jack's smirking revenge
04-24-2006, 09:37 PM
The thing about this article that irked me was the attention this kid is getting--AND HE'S JUST IN HIGH SCHOOL. He had a dazzling press conference, a police escort, and a strecth Hummer (I read about that stuff in the local Chi-town paper today). This is what we're building future generations up to be--a worthless icon. Even if he is talented enough to be a #1 draft pick, should we really give a senior in high school this kind of ego-stroking, gold-plating kiss of the arse? This kid is about the bling and the flash and isn't even in the NFL yet.
Sure, he's probably talented. But football is a game. Nothing more. To see his chesire grin on the cover of the sports page made me sick.
tyler
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The applause was deafening, the reception warm and welcoming and the event orchestrated to create a splash.
Jimmy Clausen, younger brother of former Tennessee quarterbacks Casey and Rick Clausen, took advantage of a big stage Saturday, the College Football Hall of Fame, to announce to 300 enthusiastic fans that--as expected-- he plans to play college football at Notre Dame.
Dressed in a dark suit and polished shoes, his blond hair carefully spiked and right hand sporting three monster-sized rings--all celebrating high school successes--Clausen delivered an obviously well-rehearsed message without flaw.
"In January, I will be attending the University of Notre Dame," Clausen said as his father, Jim, standing in the far right corner of the room with the rest of the Clausen clan, mouthed the words his son was saying at the lectern.
"I'm going to try to make this the No. 1 recruiting class in college football this year."
Clausen followed through on that promise almost immediately, pointing to Marc Tyler, a teammate at California's Westlake Village Oaks Christian High School and a fellow Irish recruit, and exhorting him to join him at Notre Dame.
"I don't know if he's good enough to play football at Notre Dame or not, but I know he's a young man who has worked extra hard to get to this point," Jim Clausen said of his son.
Jimmy Clausen echoed his father's thoughts.
Irish coach Charlie Weis, he said, "got two great quarterbacks this year in Zach Fraser and ummm . . . " blanking on the name before someone in the audience helped out with "Demetrius Jones."
Jones, a multitalented pass-and-run threat from Chicago's Morgan Park High School, may be Clausen's biggest roadblock to replacing quarterback Brady Quinn, who will complete his eligibility this season.
"Those are two real good quarterbacks, and I'm just going to try to come in and compete with them," Clausen said.
In his first three years of high school, Clausen has led Oaks Christian to three straight California divisional championships and last season completed 67.5 percent of his passes.
He expects to continue that success in college.
"That's what I'm here for, to try to get four national championship rings on our fingers," Clausen said, adding that making the public announcement about his college plans at the Hall of Fame was "special. I'd like to end up here one day."
The journey thus far has been helped by his two brothers.
"It's real special to have two older brothers who have been through this," Clausen said.
"I'm real glad and honored to be a part of Notre Dame now, and I expect we can win national championships in the future."
If Clausen can accomplish even half of what he promises, his career will wind up being more storied than that of either of his brothers.
Like Casey, the oldest of the three, Jimmy plans to graduate from high school a semester early to get a head start on college--he plans to enroll in January--and take part in spring practice next year.
Among the other finalists competing for Clausen's commitment were USC coach Pete Carroll and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.
"I wanted to make my decision first," Clausen said. "After I get done with this, I'm going to go call the [USC] coaches and the South Carolina coaches and wish them the best."
For all the crowd's, and Clausen's, exhortations, Tyler said he was nowhere near making a decision.
Tyler lives with the Clausens during the school year because his family lives too far from Oaks Christian for the commute to be practicable.
The son of former UCLA and NFL star Wendell Tyler, Marc Tyler said his top two choices were USC and Notre Dame.
"Hopefully, I'm going to sit down with my family and talk about it and make a decision, probably in a month or two," Tyler said.
For Clausen, the seeds for his early commitment were planted last fall.
