eligibility. If there are not 10 teams that automatically qualify for BCS berths then the following criteria must be met to get an At-Large bid.

Teams must have 9 regular season victories, AND
Is in the top 14 in the final BCS standings.

There are other provisions should there not be enough eligible teams, but yet again, it is complicated and not worth my breath.

For most college football fans, there are obvious facts. One is the top 2 teams in the final BCS standings play for the National Championship and that certain conferences are contractually committed to host bowl games. Those being the ACC for the Orange Bowl, the SEC for the Sugar Bowl, the Big 12 for the Fiesta Bowl, and the Big Ten and Pac-10 hosting the Rose Bowl.

Should a bowl game lose a host because that team is in the National Championship game, it shall be replaced by either an Automatic Qualifier or an At-Large team. And yes, there are other provisions should certain events occur.

A pain in the neck about now!

Now to the BCS standings and how they are compiled. More fun!!!

The BCS standings are comprised of the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, the USA Today Coaches Poll, and computer rankings (SIX of those!) of which each has an equal third of weight. To get the percentages of each, all teams get an inverse point total, such as 25 points for #1, 24 points for #2, and so on.

The percentages of the two polls are calculated by dividing each team's point total by a maximum 2850 possible points for the Harris Poll and a maximum of 1525 points from the USA Coaches Poll. The computer rankings percentage is calculated by dropping the highest and lowest ranking for each team and then the remaining total is divided by one hundred. Included in the six computer rankings are strength of schedule, of which I haven't a clue on how that's determined. I'm guessing that each provider has it's own formula to derive that.

Finally, the BCS Average is formed by averaging the percentages of the Harris and USA Coaches Polls and the computer rankings. These averages are ranked to get the BCS Standings.

Let's see, all of that to determine the BCS National Championship Game participants, determining any other Automatic Qualifiers, and establishing the pool for At-Large teams.

Go at it you math majors!

Now we all know the workings of the BCS...well, some of it. It's complicated and it's made major college football a sham to some. Of course, you can get more information on the BCS at the official BCS site within the links provided. It's a lousy read --- really it is.

Now that I'm finished, I need some Advil for my headache, sore neck, and sore fingers. Perhaps I may need a hospital stay to go into traction.

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A Return to Respectability in College Football

If you are as much of a college football fan as I am, you appreciate the efforts of a team that doesn't quit no matter the game situation or their won/loss record. Here, I will write of a team that has a rich history but has fallen upon hard times of late. However, it appears this football program is about to rise from the ashes and become a national force to be reckoned with in the near future. Truth is, this team has already taken great strides this season even with a 2 win 3 loss record heading into the weekend of October 10 --- they won nary a game last season. As far as I am concerned, this team has returned to respectability even if they do not win again in 2009.

Let's talk about the University of Washington Huskies football program.

Here is a brief synopsis of Washington Huskies history. Some great Head Coaches include:

*Gil Doobie who was 58-0-3 from 1908 – 1916
*Enoch Bagshaw, 63-22-6 from 1921 – 1929
*Darrell Royal, the great Texas Longhorns coach was 5-5 in 1956
*Don James, 153-57-2 from 1975 -1992

Notable players included:

*Running Back Hugh McElhenny --- Pro Football hall of Fame
*Quarterback Warren Moon --- Pro Football HOF, Mark Brunell, Chris Chandler
*Running Backs --- Napolean Kaufman, Corey Dillon
*Wide Receiver --- Reggie Williams
*Defensive Linemen --- Reggie Rogers, Steve Emtman, Larry Tripplett
*Offensive Linemen --- Lincoln Kennedy, Olin Kreutz, Benji Olson
*Defensive Backs --- Lawyer Milloy, Tony Parrish
*Tight Ends --- Cam Clelland, Ernie Conwell

Team accomplishments:
*Co-National Champions in 1991
*Nine times in the Top 10 AP or Coaches Poll
*Won or tied the Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC) 15 times


Now, let's go back to the 2008 season and look at some hard numbers ---

*Record --- 0 Wins/12 Losses --- The only PAC 10 team to lose every game
*The only team in the nation to be 0 – 12
*Were outscored by a whopping 463 – 159 margin
*They were only close in 3 games including a heartbreaking 28-27 loss in which quarterback Jake Locker was penalized for a celebration foul after scoring a touchdown with :02 remaining in the game. This cost the Huskies 15 yards on the ensuing extra point … the kick was blocked.

