Cleveland Browns Must Pick Jimmy Clausen, Remove Clowns From Its Name

If April is the month of fools and when hapless NFL franchises tries to end the woeful season by procuring the highest selection for a chance to land the top prospect in the nation, then the Cleveland Browns can rejuvenate a feeble and hopeless franchise and shrewdly select a franchise quarterback.

Like the rest of the major sporting teams in an impetuous town, fans suffered with agonizing indignities after a major championship drought has caused anguish and lasted eternally.

About a month ago, team president Mike Holmgren convinced a championship-starved city that he’s willing and angling towards a rebuilding project, installing ambition in the near future to erase all the horrid times and remove from the loss column. To Cleveland’s chagrin, their pro football team was doomed and sorely dropped the demised of the Browns, a trend seen frequently at the Dawg Pound.

Last season, the Browns heard downgrading drivel from analyst and journalist, and were renamed the Cleveland Clowns, during a time when a beleaguered coach Eric Mangini, the so-called Man-Genius, name was on the hot seat and potentially was expected to be canned by the end of last season. Thank goodness the signing of Holmgren might have saved his job status. His convincing voice and smart decisions, urged Holmgren to retain Mangini, satisfied of the direction he’s pointing towards in the near future. There were moments, such as last season, when the front office failed to stick with priorities on rebuilding a playoff contender.

But now, one thing is certain about the NFL Draft. It turns out the Browns’ recent draft selection could determine its progress in the next five seasons. Two days away from the draft, Holmgren can do the town a favor when the Browns are on the clock come Thursday night and select Jimmy Clausen, a valiant quarterback who could land with the seventh pick.

All because the Browns emphasizes strong persona in potential draft picks, there’s a good chance that Clausen will be available and embraced as an endearing franchise curer in the upcoming seasons. As it stands, quarterback woes have dented their ability to contend with division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, or any team for that matter.

It seems doubtful that the Browns will take Clausen, who still needs growth and lacks poise at times as his accuracy is shaky on certain occasions and unwise passes turns into turnovers, mental lapses that could bring back unpleasant setbacks.

Asked about which team he’ll call home as a rookie in the pros next season, Clausen said he thinks the Browns is a suitable fit, partly because the pro style offense is paralleled to Notre Dame’s tactics. At Radio City Hall in New York, someone’s name will be called when the Browns are on the clock, but the question as to whom remains to be seen.


For now, apparently, Clausen’s name is portrayed as rumor, but really is a suit for refurbishing a motionless and attenuated organization that mangled in seating attendance and even in producing quality wins to qualify for the postseason. So the mental welfare of a doomed sports town is an unstable mess until Holmgren begin his regime by drafting a quarterback. Last season, the Browns were a dysfunctional franchise and had the emptiest seating among all venues, without disgruntled fans prompting an untamed protest or entering the stadium with paper bags over their heads amid the entire travesty, surprisingly. None of the Browns faithful boycotted, but now actually have reason to believe there’s hope with Holmgren’s calls and Clausen’s availability.

Perhaps, this season we’ll be able to see whether or not Mangini is worthy of coaching an NFL franchise. Most of the folks in Cleveland were furious with Mangini, encouraging the team to terminate him and hire someone with experience and measured leadership.

The biggest sporting calamity exists in Cleveland, even though there were front office transitions, such as an ineptness era of coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage. As a result, the Browns degenerated amongst a lingering farce and left behind humiliation.

All this materialized before Holmgren accepted a challenging assignment and stressful duties. But a troublesome issue that affects a fragile team is the quarterback deficiencies, a weakness the Browns haven’t been able to erect. For some weird reason, Holmgren isn’t as impress or leaning towards drafting Clausen, though his team sorely lacks a trustworthy quarterback. There’s nothing personal, I’m sure. Maybe he thinks Clausen doesn’t blend in nicely with the coaching staff, players or even the formation. Maybe he feels an NFL-ready quarterback will be available and make an immediate impact.

Who?

Or maybe he’s not convinced that Clausen is ready to make a sudden transition and turns into a bust?

With numerous flaws, he’ll probably decide to past on offering the young prospect from Notre Dame an enormous paycheck as a NFL rookie. As for the Browns, it makes perfect sense to snatch a quarterback in the first-round, and depart from all the porous collapses at a hard-driven position that generates momentum and effectuates scoring drives. As it was, at one point last season, the Browns were doubted and sluggish at the most important position on the field.


