Clausen

Riddickulous

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I've heard from numerous sources that Jimmy Clausen has performed phenomally in player-organized 7-on-7 drills. He is supposedly making impossible throws look easy.

According to one story, Clausen and Shaq Evans were running through a drill. Evans was running a 15-yard out route. Apparently, Shaq dropped the pass. Clausen threw the ball so hard that it traveled 20 yards farther down the field after skipping off Shaq's hands.
 

jason_h537

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No one's questioning Clausen's talent. He has 3 years in the system, granted its a complex system Weis runs, but he should be able to put it all together this season. Some protection will go a long way as well.
 

NDinL.A.

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I've heard from numerous sources that Jimmy Clausen has performed phenomally in player-organized 7-on-7 drills. He is supposedly making impossible throws look easy.

According to one story, Clausen and Shaq Evans were running through a drill. Evans was running a 15-yard out route. Apparently, Shaq dropped the pass. Clausen threw the ball so hard that it traveled 20 yards farther down the field after skipping off Shaq's hands.

Let me preface this post by saying I am as big of a Jimmy Clausen fan as you are going to see. But here's the thing, and I wrote this in another thread a while back: JC has ALWAYS looked incredible in 7 on 7's. I've talked to 2 coaches who both said that JC was the best QB they had ever seen during summer passing leagues, and both these dudes have been around the block (one coaches against Inglewood, Shaq's old school). SInce he can make every single throw to mankind, 7 on 7's were taylor-made for JC. And I saw him play live in h.s. several times, and with that o-line against that competition, it might as well have been 7 on 7, cause the dude never got touched. Hell, he never got breathed on. 4 years, 4 sacks. Unreal.

However, game situations behind a shitty line are totally different. JC learned the hard way. But with his arm, his receivers, his improved o-line and running game, and his experience, I, like you, think he's primed for a huuuuuge year...
 

The Polish Irishman

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I would just like to see the mistakes go away. He needs to learn to throw on the run better. I do believe we will see a much better INT:TD Ratio this year.
 

notredomer23

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Apparently the best freshman so far in 7 on 7's has been Roby Toma. Catching everything in sight
 

Riddickulous

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Apparently the best freshman so far in 7 on 7's has been Roby Toma. Catching everything in sight

Unfortunately, he's stuck behind the best receiving tandem in college football, a 6'5" junior, two taller redshirt freshmen with something to prove, and a taller freshman teammate in Shaq Evans. Notice I said TALLER.

Toma is at a huge disadvantage in terms of playing time with his 5'9" height.
 

GO IRISH!!!

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Unfortunately, he's stuck behind the best receiving tandem in college football, a 6'5" junior, two taller redshirt freshmen with something to prove, and a taller freshman teammate in Shaq Evans. Notice I said TALLER.

Toma is at a huge disadvantage in terms of playing time with his 5'9" height.

I think you are right, but I would love to see him play a role similar to Matt Shelton a few years ago. You might not see him for a few games, but then when you do throw to him, he catches the most impossible ball in the game. Shelton always seemed to make the huge catch when needed. Small, shifty, quick and great hands - the type of player I thought George West might be too, but never developed in to.
 

Riddickulous

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I think you are right, but I would love to see him play a role similar to Matt Shelton a few years ago. You might not see him for a few games, but then when you do throw to him, he catches the most impossible ball in the game. Shelton always seemed to make the huge catch when needed. Small, shifty, quick and great hands - the type of player I thought George West might be too, but never developed in to.

One day, I'd love to see Roby Toma in the slot. Kind of like a Joey Getherall type player.
 

BGIF

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... Toma is at a huge disadvantage in terms of playing time with his 5'9" height.

So was Joey Getherall at 5-7. The difference was Joey didn't drop the ball. Sounds like Toma doesn't either.

If I recall correctly, Clausen was 22 for 26 against Hawaii. The 4 incompletions were all - drops.

No doubt Kamara is a head taller than Toma. How many drops did Kamara have last year? Enough to fill a highlight (or lowlight) film, wasn't it?

I expected Toma to sit out '09. He might be the slot receiver that can break one to the house. He's obviously an threat on the "end around" ever time he lines up ala Joey Getherall for the game winning TD in OT. Toma's speed adds another threat the defense has to respect.

Now if Toma's goes left on the reverse while Floyd streaking down the left sideline and Toma hands off to Tate going right on the double reverse ...


I like speed.
 

GO IRISH!!!

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Shelton and Getherall we both guys that would be so quiet for most of the game, but when called upon, would always make the catch. Ice water in their veins and huge heart. Would love Toma to fill that role. Small, but reliable and able to slip around the defense and get open, then have the hands that catch everything in sight.
 

BGIF

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Shelton and Getherall we both guys that would be so quiet for most of the game, but when called upon, would always make the catch. Ice water in their veins and huge heart. Would love Toma to fill that role. Small, but reliable and able to slip around the defense and get open, then have the hands that catch everything in sight.

