Jimmy Clausen a Golden Domer

So young Jimmy Clausen, Oaks Christian High Quarterback, has chosen to skip out on the advances from Pete Carroll and go to Notre Dame, where presumably he will take over the reigns from Brady Quinn. I'm sure Jimmy will have a good college career under the guidance of Mr. Frontal Ass himself, Charlie Weiss. Big birthing hips is what he's got, but thats another post for another day.

The media is spinning this like it's another case of Weiss one upping Carroll, much as it was reported during the lead up to the rivalry game last season, with several media outlets reporting that Weiss had made the comment that in the NFL, he "owned Pete Carroll." I guess the media needs another talking point. Sure, Clausen is being called "the Lebron James of Football," but really, is football like basketball when it comes to rating talent? Any number of things can happen to a quarterback on the field, good mechanics or not. One massive hit, and that's all she wrote. I'm not hating on my man, the guy is a legitimate stud and serious talent, 3 CIF titles is proof enough, but does there have to be so much made over a high school recruit? High School ball is not college ball, and the reality is that no matter how much you want to build up a guy, no one has ever seen him do it at the next level, and there is no way to determine his "greatness" just yet. Besides, his Notre Dame team will be without the tools that got them to the Fiesta Bowl, where, oh yeah, they got smoked by The Ohio State University.

The truth is, ole Jimmy would have had to wait a while in the USC system, with Mark Sanchez slinging the rock like a champ in spring football and John David Booty coming back for his senior season. Sure, Booty did have a backiotomy, but that isn't a reason to doubt his ability to sling it for the men of troy. Jimmy would have just been extra baggage, the next Booty waiting in the wings for a couple of years for his shot to take the starting spot, in Clausen's case Sanchez as opposed to Booty's stumbling block, Matt Leinert, the "Greatest Quarterback in NCAA history." (Debate that all you want)

In any case, Sanchez will turn out to be leaps and bounds a better quarterback in the long run then Clausen. Sanchez is a student of the game, and he has, by many accounts, the kind of football smarts and pedigree that make you a legitimate stud at the position. Plus, my man is RAZA, and you got to go with your peep. Only thing that will make me eat my words, is the first massive hit Sanchez takes against the Arkansas Razorback defense that got smoked last season for 70 points and is going to be looking to get their SEC style, big boy hit on the SC quarterback. Then, with Booty possiblly still being out, and Sanchez out, SC has to rely on Michael Macdonald to "Take it to the Street." In any case, you can still make it to the Holiday Bowl at 9-3 Trojan fan.

SIDEBAR
I remember watching the game last year and listening to the commentary made by Pat Hayden on the NBC telecast. I know that NBC are serious homers and that Notre Dame was their biggest sports client at the time, but I remember the comment Hayden made about Brady Quinn and how he was "mentally tough, just like his head coach." See, lest I am losing my mind, I never recall fatso Weiss ever playing college ball or playing in the league. Mentally tough? Maybe when you have to go through the perils of recovering from an infection that you got while getting your stomach stapled because you ate VW bugs full of cheeseburgers for lunch. Unless having to have a conversation with Bill Parcells is mentally taxing, I don't know how you could bring yourself to say that Weiss is "mentally tough." Sure, sure, I am hating, yeah right. At the end of the day however, the guys on the field actually making the plays are mentally tough, the butterballs that call the plays are no more then walking playbooks.