Meanwhile, Clausen is the second-best quarterback in the draft, and executed throws and completed brilliant passes on a stagnant football team. For instance, he completed 28 touchdown passes with only four interceptions while playing most of the year with an injured toe. He still played with resiliency, toughness and poise, all commodities that the Browns need to improve and revoke misery. If you’re obsessed with numbers, his were more efficient and settling than former quarterback Derek Anderson, who was the biggest bust in Browns history and the biggest enemy when he ripped Cleveland fans via e-mail sent to the News-Herald.

You might recall this remark:

“The fans are ruthless and don’t deserve a winner,” Anderson said.

Well, I hate to break it to Anderson. With Holmgren voicing ambition and Clausen as the potential target, the Browns might have a winner.

Rather than picking foolishly and wasting the seventh overall selection, the executives as well as Holmgren has to ponder and wisely choose a superstar prospect that could benefit Cleveland in the future. They are in desperate need of a promising quarterback, after winning a mere five games last season with Anderson completing 33 passes.

There’s one man who likes what he sees from Clausen. The former coach Jon Gruden said, “He plays his best football in the fourth quarter when the games are tight or they’re behind.” As it is currently, the availability of Colt McCoy might be the direction that he has turned towards, while it’s certain that the St. Louis Rams takes Sam Bradford with the first choice.

If Gruden sees much drive and promising results, then Holmgren should take his advice.

Run, Jimmy, Run! Good Timing for Clausen to Leave Irish

Outside of C.J.’s pub in South Bend, a crazy individual refused to appreciate what Jimmy Clausen has accomplished under polarizing Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. Instead, that individual expressed his anger and gave the Irish’s starting quarterback a black eye.

Constant debates have been had in the last few weeks on whether Clausen forgoes his senior season and leaves behind the chaotic memories at Notre Dame.

Unsure of his future arraignments, Clausen might walk away from the Irish after becoming a Fighting Irish as he and his girlfriend left the bar, where a sinless individual cowardly punched Clausen in the face.

Then, the heartbreaking loss to Stanford in the season finale on Saturday night before losing to Connecticut a week ago in an upset, is another reason for Clausen to wave bye-bye and ditch school, in which a decision on Weis’ future remains in limbo until an official announcement is made sometime this week.

Amid turbulence at arguably the premier program in the country, tradition has been toppled as Notre Dame is in crisis. Even more pathetic is how Clausen has been faulted, humiliated, and bullied for someone else’s blunders. Before all this, he was popular around campus, and was even worthy of earning his own masterpiece as beautiful as Touchdown Jesus.

Weis groomed Clausen, which reminds us of the direction the fingers should point when accusing someone for the program’s humiliations in recent years. Because the Irish failed during Clausen’s stint doesn’t mean losing is his fault, and most of the pitfalls have been from poor coaching.

Weis’ arrogance is too soft to guide a demanding program comprised of ambition and historic victories. Clausen was too gifted, committing to a preeminent school where his confidence and poise was expected to change the dimension of Notre Dame’s dreadful mockery, a serious crisis describing the Irish’s struggles in the last few years.

After two seasons of miserable plights, Clausen is eligible to declare for the NFL Draft in April. He has nothing to lose, escaping an unbalanced program in need of a compelling coach, inclined to bear a mental challenge to restore an identity within the depleted program.

The Irish, in prior seasons, have been devoid of a national title, but earned a fair share of bowl games. To a school committed to winning on the national stage, earning a bowl game lower than the national title game isn’t reaching expectations.

This season saw the Irish take gigantic steps backwards and own a 6-6 record in which Notre Dame only qualifies for a bowl game if the system runs out of 7-5 teams. It’s a tough situation for a program used to dominating or finishing near the top of the BCS polls.

As chaotic as the BCS system is, the Irish lost out weeks ago when a loss to Navy elicited skeptics, ridiculing the much-dignified program as doubters believed they were doomed. The track record at Notre Dame isn’t pretty, of which the school’s brand name isn’t anywhere near prestige.

Within a five-year span, the Irish interviewed more coaches than a brand name corporation hiring someone to work nightshift positions on a regular.

