Jimmy Clausen Needs To Learn from Brady Quinn's Mistakes

Do you remember that day in the picture above? It was a day of hope for Notre Dame fans. After seeing Rick Mirer and Ron Powlus fail at the NFL, Irish fans were certain that this Notre Dame quarterback would not follow in his predecessors footsteps.

We were happy to see him go to the Cleveland Browns. That is the team he wanted to go to since he always rooted for them.

Former coach Charlie Weis even said that Quinn would be a pro bowl quarterback by his third year. Here we are three years later. Quinn has only 12 career starts. Guys like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Chad Henne, and Matthew Stafford all have more starts despite being in the league less time.

There is also doubt about whether or not Quinn will be back in Cleveland next year. How did it go so wrong for him? Certainly, there was alot that he had no control over. The main thing is all the turnover in coaches and front office personnel. The plan is constantly changing as is Quinn's future with the team.

While there were factors that were out of his control. Looking back at it, Quinn did make a few mistakes in the process that are still haunting him to this day.

Now here we are with Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate both expected to be drafted high this year. I think there is less to deal with with Tate. No matter where he goes he will catch balls. Also, wide receiver is a much less profile position than quarterback. Therefore, there will be less attention around him.

Clausen on the other hand, will have to deal with the same things Quinn did. Let's look at some of the mistakes Quinn made in the process and hope Clausen learns from them.

Mistake No. 1: The Combine and Pro Day

This is a player's first chance to workout for the professional scouts. This is the place to show his skills. Quinn just didn't impress in these drills. That wasn't really that surprising though. Quinn was known more for his intangibles than his tangibles. Clausen should have less trouble with this especially on deep balls.

This was a mistake for Quinn but was really only a minor setback.

Mistake No. 2: The Holdout

After failing to impress at the combine, Quinn's stock fell a little and it wasn't until No. 22 when the Browns took him. Though he fell, he was still a first round pick and expected to be the quarterback of the future.

Unfortunately, Quinn didn't make it to camp on time because his agent failed to negotiate a contract for him. As a result Quinn didn't sign until right before the first preseason game. He didn't play until the second exhibition game.

Then-head coach Romeo Crennel decided that Quinn was too far behind to start opening day. Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson would battle it out. Although Frye started the year, Anderson ultimately prevailed.

Anderson had a pro bowl year and all Quinn could do was watch. Since then the team has been in total turmoil over whether Anderson or Quinn should be the quarterback.

This was probably the biggest mistake for Quinn. Had he signed on time, nobody outside of Oregon would even remember who Derek Anderson was.

Let this be a lesson for Clausen. He needs to make sure he hires the right agent that will get the deal done for him on time. That way he can be in camp from day one and doesn't have to play catch up.

Mistake No. 3: The Endorsements

Imagine working at your job where you have for years. You and your co-workers have been working hard to make the company the best. Along comes a new guy who was fresh out of college. He had the potential to do great things for your company but at the moment was doing very little.

How would you feel if he was able to do commercials on behalf of the company?

That is what happened in Cleveland. Quinn was carrying a clipboard his rookie year, yet Subway and EAS are having him on TV. Not to mention, Quinn did many local endorsements that off season that were shown at Caviler games.

That had to rub many of his teammates the wrong way. They were out there playing their hearts out and Quinn was the one getting all the endorsement deals.

On one hand, you really can't blame Quinn for taking these deals. After all if somebody is going to give you money you take it. That is what any of us would do no matter what we say otherwise.

At the same time, these endorsements probably wasn't the best way to earn the respect of his teammates.

Let this also be a lesson for Clausen. He needs to be careful on what endorsement deals he accepts and factor in whether or not it is the best way to have a long career.

While I am not ready to give up on Quinn yet and still think he can turn it around, it would be nice to see Clausen get off to a better start.

This article is also posted on http://fightingirishgameday.com/