Head Coach Tyrone Willingham was forced to resign during the season following an embarrassing 33-7 loss to Notre Dame, although he was allowed to finish the campaign.

Enough of the bad, but why do I believe the University of Washington football program has turned around? Here are some reasons.

Head Coach Steve Sarkisian --- A young coach (34) with a winning attitude and calm demeanor. Much of that comes from playing for legendary Head Coach Lavell Edwards in 1995 and 1996 as a record setting quarterback at Brigham Young University (BYU).

For many years, Sarkisian was an assistant under Pete Carroll's eye at the University of Southern California (USC) culminating with being the offensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008.

Quarterback Jake Locker --- Experienced starting QB as he played in 12 games as a red shirt freshman but was lost via injury after 4 games last season. Locker has a strong and accurate arm and can use his strength and mobility to shed defenders. That was in evidence during last week's game versus Notre Dame. Locker doesn't seem to be in a panic and is quite heady.

A team that wants to win --- The Huskies are tired of getting trounced. They did defeat USC earlier this season which became the springboard for new found confidence. Hungry, hungry, Huskies!

Many thought the road to respectability for Washington Huskies football would be a long and arduous one. But with evidence to the contrary, such as games with USC and Notre Dame, that road should be much easier to be traversed. With a young and well versed 1st year coach in Steve Sarkisian and a terrific quarterback in Jake Locker, The Husky football program is on the right track.

Welcome back Washington Huskies football!

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

May The Forcier Be With You

I had a chance to play 9 holes of golf mid Saturday afternoon under gray skies. I didn't play particularly well, however anytime on the course is a good time in early September. After golf, I knew I was to get home in the middle of the Notre Dame/Michigan football game, hoping Notre Dame was flattening the Wolverines at Michigan Stadium --- "The“Big House” in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Much to my chagrin,The University of Michigan was hanging in there, not knowing they had jumped out to an early lead and the Irish coming back. I saw that Michigan was running the ball effectively in the first half and took it to Notre Dame right up the middle. I thought nothing of this, knowing that the true freshman quarterback of Michigan was just to manage the game.

To nobody's surprise, the game was tied at close at the half with the Irish holding a slim 20-17 lead.. The second half was sure to be a barn burner. But nobody could have predicted who the hero of the game would be. It was that true freshman quarterback for Michigan that was to manage the game.

Enter Tate Forcier.

Forcier, a true freshman from Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, CA was highly regarded by Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. Forcier was thought to be mobile with his feet, an accurate arm, and very confident even though he is a smallish 6' 1” 185 pounder. Exactly the type of quarterback Coach Rodriguez needs to run his offense, the spread option.

Was Tate all of that in the second half? Boy, was he ever and then some.

Forcier was as calm and collected as any player I have seen in a freshman in many, many years...including one Tim Tebow. I cannot remember Forcier being frustrated once during half number two and had the guts of a cat burglar. He stood up in the face of a fierce Fighting Irish pass rush and in the 3rd quarter he led the Wolverines to the lead with a 3 yard touchdown pass.

Oh, but the best was yet to come. The fourth was as amazing as they come.

With Michigan driving to the Notre Dame 31 yard line, Forcier dropped back to pass on a 4th and 3 play, and was under duress from the Irish pass rush. He spotted a seam up the middle and put a move on Irish linebacker Darius Fleming that left him dead in his tracks. Thirty one yards later, Michigan was up 31-20. Bedlam in Ann Arbor as most believed the game was salted away.

But as former Indiana head coach and now ESPN commentator Lee Corso would say “Not so fast, my friend.” as Notre Dame scored two TD's to regain the lead at 34-31. The Irish had the ball with less than 3 minutes to go and basically one 1st down away from victory. Notre dame ran on 1st down for no gain then tried two passes that fell incomplete. After the punt, Michigan had 2:13 left to either tie or win the game.

Forcier never flinched during the final drive completing six of seven including a huge 2nd and 15 completion for 11 yards followed by a six yard completion for the 1st down and a clock stoppage. After a dropped pass that would have won the game, Forcier coolly completed the 5 yard game winner to Greg Mathews. Indeed, a star was born!

After the game ended a few ticks later and “The Big House” rocking, young Tate Forcier was interviewed by reporters and said “I don't get nervous”. That was apparent, wasn't it?

Yes indeed, a new star was born in Ann Arbor, MI on Saturday September 12, 2009. Any college football fan would hope this star can stay healthy and University of Michigan fans hope he will be the quarterback for 4 years and a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national title.

Welcome to major college football Mr. Tate Forcier.

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