Can Jimmy Clausen Start Opening Day Over Matt Moore in Carolina?

According to the Panthers website, brand new rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen is fitting right in with his new team. The Notre Dame product comes into the NFL with a bit of an attitude and a bona fide chance to see immediate playing time. He is currently listed at number three on the depth chart behind Hunter Cantwell and starter Matt Moore, but nothing is set in stone in Carolina as of late. The drafting of Jimmy Clausen and former Cincinnati standout Tony Pike had to have been a last minute adjustment.

Matt Moore, who has bided his time and waited for his chance for several years behind long time quarterback Jake Delhomme has to be wondering what the hell happened. He was clearly the starter just a couple weeks ago, and then Clausen fell to the Panthers late in the second round. Once Clausen was drafted, the story took an interesting turn.

Matt Moore is still the favorite to take the reigns starting the season, but you have to think that the Panthers are looking to Clausen as a cornerstone. The kid was ranked as the top quarterback in this year's class by many, and has an arm that is perfectly suited to the Panthers offense.

What the Panthers need is a guy that can throw the ball into tight spots in the short game, and occasionally get the ball deep. Clausen was the poster child for accuracy at Notre Dame, and should translate into a similar style quarterback at the pro level. He consistently threw at around a 60 percent completion ratio for the Irish.

Regardless of this, he will face an uphill battle to overcome Moore. Matt Moore established himself as a superstar in the making in 2009 by leading the Panthers the last several games of the season. His quarterback rating was better than 100 when you remove the first game of the season where he was thrown into cleanup duty against the Eagles. Those games that he started he was clearly dominant. That should be enough for him to get the benefit of the doubt, in addition to head coach Jon Fox's hesitancy to play rookies at quarterback. Just look how long it took Moore to finally get his shot even when Delhomme was horrible.

Who will start is a mystery, but it is clear that the Panthers are looking to Clausen in the long term. How soon that future comes will be the story in training camp for 2010, and surely in the weeks to follow.

Sources:

David Monroe, "Clausen ready to have fun", Panthers Team Website