I think a large part of that was because Davie/Colletto and Willingham/Rodgers didn't fully exploit an advantage they had (what a surprise). Weis has had tall receivers and has used the height to exploit DBs to make the catch but they usually didn't do much after the catch (aside from Shark). Weis hasn't had the speedy receiver who was a threat to go the distance.

Tate has shown flashes but for the past two years he's been a RB learning to play WR. Now put somebody else on the field with speed and hands along with Clausen's arm and you threaten a deep six every play. DBs will have a harder time cheating on run support. Safeties will have to think pass first. Those that cheat like Zibby did his last year trying to provide run support first will get burned as frequently as Zibby did that year.
 

Junkhead

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Like I've said all along, if we get some blocking and a run game, Clausen will have a monster year.
 

notredomer23

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Height obviously matters on jump balls but besides that id doesnt matter much. He will be going up against corners that are at most 2 inches taller than him more than half the time, but yeah I do expect him to sit out this year. Get a red shirt year, so if Manti does go on the mission you still have only 1 year without your best buddy in college pretty much.
 

Riddickulous

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Have Toma redshirt. Then, after Golden Tate has moved on, put another tall receiver on the outside to take his place and stick Roby right there in the slot.
 

irishandy

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NDinLA, I too am a huge Clausen fan and am hoping that Clausen has a monster year. I think that Clausen is going to mesh better with Floyd, Tate, and Rudolph. My neighbor (who writes for the Tribune) told me that Clausen had Floyd, Tate, and Rudolph out to his CA home to work 8 hours a day. This past Saturday I saw a Blue & Gold Illustrator writer at Borders who said the same thing, adding that Kamara would've been there but he was here in SB working out. Give Clausen an o-line, a improved running game, and he will shut up a lot of people w/ a monster year...I am hoping he shuts up a lot of people this year.
 

jason_h537

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This team seems to have really come together. There was a story about Kamara, AA, and Brian Smith renting a house together to work out. Then the guys going to get tats together. Clausen flying out his primary recievers to work. These are all good signs. They seem to want it more than before and they also believe they can win.
 

Bubba

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These are all great things, and I like the way this team is coming together. But here is what I want to see: When adversity strikes ... and it will ... I want to see them respond in a way that brings everyone (including the fans) to the frame of mind that "we will win," "we want to win," and not "we hope we win." I just can't wait till we are at a point where we just know we will win even when we are down.
 

Junkhead

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This team seems to have really come together. There was a story about Kamara, AA, and Brian Smith renting a house together to work out. Then the guys going to get tats together. Clausen flying out his primary recievers to work. These are all good signs. They seem to want it more than before and they also believe they can win.

I agree these are great signs, but will the Oline mesh as well?
 

BGIF

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This team seems to have really come together. ...Then the guys going to get tats together. Clausen flying out his primary recievers to work. These are all good signs. They seem to want it more than before and they also believe they can win.

Clausen flying out his receivers to work together with his QB coach - 8 hours a day and watching film together builds leadership, more precise routes, timing, awareness, similar reads. And it has since Gus and Knute threw the ball around as lifeguards at Cedar Point almost 100 years ago.

Getting tats together might use the same needle, that's it.

Guys on the '07 team had tats.
 

BGIF

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Tate describing pass workouts w/Clause, Floyd, and Rudolph

Tate describing pass workouts w/Clause, Floyd, and Rudolph

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The first time we run (a specific route), we were walking, then we were marching, then we were jogging, then we go 75 percent, then we go 100 percent,” recalled Tate of their eight-hour sessions. “It was muscle memory.
“I would go first, Kyle second, Michael third. We all looked at it, we also taped it, and we also watched it. Even after we thought we got it, there was something we needed to work on: Getting your foot in the ground, keeping your arms moving … we watched it every day
[/FONT]

I was concerned about Tate's progress playing baseball this past spring. Think back to '05 Quinn and Shark thought as one reading coverages. Came the '06 season and Shark broke left while Quinn threw right. Then he broke left and Quinn threw long. They (and ND) struggled until Weis got them extra practice reps to get their heads back on the same page.

Those 8 a day for Tate, Floyd, and Rudolph should result in a significant improvement in the passing game. Clausen now has 3 favorite receivers and will have the time to check down through them in '09
[/FONT]
 

jason_h537

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Clausen flying out his receivers to work together with his QB coach - 8 hours a day and watching film together builds leadership, more precise routes, timing, awareness, similar reads. And it has since Gus and Knute threw the ball around as lifeguards at Cedar Point almost 100 years ago.

Getting tats together might use the same needle, that's it.

Guys on the '07 team had tats.

Thank you for making sure to point out what i say as opposed to everyone else here but the point i was making are these guys are making an effort to do things together. Yeah the guys hadtats last year but to get tatto's together is something different.
 
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