Jimmy Clausen

Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney spent much of Friday trying to move up in the draft to take Jimmy Clausen, a day after the Notre Dame quarterback was a surprising first-round snub. Hurney couldn't strike a deal, however, and when the Arizona Cardinals traded up to the 47th slot -- one pick ahead of the Panthers -- Hurney acknowledged that he was crushed, sure the Cardinals were going to take him. "I could lie, but I won't," Hurney said. Only the Cardinals passed on Clausen, too. It didn't take Hurney long to pounce -- shaking up Carolina's newly shuffled quarterback depth chart.

My apologies for interruptions in this week's blog schedule. I was actually doing real reporting for a change. (I know, crazy talk.) But I still had time to stay on top of my many fantasy football leagues. I completed another draft last week, and I have three more between now and next Thursday's regular season kickoff. I've noticed some trends in the drafts I've conducted so far. Quarterbacks are flying off the board in the first few rounds. There isn't a consensus on the order of the top running backs.

Brian St. Pierre will start at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, Panthers coach John Fox just announced. St. Pierre, a journeyman quarterback who was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad Friday and promoted to the 53-man roster on Tuesday, has thrown five NFL passes in eight seasons. Jimmy Clausen, a rookie out of Notre Dame who was last week's starter against Tampa Bay, suffered a concussion against the Bucs and won't play Sunday.

The first round of the 2011 NFL draft takes place in New York City next Thursday with plenty of uncertainty and intrigue -- and indifference from some disenchanted fans -- as the football freeze unthaws for draft weekend. It will be interesting to see how the draft unfolds during the lockout. Usually, free agency takes place before the draft, but not this year, so draft philosophies will be changed. Players can't be traded, so that could cut down on the number of trades. And with a rookie wage scale likely to be in place post-lockout, teams might be willing to gamble on high-risk players since it won't cost them as much to roll the dice.

Since Buddy Green became Navy's defensive coordinator in 2002, the Midshipmen have faced six quarterbacks who went on to become first-round NFL draft picks, including current NFL starters Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. But when Green is asked about Notre Dame junior Jimmy Clausen, the veteran coach thinks back to 1990, and a quarterback from Southern Mississippi. He sees Brett Favre. Clausen "reminds me of the way Favre was playing when he was a senior," said Green, who was an assistant at North Carolina State when the Wolfpack beat Favre's Golden Eagles in the All-American Bowl.

Irish, with the right coach Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times This one is, to mix my metaphors, a slam dunk. Notre Dame will return to glory as soon as it hires the right coach. People wondered if Southern California could ever win big again after going through the Ted Tollner, Larry Smith, John Robinson II and Paul Hackett years. USC had lost its mojo. Really? The Trojans shot back to the top after hiring Pete Carroll. Programs with tradition have the advantage in having that tradition.

The Carolina Panthers have another injured quarterback. Panthers coach John Fox said Jimmy Clausen sustained a concussion during Sunday's 31-16 loss at Tampa Bay, and indicated the injury might have occurred when Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib dove headfirst into the pile on Clausen's quarterback sneak in the final seconds. "It's hard to say. Could have been any number of plays, but there's a chance it could have happened on the last play," Fox said Monday. Fox, who did not mention Clausen among the Panthers' injured players after the game, said the symptoms developed later.

My apologies for interruptions in this week's blog schedule. I was actually doing real reporting for a change. (I know, crazy talk.) But I still had time to stay on top of my many fantasy football leagues. I completed another draft last week, and I have three more between now and next Thursday's regular season kickoff. I've noticed some trends in the drafts I've conducted so far. Quarterbacks are flying off the board in the first few rounds. There isn't a consensus on the order of the top running backs.

- Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate has turned some heads here, at least after Sunday's performance in the 40-yard dash. Tate ran a 4.36 and a 4.37 in his two attempts, which might persuade someone to take a chance on him in the first round. Even Tate predicted in his interview that he would probably run somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.5. He didn't do quite as well in the pass-catching drills - dropping several balls - but most teams seem comfortable with his hands. Percy Harvin , one of the players Tate thinks he compares favorably with, ran a 4.40 at the combine and a 4.32 at his pro day. Tate was a running back in high school but made the transition to wide receiver fairly quickly.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - -This time, there was no wild celebration when the final seconds ran off the clock in a Navy victory over Notre Dame. The Midshipmen, to be sure, were happy with their 23-21 win that silenced the announced 80,795 inside Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but they just raised their arms and exchanged hugs. "I wanted to jump up and down and run on the field, but I was kind of tired," said senior linebacker Ram Vela, who had nine tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception.

