Carolina Panthers: Jimmy Clausen Debuts and Makes Case for Starting QB

The Carolina Panthers made their preseason debut Thursday night in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens 17-12. Matt Moore got the start and played the first quarter before giving way to rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who made his NFL debut. Moore was unable to lead the Panthers on a scoring drive but had a few nice pass plays wiped out due to holding calls by Jordan Gross.

Clausen's stat line was rather unimpressive but stats don't always tell the whole truth. There were a few times when a play broke down and Clausen was able to scramble and find a receiver to make something out of nothing. The former Notre Dame quarterback also threw his first interception on an out route where the receiver slipped and fell, which probably would have been caught if Dexter Jackson was able to keep his footing.

If it really is Moore's job to lose he didn't do anything to hurt his chances of starting and Clausen didn't have the type of performance that showed he's going to take the job. With the uncertainty behind center this season for the Panthers it's a bit surprising that the starting position isn't an open competition.

Yes, Matt Moore is 6-2 as a starter in his career—none of which were meaningful games for the Panthers—and his performance down the stretch last season was noteworthy. The question is can he get the job done when the games actually mean something for Carolina?

John Fox is in his final year of his contract and will likely pin his hopes on Moore being productive enough to save his job. Fox likes players he's had around for awhile and know his style. That's why Jake Delhomme was given infinite amount of chances to try to recover from his disastrous performance in the playoffs against the Arizona Cardinals.

Moore won't be given numerous chances like Delhomme was given. If he struggles in the first few games everyone across the country will be wanting to see Clausen behind center. This could very well be Fox's last season with the Panthers. Fox may be upset enough with owner Jerry Richardson—who gutted the roster to save money with the NFL's labor issues looming—to walk away from a team he once took to the Super Bowl.

Enough about Fox and back to the quarterback situation.

There are pluses and minuses to starting both quarterbacks. Moore gives the Panthers a more (no pun intended) experienced quarterback at the helm but Clausen brings a swagger that Moore doesn't seem to have. Clausen has the potential to be very good one day, while Moore seems to be more of a stop-gap quarterback at the moment.

In my opinion the Panthers should make this more of an open competition and give both quarterbacks time with the first team in upcoming preseason games. I do believe when Carolina faces the New York Giants on opening day that Moore will be behind center because he earned it.

But who knows maybe Clausen surprises everyone and wins the job.