Passive-passive or aggressive-aggressive?

Clausen playing it safe, as Newton continues to roll the dice

John Ellis

the212

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Chip Beck.

Why in the world am I bringing up Chip Beck, former PGA Tour pro, 5-time tournament winner, and runner up in the 1993 Masters Tournament?

It was his 2^nd place finish at Augusta that defined his legacy. Beck, on the par-5 15^th hole, had 236 yards to carry the water. Even in 1993, even with marginal length, it’s a no-brainer to go for it in two.

Beck was trailing Bernhard Langer at the time by a couple shots—an eagle or birdie was a must. But, uncertain of his ability to pull it off, Beck laid up short of the water. Three whacks later, a par. Three holes later, he’s clapping for Langer, who takes home the Green Jacket.

Jimmy Clausen is Chip Beck.

Bear in mind, this is a column, not hard news, so much of what you’re reading in this blog is my opinion. But, on this one, I am 99% sure I am right.

The Panthers practiced again Thursday night under a cool, cloudy sky. The first few minutes were a tad sloppy. At one point, the defense was standing around before a play, and several assistants yelled, “Get in a huddle! If the offense can huddle, we can huddle!”

Tempo picked up considerably when head coach Ron Rivera put the offense into some hurry-up situational drills. It was during this 45-minute period that I determined that the 2^nd year incumbent was, indeed, too scared to go for the green in two.

Let’s be clear—Clausen has been efficient. Very efficient. Wednesday night, not one of his passes hit the ground, and he was in rhythm with his receivers and backs. He’s been more vocal, and you can see a sense of leadership that was lacking in 2010.

Yet, when you peel back the layers, you find the truth. Clausen efficiency is due, in large part, to his unwillingness to throw the ball down the field. And, we’re not talking about a “Rex Grossman-Heave It Up” deal here.

It’s as if Clausen tells himself, “look, self….you have a noodle arm. You cannot throw a post-corner, or a deep-in.”

That inner-dialogue plays into every athlete’s mind. I truly believe Clausen is afraid of making mistakes. Wait: terrified of it.

He’s leading the race right now, a couple paces ahead of rookie megastar Cam Newton. The fans want Newton. The media wants Newton. The owner wants Newton. But, none of those parties will make the call. Rivera will.

By limiting his throws to checkdowns to RB’s, flats, slants and shallow-crosses, Clausen is “playing not to lose” in this competition.

Newton, on the other hand, is showing no fear. Almost all of his throws are coming off his hand like a missile, and when it comes to throwing the “verts”, he’s not shying away.

His first big play last night was a 40-yard bomb to rookie WR Kealoha  Pilares, a beautiful throw and catch in stride. From there, he was erratic at times, not so much with his arm but with his reads. This is to be expected, coming from a one-read offense at Auburn and with the lack of OTA’s in the spring/summer.

But, at least he’s showing that he can be dynamic.

If Clausen played for the 2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he would probably have been a top-15 quarterback. His mental and physical makeup is suited for the West Coast offense, not the abundantly vertical system that Carolina currently runs.

I’m a visual person. So are many of you. Try this. You’ve seen San Diego’s offense, right? Take Rivers out, and put Clausen in. Then, put Newton in. Visualize how each would look, with what they run.

My vision tells me that Newton won’t be laying up in front of any hazards anytime soon.