There was Tyrone Willingham, who lasted only three years before he was dismissed. His departure never settled too well, with many believing it was more of racial bias, not a coaching change to enhanced success in the future.

His predecessor, Bob Davie, didn’t last long either, replaced in five seasons.

Then, Weis arrived as if he was the genius of football, leaving behind the NFL lifestyle to finally go solo in coaching. Seemingly, he’s not nearly as effective when he ran superb offensive systems behind Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells.

When he first arrived to Notre Dame, it seemed he was capable of handling a demanding job.

Early on he averaged a decent winning percentage in his first two seasons. But suddenly, mystique and gratitude crippled America’s football team, bringing forth lingering questions of Weis’ future with the Irish.

It disrupted half of the season, as Clausen’s name early in the year was mentioned as a potential Heisman candidate.

Outplayed in most of the games, the Heisman talk gradually died down and Weis’ job status absorbed spotlight. Most of the season, a circus transpired and created an infamous frenzy surrounding Weis.

Other important aspects were put on the backburner, wondering if Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops is next to coach a distraught program or Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly. Finding a successor is tough, because of the Irish’s demands and values.

No later than this week, the job probably will open immediately and Stoops is a household name to replace Weis. Although he has failed to capitalize in big games, he’s a profile coach who's known for changing the mood within a program, as well as Brian Kelly, who’s responsible for the fifth-ranked Bearcats' storybook season and makes less than $1.5 million a year.

Yet, he’s close to leading Cincinnati to a second straight BCS bowl game, with a 33-6 record in three year. Any coach who takes on the job will demand an enormous contract, but thus far, athletic director Jack Swarbrick hasn’t contacted anyone about the position. As of now, Stoops is locked in a contract with Oklahoma through 2015 for an amount of $30 million.

Rumor has it he won’t opt out of his contract to revamp a struggling program.

As emotions and body language described the type of season the Irish has witnessed, Clausen emerged into a high first-round NFL draft pick.

He’ll make the big dollars next season, if he avoids all the troubles in South Bend. He’ll either land with the St. Louis Rams or Oakland Raiders, two teams suffering with similar issues as the Irish.

Equipped offensively, Notre Dame rarely showcased their explosive tandem of receivers Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. To end the season, the Irish were humiliated and pulverized by the muscular and bodybuilder Toby Gerhart at Stanford Stadium.

Did the country forget about Clausen? Absolutely!

He has definitely grown and mellowed as a top-profile quarterback, showcasing better precision and awareness. During a stint when the Irish aren't a viable threat, Clausen emerged into the team’s inspirational leader and athletic figure, completing downfield passes with indescribable arm strength.

Clausen has some competition though. In the same year the upperclassmen depart the campus lifestyle, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, or Sam Bradford could be selected after Clausen if he runs away from the troubling mess at Notre Dame.

Now marks the perfect time for Clausen to escape all burdens, and rise to the next level.

Sure enough, the NFL will accept him. It’s a league that greatly appreciates up-and-coming stars, and he is quickly growing. And he has definitely outgrown the Irish, a program in much uncertainty.

At least running from the Irish, Clausen won’t have to deal with the drama.

Notre Dame Must Lose Weis Clown to Purge Circus

The mental state of humiliation doesn’t settle too well in the scenery where mortals are a theme now, tattering respectability for Notre Dame believers that witnessed yet another hopeless season.

Doomed in a period when the Irish were praised, presumably entering a promising season with high expectations, South Bend critics bash the embattled coach Charlie Weis for all the letdowns. All the burdens and finger pointing is specifically leaning toward the Weis Clown, generating a dreadful circus in South Bend where the Big Top has arrived.

The Irish, of late, are utterly a joke and laughable. As one of the most prestigious programs athletically in the country, reliance at Notre Dame has deteriorated.

I'm not too sure if the Irish are cursed by demons or ghosts, but I will admit that the program is cursed as long as Weis remains in command of a school in desperate need of an inspirational voice, rather than a liberal coach.

The problem is, Weis’ soft mannerism isn’t steadfast in sending a beneficial idea that elevates a subordinate school. If the Irish aren't at the top of their game and prove they aren't topflight in college football, the season seems depleted. As of now, a promising year is ruined when the Irish mentally and physically self-destructed at Pittsburgh in a loss.