Pittsburgh 41, Cleveland 9 Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Rashard Mendenhall rushed for two touchdowns and Ben Roethlisberger tossed for two more, as the Pittsburgh Steelers abused the Cleveland Browns, 41-9, to capture the AFC North title and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Pittsburgh and Baltimore both ended the regular season with 12-4 records, but the Steelers edged the Ravens for the No. 2 seed by one more division win. Roethlisberger, who has led Pittsburgh to four division titles in seven seasons, ended with 280 yards on 15-of-22 throws, while Mike Wallace caught three passes for 105 yards and a score.

Brian St. Pierre will start at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, Panthers coach John Fox just announced. St. Pierre, a journeyman quarterback who was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad Friday and promoted to the 53-man roster on Tuesday, has thrown five NFL passes in eight seasons. Jimmy Clausen, a rookie out of Notre Dame who was last week's starter against Tampa Bay, suffered a concussion against the Bucs and won't play Sunday.

A familiar face at quarterback will greet the Ravens when they take on the Carolina Panthers Sunday. Brian St. Pierre , who spent the 2005 season with the Ravens , will make his first career start. Panthers coach John Fox chose St. Pierre, 30, over rookie Tony Pike Thursday, according to media outlets that cover the team. St. Pierre fills in for rookie Jimmy Clausen , who suffered a concussion in the team's 31-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday.

The Carolina Panthers may have to turn to another rookie in Tony Pike , the team's third-string quarterback, after rookie Jimmy Clausen suffered a concussion in the team's 31-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday. Clausen, a second-round pick, replaced Matt Moore , who suffered a season-ending right shoulder injury before the game against the Buccaneers. Clausen's availability could determine whether Pike, a sixth-round choice, will start against the Ravens this Sunday.

The Carolina Panthers have another injured quarterback. Panthers coach John Fox said Jimmy Clausen sustained a concussion during Sunday's 31-16 loss at Tampa Bay, and indicated the injury might have occurred when Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib dove headfirst into the pile on Clausen's quarterback sneak in the final seconds. "It's hard to say. Could have been any number of plays, but there's a chance it could have happened on the last play," Fox said Monday. Fox, who did not mention Clausen among the Panthers' injured players after the game, said the symptoms developed later.

Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney spent much of Friday trying to move up in the draft to take Jimmy Clausen, a day after the Notre Dame quarterback was a surprising first-round snub. Hurney couldn't strike a deal, however, and when the Arizona Cardinals traded up to the 47th slot -- one pick ahead of the Panthers -- Hurney acknowledged that he was crushed, sure the Cardinals were going to take him. "I could lie, but I won't," Hurney said. Only the Cardinals passed on Clausen, too. It didn't take Hurney long to pounce -- shaking up Carolina's newly shuffled quarterback depth chart.

N ews item: Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said during Wednesday's "State of the Ravens" news conference that quarterback Joe Flacco is the key to his team's chances of developing into a Super Bowl champion. My take: If this were simply a statement of fact, it would rank on the revelation scale somewhere between "ice is cold" and "you can find my blog - The Schmuck Stops Here - at baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog," but it was pretty apparent that Bisciotti was sending a message to Joe Cool and Co. that he isn't going to be satisfied with the second round of the playoffs every year.

A familiar face at quarterback will greet the Ravens when they take on the Carolina Panthers Sunday. Brian St. Pierre , who spent the 2005 season with the Ravens , will make his first career start. Panthers coach John Fox chose St. Pierre, 30, over rookie Tony Pike Thursday, according to media outlets that cover the team. St. Pierre fills in for rookie Jimmy Clausen , who suffered a concussion in the team's 31-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday.

- Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate has turned some heads here, at least after Sunday's performance in the 40-yard dash. Tate ran a 4.36 and a 4.37 in his two attempts, which might persuade someone to take a chance on him in the first round. Even Tate predicted in his interview that he would probably run somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.5. He didn't do quite as well in the pass-catching drills - dropping several balls - but most teams seem comfortable with his hands. Percy Harvin , one of the players Tate thinks he compares favorably with, ran a 4.40 at the combine and a 4.32 at his pro day. Tate was a running back in high school but made the transition to wide receiver fairly quickly.

N ews item: Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said during Wednesday's "State of the Ravens" news conference that quarterback Joe Flacco is the key to his team's chances of developing into a Super Bowl champion. My take: If this were simply a statement of fact, it would rank on the revelation scale somewhere between "ice is cold" and "you can find my blog - The Schmuck Stops Here - at baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog," but it was pretty apparent that Bisciotti was sending a message to Joe Cool and Co. that he isn't going to be satisfied with the second round of the playoffs every year.