Second-round draft choice Jimmy Clausen is the third-string quarterback behind Matt Moore and Hunter Cantwell. Head coach John Fox isn't going to rush Clausen into the opening-day starting lineup. To start, Clausen must light it up in preseason games and blow away Moore. This doesn't mean things aren't going well for the former Notre Dame star.
Clausen is a rhythm quarterback who could be a master of the short passing game. On five-step drops, he seems to have a knack for running up in the pocket to find good passing lanes. His accuracy on underneath passes is exceptional. But I get the feeling Fox hopes to carry over Moore's success at the end of 2009 -- the Panthers were 4-1 in their last five games -- into the regular season to see if he can get some early wins as starter.
The Panthers have been pretty high on Moore, so he's going to get his chance. He played pretty well last year when given the opportunity so there may not be a need to rush Clausen unless things get ugly fast.
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