2 stories from thewizardofodds.blogspot.com (one of the pillars of CFB news):
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Did Clausen Have Elbow Surgery?
Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who has been bothered by bone spurs in his right (throwing) elbow, recently underwent surgery on the elbow,
according to the site Log's Blog.
"I recently found out from a trustworthy source who I cannot name (read: doctor) that ND freshman QB Jimmy Clausen recently underwent elbow surgery. Supposedly he will miss the entire season.
"Whether that means the recovery period covers the length of the season or ND will choose to redshirt him is unclear. With Clausen out the two leading candidates for the job would be Demetrius Jones and Evan Sharpley. I hope this is wrong."
Clausen, regarded as the top quarterback recruit in the country, graduated from high school early and enrolled at Notre Dame in January. His father, Jim Clausen Sr.,
told the Chicago Sun-Times in March that his son's injury was discovered last summer.
"We've been aware that this was an issue," the elder Clausen said in March. "He played 15 games with the problem this past season, so you know he's a competitor. But I think at the end of the season, he started to lose some velocity.
"At some point, if it's causing that much discomfort, we'll see what other option is best."
Last week, quarterback Zach Frazer, who was upset at being told he was the No. 4 quarterback entering fall practice,
expressed a desire to transfer. Miami, Louisville, Rutgers, East Carolina and Connecticut were said to be the schools interested in Frazer.
A link to
Jimmy Clausen's website. Thanks to
Image of Sport.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Why Crewcut Is in a Pickle Over Clausen
Notre Dame officials fessed up Wednesday and acknowledged that quarterback Jimmy Clausen had a "procedure" on an elbow, although they didn't say which elbow it was. The likely truth is that Clausen, the most celebrated recruit to arrive in South Bend since Ron Powlus, had surgery on his right throwing elbow, first reported
by the site Log's Blog.
Thus the question: Why did Notre Dame hide the fact that Clausen had surgery?
Put yourself in the position of Notre Dame coach Crewcut Charlie Weis. Simply put, he doesn't want opponents to know that his prized quarterback is coming off surgery on his throwing elbow. After all, knowing a quarterback
has an issue with his throwing arm can change an entire defensive scheme. Weis is no dummy.
You can argue that Weis is looking out for the best interest of the kid and the team, or perhaps even himself. The risk in all of this is that when you are found to be covering up an injury or a surgery, your reputation and credibility suffers.
Weis made his philosophy clear during his spring press conference on March 21, a day after a
Chicago Sun-Times report quoted Clausen's dad, Jim Clausen Sr., saying his son was injured. Weis
was miffed when asked about Clausen and
interrupted a reporter:
Question: "You say everyone is full to go, and last time we talked, you said Clausen ..."
Weis: "He's full to go. Contrary to recent reports, he's full to go, too. By the way, just so we can clear that one up, the only one who will answer for the health of our players will be me. So next time, we can just keep it that way, because I'll do the answering for the health of our players."
So there you have it. Can you believe anything Weis says from now on?
Weis did not make Clausen available to the media during spring practice, so we have yet to hear the quarterback's side of the story.
One last note: We'd like to mention
John Walters of NBC Sports.com, who did what all journalists should be doing and properly credited
Log's Blog for breaking the story. As for those who didn't extend the same professional courtesy, your credibility — much like Weis' — has been tarnished.
Thanks to
Image of Sport.
