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Chiefs to give Clausen chance
Ex-UT quarterback not drafted, forced to sign free-agent deal
By MIKE GRIFFITH, knsgriff@aol.com
April 26, 2004
It was a long Sunday afternoon for quarterback Casey Clausen at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Gathered around the television set with relatives, Clausen watched 17 other quarterbacks have their names called in two days of the NFL draft.
"I was like, 'Unbelievable,' '' Clausen said. "I know I'm one of the best 17 quarterbacks in the nation.''
Clausen said late Sunday night he'll begin his NFL career at Kansas City.
Kansas City's offensive coordinator, Al Saunders, is one of the men credited with designing Tennessee's current base offense when he was an assistant at UT in 1982 under Johnny Majors.
"It's an explosive, quarterback-friendly system where you get the ball to the playmakers,'' Clausen said. "I think it's a really good fit for me and I'm excited about it.''
Clausen said the three teams that had shown the most interest in him prior to the draft were Kansas City, St. Louis and the Tennessee Titans.
"I talked to coach (Mike) Martz before the draft and he asked me, being a four-year starter and putting up all those numbers, why did I think I wasn't rated higher,'' Clausen said. "I told him that from what I'd heard about the NFL's evaluation process, it doesn't start until your junior year, and the tapes from my junior year were the first impression of me that a lot of teams got.
"I thought I could overcome that with my senior year, but I guess not.''
Clausen said the thing he finds most surprising is the perception by some that he was a better quarterback as a sophomore than a senior.
"You look at who I had to throw to my sophomore year, Donte (Stallworth), Kelley (Washington), Jason (Witten) and E.P. (Eric Parker), all guys in the NFL,'' Clausen said. "Last year, I had better numbers working with younger receivers. Also, the teams my sophomore and senior year had identical records in the regular season at 10-2, and this year we went down and beat Miami.''
Clausen, who ended his career second to NFL star Peyton Manning in the Tennessee record books in most passing categories, said he's prepared for what's ahead.
"The bottom line is I have to go in there and perform,'' said Clausen, who reports to the Chiefs on Thursday. "When I line up and throw with the guy next to me, it's not going to matter who was drafted or what round.
"Coach (Dick) Vermeil said I'll have an opportunity to compete for the third-team job, and that's all I can ask.''
Clausen said not being drafted will not effect his confidence.
"I know what kind of player I am and what I can bring to a team,'' Clausen said. "As far as not being drafted, football isn't about money to me. It's about winning games.''
Good luck, Iceman.
Ex-UT quarterback not drafted, forced to sign free-agent deal
By MIKE GRIFFITH, knsgriff@aol.com
April 26, 2004
It was a long Sunday afternoon for quarterback Casey Clausen at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Gathered around the television set with relatives, Clausen watched 17 other quarterbacks have their names called in two days of the NFL draft.
"I was like, 'Unbelievable,' '' Clausen said. "I know I'm one of the best 17 quarterbacks in the nation.''
Clausen said late Sunday night he'll begin his NFL career at Kansas City.
Kansas City's offensive coordinator, Al Saunders, is one of the men credited with designing Tennessee's current base offense when he was an assistant at UT in 1982 under Johnny Majors.
"It's an explosive, quarterback-friendly system where you get the ball to the playmakers,'' Clausen said. "I think it's a really good fit for me and I'm excited about it.''
Clausen said the three teams that had shown the most interest in him prior to the draft were Kansas City, St. Louis and the Tennessee Titans.
"I talked to coach (Mike) Martz before the draft and he asked me, being a four-year starter and putting up all those numbers, why did I think I wasn't rated higher,'' Clausen said. "I told him that from what I'd heard about the NFL's evaluation process, it doesn't start until your junior year, and the tapes from my junior year were the first impression of me that a lot of teams got.
"I thought I could overcome that with my senior year, but I guess not.''
Clausen said the thing he finds most surprising is the perception by some that he was a better quarterback as a sophomore than a senior.
"You look at who I had to throw to my sophomore year, Donte (Stallworth), Kelley (Washington), Jason (Witten) and E.P. (Eric Parker), all guys in the NFL,'' Clausen said. "Last year, I had better numbers working with younger receivers. Also, the teams my sophomore and senior year had identical records in the regular season at 10-2, and this year we went down and beat Miami.''
Clausen, who ended his career second to NFL star Peyton Manning in the Tennessee record books in most passing categories, said he's prepared for what's ahead.
"The bottom line is I have to go in there and perform,'' said Clausen, who reports to the Chiefs on Thursday. "When I line up and throw with the guy next to me, it's not going to matter who was drafted or what round.
"Coach (Dick) Vermeil said I'll have an opportunity to compete for the third-team job, and that's all I can ask.''
Clausen said not being drafted will not effect his confidence.
"I know what kind of player I am and what I can bring to a team,'' Clausen said. "As far as not being drafted, football isn't about money to me. It's about winning games.''
Good luck, Iceman.
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