Panthers Quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen and Cam Newton to Battle For Jersey Number?
Now that the 2011 NFL Draft has officially wrapped up, all eyes will be on the quarterback battle between No. 1 pick Cam Newton and Jimmy Clausen–but that’s not all they may be fighting for.
In a recent interview with Joseph Person of the Raleigh News & Observer, Clausen said, “It’s mine now” when asked about whether or not he would be willing to give up the No. 2 jersey–the same number worn by Newton during his time at Auburn. Clausen has been very welcoming to the Heisman Trophy winner by sending him messages through Twitter and texts, but this whole situation about jersey numbers could add more fuel to the fire of what is expected to be one of the most interesting quarterback battles heading into the 2011 season.
With all of the hype surrounding Newton after the type of year he had at Auburn (National Championship and Heisman Trophy winner), it should be interesting to see if Carolina forced Clausen to surrender the No. 2 jersey. As the No. 1 pick, the Panthers will want to do everything they can to make their new quarterback happy–even if it is just a jersey number.
Clausen was thrown into the mix a little early as a rookie after Matt Moore was sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury and was far from being ready to be an NFL starter–throwing for just three touchdowns in 13 appearances last season. While it’s unfair to judge the former Notre Dame standout due to his lack of receiving corps, there’s a good chance Clausen could miss out on the starting job now that Newton is on board–which is ironic considering how excited they were one year ago about Clausen developing into a franchise quarterback.
Let the fun battle begin.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for RantSports.com.
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[...] 2011 NFL Draft, Carolina Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen made it clear that he wouldn’t give up the No. 2 jersey to Cam Newton without putting up a fight. Now, it appears the whole jersey controversy may no [...]
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Cam can stick it to Clausen by wearing #1
Hey $cam. You get whatever number the Panthers give you. You haven’t earned the right to take #2 away from Clausen. So stop crying and be Clausen’s little b*tch for a while.
tell me who was excited about clausen a year ago? he was always a punk. you ever catch him on the n.d. sidelines in college? even his team mates steared clear of him, what a joke of a football player. newton hasnt even stepped on campus andf clausen has lost his job, they might as well cut him and let him become the jouneyman 3rd string qb he was always destined to become- couldnt happen to a bigger turd!