Jimmy Clausen Named Panthers' Starter

The M

att Moore era in Carolina might be over after less than two games.

Head coach John Fox confirmed on Monday that rookie Jimmy Clausen will replace Moore as Carolina's starting quarterback for next Sunday's game against the Bengals. Clausen stepped in to replace an ineffective Moore in the fourth quarter of the Panthers' Week 2 loss to the Buccaneers.

Moore looked good during the Panthers' strong finish to a poor 2009 season, but with the Panthers sitting at 0-2 in a division with no other winless team, Fox has apparently decided that it's better to hurry up and make a move rather than wait to see if Moore can get straightened out.

Clausen wasn't exactly a standout himself when he came in to relieve Moore. Clausen was 7 of 13 with 59 yards and an interception on Sunday. Moore was more erratic, but did show better big-play potential with a 6 of 16, 129-yard day that included one touchdown, one interception and four sacks allowed.

The Panthers' offense as a whole has struggled to do anything this year. Carolina has just two touchdowns in two games, after failing to score any offensive TDs in the preseason. Clausen, the team's second-round pick out of Notre Dame, will face a tough test against an excellent Bengals secondary that picked off four Joe Flacco passes Sunday.

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