Panthers head coach John Fox said in his Monday morning press conference that the team would start rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen next week, bringing a heated debate to an end just hours after it began.

Fox said that the team “(has) to spark our offense, in particular the passing game.”  An obvious declaration from the head coach, but a refreshing one given Fox’s past of hedging for days on end about decisions like this.  Since he came to town in 2002, Fox has been infamous for his press conferences, mostly because you can listen to the man talk for twenty or thirty minutes and realize when he walks off the podium that you haven’t, in fact, learned anything at all. (more…)