In March, a week after the Panthers dumped quarterback Jake Delhomme, former backup Matt Moore made a bold statement regarding his immediate future: “From what they are telling me, yeah, I do feel like it’s my team now,” Moore told Steve Reed of CarolinaGrowl.com.
The key word may have been “now.”
Nearly two months later, the Panthers have added two rookie quarterbacks. Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reports that, at last weekend’s minicamp, second rounder Jimmy Clausen drew “rave reviews.” La Canfora predicts that a training camp battle could be looming.
If coach John Fox wants to stay with the team beyond 2010, he needs to do enough this year to create a sense of optimism for the future. Using Clausen and succeeding with him could go a long way toward saving Fox’s job.
In this regard, it’s in Clausen’s best interests to help keep Fox around. A new coach may want nothing to do with Clausen. Or Moore. Or Tony Pike.