"The first day coach [Weis] could come out and look at high school guys, he was at our school, looking at a junior," Clausen said. "That was really special, and that just left a mark in my heart, stuff like that."
Minutes later, he and his family climbed into a white Hummer limousine and, led by a police escort, rode off.
The recruit, his father said, had a meeting with his future coach.
Sure, he's probably talented. But football is a game. Nothing more. To see his chesire grin on the cover of the sports page made me sick.
tyler
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The applause was deafening, the reception warm and welcoming and the event orchestrated to create a splash.
Jimmy Clausen, younger brother of former Tennessee quarterbacks Casey and Rick Clausen, took advantage of a big stage Saturday, the College Football Hall of Fame, to announce to 300 enthusiastic fans that--as expected-- he plans to play college football at Notre Dame.
Dressed in a dark suit and polished shoes, his blond hair carefully spiked and right hand sporting three monster-sized rings--all celebrating high school successes--Clausen delivered an obviously well-rehearsed message without flaw.
"In January, I will be attending the University of Notre Dame," Clausen said as his father, Jim, standing in the far right corner of the room with the rest of the Clausen clan, mouthed the words his son was saying at the lectern.
"I'm going to try to make this the No. 1 recruiting class in college football this year."
Clausen followed through on that promise almost immediately, pointing to Marc Tyler, a teammate at California's Westlake Village Oaks Christian High School and a fellow Irish recruit, and exhorting him to join him at Notre Dame.
"I don't know if he's good enough to play football at Notre Dame or not, but I know he's a young man who has worked extra hard to get to this point," Jim Clausen said of his son.
Jimmy Clausen echoed his father's thoughts.
Irish coach Charlie Weis, he said, "got two great quarterbacks this year in Zach Fraser and ummm . . . " blanking on the name before someone in the audience helped out with "Demetrius Jones."
Jones, a multitalented pass-and-run threat from Chicago's Morgan Park High School, may be Clausen's biggest roadblock to replacing quarterback Brady Quinn, who will complete his eligibility this season.
"Those are two real good quarterbacks, and I'm just going to try to come in and compete with them," Clausen said.
In his first three years of high school, Clausen has led Oaks Christian to three straight California divisional championships and last season completed 67.5 percent of his passes.
He expects to continue that success in college.
"That's what I'm here for, to try to get four national championship rings on our fingers," Clausen said, adding that making the public announcement about his college plans at the Hall of Fame was "special. I'd like to end up here one day."
The journey thus far has been helped by his two brothers.
"It's real special to have two older brothers who have been through this," Clausen said.
"I'm real glad and honored to be a part of Notre Dame now, and I expect we can win national championships in the future."
If Clausen can accomplish even half of what he promises, his career will wind up being more storied than that of either of his brothers.
Like Casey, the oldest of the three, Jimmy plans to graduate from high school a semester early to get a head start on college--he plans to enroll in January--and take part in spring practice next year.
Among the other finalists competing for Clausen's commitment were USC coach Pete Carroll and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.
"I wanted to make my decision first," Clausen said. "After I get done with this, I'm going to go call the [USC] coaches and the South Carolina coaches and wish them the best."
For all the crowd's, and Clausen's, exhortations, Tyler said he was nowhere near making a decision.
Tyler lives with the Clausens during the school year because his family lives too far from Oaks Christian for the commute to be practicable.
The son of former UCLA and NFL star Wendell Tyler, Marc Tyler said his top two choices were USC and Notre Dame.
"Hopefully, I'm going to sit down with my family and talk about it and make a decision, probably in a month or two," Tyler said.
For Clausen, the seeds for his early commitment were planted last fall.
"The first day coach [Weis] could come out and look at high school guys, he was at our school, looking at a junior," Clausen said. "That was really special, and that just left a mark in my heart, stuff like that."
Minutes later, he and his family climbed into a white Hummer limousine and, led by a police escort, rode off.
The recruit, his father said, had a meeting with his future coach.