To suggest the Irish moved too fast in signing Weis to a $40-million contract, good for at least five seasons, may have been true and even a ghastly blunder. Because wins are considered an illusion at Notre Dame burnt out fans expects a coaching change, but athletic director Jack Swarbrick is not in a hurry on judging Weis’ future -- carefully pondering and evaluating options.

As usual, Weis downplays all the brouhaha of his job status, in which his return next season is dubious while lingering questions continuously annoy and disturb the Irish.

Rather than speaking arrogantly at press conferences, it would be nice if he was a gentleman. If he wants to downplay the status of his job, that is fine and dandy, but rudely delivering arrogant remarks makes Weis a laughable clown under the Big Top.

The lousy losing streaks have become a notorious routine at Notre Dame, sadly impairing mystique and gratitude to define the Irish as underachievers. In the last 10 games, the Irish aren’t nearly as flawless and performed pathetically in the previous years under Weis, with a 1-9 winning percentage against ranked opponents.

Didn’t the Irish used to fight in contests? Wasn’t ND known as the Fighting Irish? Lately, the word "Fighting" is removed from in front of Irish.

In a long time under Weis, they haven’t delivered powerful jabs to avenge a tremendous 0-5 record against the rival USC, a team that has suffered from embarrassing defeats to ruin shots of bidding for a national title.

No! He never beat USC.

In the last three seasons to date, Weis is 16-19—losing respectability in failing to revive the Irish and not surviving winnable contests.

Assuming he had possessed a matchless resume standing behind the crafty and Spygate criminal Bill Belichick and built a workable offense around Tom Brady at New England, Weis respectively was legit for accepting a coaching offer to establish a righteous identity at a prestigious program.

What we didn’t know and never took into account was the difficulty of guiding a demanding program, especially the Irish.

What we didn’t expect was an acute disaster.

One reason Weis still is employed is for his sublime recruiting classes he has built and assembled.

But, obviously, he hasn’t produced enough wins. And with a horrific track record, Weis’ job should be on the line. Whenever the Irish failed to produce victories, firing coaches was a usual practice they’d followed in recent seasons, which is the reason I’m surprised Weis hasn’t been terminated for all the letdowns.

Given their cultural reactions to failures: Tyrone Willingham built a winnable program, but apparently wasn't good enough so was tossed overboard.

There was Bob Davie, who didn’t last any time, and had been tossed over in the deep end.

And now this, Weis, who has turned into the biggest tragicomedy -- each season bringing the circus into town and destroying the tradition of Touchdown Jesus as a billboard of Weis’ downfall epitomizes the miserable season.

This season alone, the defense has faltered, a usual stumble during Weis’ tenure. So the most subpar program in the country releases unseen results, ranking 83rd in total defense and allowing a staggering 391 yards per game.

Not matching up to the pedigree as advertised, opponents usually have their way against the Irish and turn a typical afternoon into a terrifying outing.

Bringing back reminders of the insulting billboard directly on the corner of Edison Road and State Road 23, is a message that ND faithful are tired of the typical outings. The sign states a distasteful message, which Weis will never forget when he does depart from South Bend.


“BEST WISHES TO CHARLIE WEIS IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF HIS COLLEGE COACHING INTERNSHIP,” signed “linebacker alumni."

No sympathy at all. No sympathy whatsoever.

I feel where unhappy campers are coming from.

Multitudes of people living in South Bend are used to winning, not producing enough victories to barely qualify for bowl games. No luck for the Irish, currently standing at 6-4 under the careless Weis Clown.

Well, at least some things were right during a brief moment, when Jimmy Clausen earlier in the season had his breakout moment. Honestly, Weis could’ve turned the recruiting prospect into a legitimate Heisman candidate, similar to the time he turned Brady into a Super Bowl champ.

But he can’t win without Belichick or Bill Parcells. So, Weis is not nearly as great as Lou Holtz, who sustained memorable victories in his coaching days.

With all the depth of excellence, it seems Notre Dame would be unbeaten this late in the year, but instead they’ve struggled to preserve victories with the preeminent receiver Golden Tate and the prevailing tight end Kyle Rudolph.

Dating back to the demoralizing 23-21 loss against the Navy two weeks ago, Weis became the hot topic. But now, he owns a 35-25 career record and a .583 winning percentage.

By now, the only way to avoid circus activities is to ride the coaching carousal and fire Weis Clown.

