The Blarney (at one time) thought that Brady Quinn could be an NFL starting quarterback. Not Tom Brady, but at least Matt Hasselbeck. A very solid leader, could throw around the 20 touchdowns/year area, not throw too many picks, and, in general, keep his team in contention. He wasn’t a Swiss Army Knife, but he had plenty of tools; height to stand tall in the pocket; strength to shake off would-be tacklers; smarts; an arm enough to make all the throws, above-average accuracy; and he was schooled in quarterback know-how by a quarterback guru. I mean, Quinn put up staggering numbers under Weis (64% completion percentage, 35-plus touchdowns/year, close to 4,000 yards/year, and single-digit interceptions). He was even good enough to fool everybody into thinking that Weis was the “chosen one” to put ND on top again. Looking back, do you realize how hard that was to do? That’s like making a 4th grader think that brussel sprouts are as tasty a treat as an ice cream sundae with extra fudge.

However, as soon as he left Notre Dame, the good times ended. He didn’t show enough to get on the field. For the Browns. He couldn’t beat out Derek Anderson. Derek Anderson, who threw such bad interceptions Brett Favre would have been left shaking his head had he seen them. Imagine Favre having to ask this sentence: “Why didn’t he check down?!” Then, Cleveland shipped him to Denver, he couldn’t beat out Kyle Orton (who is probably a top 15 quarterback), which was fine, but then they drafted Tebow. All indications were that Quinn would be third-string behind both of them. At this point, we’re not talking “bust”. Tim Couch was a “bust”. Jeff George was a “bust”. We’re talking “Ryan Leaf-level bust”. Like stuck in a mental institution from the trauma of a failed career, carving “Peyton Manning couldn’t hold my jock strop” or “laces out!” into the walls.

However, it didn’t reach that point, because Tebow isn’t ready to be an NFL quarterback, and because (from what I’ve read) Quinn is playing better than he has at any time up to this point. He is still a “bust”, and a career backup, but he’ll get to stay in the NFL, make some scratch as a #2, and avoid being a “Ryan Leaf-level bust”. You know what? That ain’t so bad.

The Bonus:

What thoughts must have been going threw Quinn’s head when he was elevated to #2 over Tebow? (In a moment of complete honesty.)

(Falls to knees, looking up at the heavens, shouting “Yes! Yes! Thank God! Glory be! Thank you for this moment! Dear God yes!” Tears are rolling down his cheek now. He gathers himself.)

“Oh man, I’m just relieved I didn’t lose out to a quarterback whose signature throw is the fullback dive. What an embarrassment that would have been.”

“I would have had to retire on the spot if I lost to a guy whose throwing motion makes him look like he’s avoiding being attacked by a hive of bees.”

“Had Josh been planning to make the jump-pass a staple of his offense? Is that why I got put on the back-burner?”

“This will be okay for Tim, he can play tight end better than I could.”

(Stands up, and starts doing the moonwalk.)

You know what is often boring? For the most part, boring is the public comments made by public figures when asked a question. You know, when they want to “tow the company line”, or avoid controversy. Like when a big-name athlete speaks in the same old tired cliches like, “We’re just here to work hard, and play our best.” When you know they are not saying what they really think. Like when Tom Osborne won’t admit that he wished every single dollar of Texas’s Big 12 contract could be shoved up Bill Powers’ ass. Utterly disappointing.

The media asks the juicy questions. The public figures give us the “politically correct” answers. The media springs the trap, but the big-name doesn’t take the bait. That is the never-ending cycle.

Former Domer, and Denver Bronco Brady Quinn took part in this cycle recently when asked about new teammate Tim Tebow. (Or, they guy trying to take the job Brady’s job, probably ensuring that Quinn will never be a starter in the NFL.)

When asked about Tebow, Quinn said:

“I think there are a lot of schools of thought on what will end up happening with him, moving forward in his NFL career. But he’s a good, quality, character guy, and those are the type of guys you want on your team.” …

Nice, but I’m sure that’s not want Brady really thinks, or what he wanted to say. If you could get the truth about what Brady really thinks when he hears the name “Tebow”, perhaps it would go something like this:

“We all know Tim is a good Christian, but if Jesus loves everyone so much, why didn’t he give Tim a release like a real NFL quarterback?”

“Tim has the best arm of any fullback I ever saw.”

“NFL quarterback? What about presidential speech-writer?”

Yeah, that sounds more like it.

On Thurs, April 2nd, the NFL Draft begins in prime time. Mel Kiper’s (Rogaine, why have you not signed this guy up as your pitchman yet? You two fit together like Jimmy Buffet and Margaritas.) big day just keeps getting bigger every year, due to the ever-increasing NFL popularity, and now year-round interest in every aspect of the league. Every fan is excited for the future of their team, and every fan has an opinion on which college stud(s) should be wearing their team’s colors.

Perhaps no player causes more opinions to be formed than Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen. Many are of the negative (as in “Jimmy Clausen will be an NFL failure”) variety. Maybe it’s because some people just like to hate on those who are the big names in a given industry. Maybe it’s because Jimmy was the face of college football’s most visible program, and people were just over-saturated with Clausen. Maybe it’s because people feel Clausen was born with a silver spoon in hand, given opportunities most would kill for from the time he was fourteen years old. Maybe it’s because people didn’t like his coach, or that his coach’s other prized-pupil hasn’t cut it in the NFL. Underlying thoughts and resentments like those mentioned, are the ammo that people are using to claim Clausen will bust, even when that opinion has to be contrary to the information (film, and validations from teammates) we have been given to see.

Face it, Clausen is a guy that people love to hate, and they are taking shots at any given opportunity.

From reputable college football writer Stewart Mandel:

“I can understand why scouts prefer the taller, more prototypically-sized Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen (cough, bust, cough), but there’s very little discrepancy in terms of McCoy’s actual passing ability.”

From an NFL executive type (who was actually backing Clausen’s playing ability):

“He can throw the ball downfield. He’s the perfect Raiders quarterback, what Al [Davis] has been dreaming about for years. I don’t want to like him, but I do. I mean, just look at him – when you see that guy, you just want to punch him.” Keep in mind this is a comment from a mature, successful business man. This is the type of ire that Clausen draws.

From scout Todd McShay (in general):

“Not a leader. not a good teammate.”

There are countless others that will bust on Jimmy Clausen, given the chance. (The aforementioned Kiper won’t, he actually likes Clausen.) The next few years will tell if they are doing it because they actually see a questionable skill set, or if they just wanted to bring down a “golden boy” from Notre Dame.