Comparing Jimmy Clausen To Brady Quinn

Jimmy Clausen is heading into his third full season as the starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish. Playing quarterback at Notre Dame is never easy, but when your predecessor was one of the best quarterbacks in Notre Dame history (Brady Quinn) it only puts more pressure on you.

My comparison of the two is a little different than others. I won't bore you with a bunch of passing stats for their first two years. Instead, I would like to break down the strengths and weaknesses in the two.

Arm Strength

Clausen has the best arm of any Notre Dame quarterback I have ever seen. Quinn has a strong arm too, but we all know Clausen's is better.

Height

This is nothing he can control, but my first impression of Clausen after hearing the hype was "what a shrimp!" Quinn was definitely tall enough to see over the linemen.

Accuracy

At this point Quinn is way more accurate. However, I do see much improvement in this area from Clausen. Hopefully, he can continue that growth this year.

Managing the game

This is what made Quinn so good in South Bend and it is what Clausen has to learn. It starts with an organized huddle and ends with making good decisions on the field. Throwing it away and not forcing it are huge. That will reduce turnovers. From what I understand he had a great spring in this area.

Pocket Presence

This is another thing that Clausen really has to improve on. Quinn is a guy who is very aware of his surroundings and senses the blind side blitz's. If Clausen can learn this, he will fumble a lot less.

Escapabilty

This is where Brady Quinn just kicks his butt. He could improvise and make throws on the run. He could also scramble when he had to. I don't see Clausen ever being good in this area.

Leadership

It is hard to be a leader like Brady Quinn, everybody in South Bend knows the kind of leader he was. However, he didn't become that until his junior year, and all signs are that Clausen is now becoming the leader he needs to be.

Offensive Weapons

I think the world of Maruice Stovall, Jeff Smardizja, Anthony Fazano, and Darius Walker. However, I think Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph, and Armando Allen will be even better. That is based on nothing else other than these guys were recruited by Charlie Weis to play for Charlie Weis.

It is hard to say which quarterback has the better offensive line. I am hoping Clausen's is better.

Defense

This is where Clausen can breathe easier. I think this defense is about 10 times better than the one Quinn had. I mean no disrespect to Justin Tuck, Trevor Laws, and Tom Zbikowski. However, guys like Brian Smith, Robert Blanton, Manti Te'o, and Tyler Stockton will be a force with John Tenuta calling the shots.

All in all, I think Clausen is ready to have similar success to Quinn. Although he still hasn't shown some of the intangibles that makes a QB great, neither did Quinn until his junior year. Clausen started to show them in the Hawaii Bowl and then continued in the spring. I think having all his years in Weis's system will also help Clausen.