If so, maybe next year the circus won’t arrive in town and form a joke.

With Weis' Unknown Future, Traditional Victory Is Substantial

That isn’t how to describe humanity for a head coach barely managing to survive downcast predicaments among a subpar program.

A new billboard facing the Notre Dame campus isn’t anything close to staring directly at Touchdown Jesus.

It’s more than an insult to coach Charlie Weis, who has taken more scrutiny and insults as the billboard sends a ruthless message on the past two seasons. It reads that he hasn’t measured up to standards. And if he fails to accomplish enough victories this season, assumptions will be to fire the arrogant and ill-mannered Weis.

A famous tradition hasn’t lived up to its values, at a prestigious school where Touchdown Jesus stands and where the spirited band braces tradition with unique lyrics.

The Irish have high expectations each season, but with inferior records of 3-9 and 7-6 in the past two seasons under Weis isn’t acceptable, nor a primary standard at Notre Dame, where demands are undeniable and where skepticism is inexcusable. In two seasons, he has mustered history from a negative standpoint, as Notre Dame suffered from unfamiliar indignities by digesting the most loses in 120-year history of Irish football.

With a 29-21 record, Weis remains the scapegoat for struggles. But he can earn back credibility and possibly remain coaching, if he can clinch another BCS berth. That’s all the Irish cares about, another title to renew idealism among one of the most respected programs in the country.

Weis is face with tremendous pressure this season, and is held liable if the Irish stumble with a fairly light schedule. The rabid fans in South Bend are spirited, weary of excuses and barren recruiting, like persuading Jimmy Clausen to commit and start as the virtuous leader by taken the snaps and heaving passes.

From logical perspectives, Weis’ status is determined by Clausen’s productivity. If he has a dreadful year, it decides Weis’ future and will even disintegrate his coaching qualities.

A solution for positive results was a solid performance from his skittish and lovable quarterback, Clausen. Another solution was an impressive victory in the season-opener to make a vital statement, against an inferior Nevada. It was easily considered to be an upset alert, as many anticipated the Irish to stumble.

Entering the game, there was tremendous pressure on Weis to lead his team to victory, along with his top quarterback. An entire week heralded Weis’ long-term future with the Irish, and heralded the very little success in a brief period of Notre Dame’s shaky tradition with Weis managing, but none of that was much of a worry on Saturday in South Bend.

Bringing back memories of the Hawaii Bowl, Clausen was a fighting Irish. He airborne passes, he scrambled inside the pocket, he brought time and he tortured Nevada with his vigorous throwing arm to give the spirited fans belief that they’ll earn a BCS berth. In a pivotal game, Weis wore a smile as Clausen alleviated tension, and inspired elated fans to cheer during frenzies in the entire game, en route to a breezy 35-0 shutout over Nevada.

It’s definitely a way to maintain momentum in a schedule that favors the Irish. It’s apparently a way for Weis to aloof from worrying constantly about his job security and focus strictly on winning a national title. In the season-opener, Clausen played with Heisman potential and was serious, poise and greatly dominant. If they’re expected to have a superb year and reach a pinnacle, Clausen has to have a phenomenal year. Finishing with four touchdowns magnifies momentum and illustrates the type of season he’s expected to have.

It was never really a competitive contest. From the start, it was Clausen’s cannon arm and urgency to complete 10 of 11 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns, with a career-long 70-yard pass. And this is a confident quarterback that Weis recruited, and trusted to restore a winning tradition. Giving Weis credit could be a bit too early, but on this day, he can earn some for preparing his team to have the ambition and determination. With a faulty BCS system every win counts, particularly for Weis, a scrutinized coach who can’t afford to have a collapsing year.

With Weis’ recruiting, the Irish are solid and equipped with receivers. That makes life easier for Clausen, able to rely on Michael Floyd, who made sensational catches and most of the highlight reels. Throughout the season, he’ll be a primary target, after catching two touchdown passes for 70 and 88 yards.

It was enough for a swinging party among fans and teammates, in a victory that was extraordinary and meaningful to relive tradition. At least for the week, Weis can wear a smile and not think about coaching next season. For now, he can think about a BCS berth and a longer future with Notre Dame.

Clausen was a brilliant recruit after all.

Let’s hope it last for at least the rest of the season.