Barkley definitely has a point. As he puts it, it’s not like he’s going out there to defend Luck, or vice versa. That said, it’s always about the quarterbacks in football and when you have two of this caliber playing against one another in a game of this magnitude, that’s the easy storyline.

Matt Barkley joined XX 1090 in San Diego to discuss coming off a victory at Notre Dame, how good it felt to beat that rival on the road, the hype surrounding this weekend’s game against Stanford, the Barkley vs. Luck storyline, if he enjoys seeing his name in lights and standout receiver Robert Woods.

What’s it like coming off the big victory at Notre Dame?:

“Huge win in South Bend and I think it’s what we really needed as a team. We’ve had flashes of greatness on offense and flashes of greatness on our defense at times this year during different games, but I think Saturday we came together as a team and really got a victory that you can say the offense and defense really finished the game out. I think it was great momentum going into this week and we really need it.”

How much does it add to the enjoyment that Notre Dame is a rival, it was a night game, they busted out the new helmets, etc.?

“We knew all that stuff going into the game and I was happy that we didn’t let it affect our preparation or how we got ready for the game. … You can easily be distracted by all that goes around. I was proud of our guys of how we didn’t let that get to us and stuck to Trojan football. But, afterward, we were really happy. It was one of the funnest locker room environments that I’ve been in this year.”

You’ve got Stanford in town this week as well as ESPN. You know this game is going to be hyped:

“Yeah, it’s going to be way more than this last week with Notre Dame with College Gameday and all the hype that it usually gets with a big Pac-12 matchup and Andrew Luck coming to town and all that stuff. But, again, I think it’s going to be huge for our team to just focus on USC football. When we’ve been able to do that this year we’ve been really successful.”

What about the game being billed as Matt Barkley vs. Andrew Luck?:

“I don’t have an issue with it, I just think it’s kind of funny how people will pit me against him. … When during this game am I going to be going against him? I’m going against the Stanford defense, right? I can see how all the hype is built up with two good quarterbacks, but he’s not going to stop me on defense and I’m not going to stop him when he’s on the field.”

But doesn’t it feel good all week just to see you and your name in all the promos?:

“I haven’t seen any of the promos, I don’t know. I don’t like to get caught up in all that stuff surrounding a game. I think it’s great coverage for USC and the Pac-12, but I think once you start getting caught up in that, you lose focus and you lose what you’re trying to get accomplished this week.”

How good is wide receiver Robert Woods?:

“He’s a special player, a really fabulous receiver. He’s grown up even recently. He had a great freshman year and he’s even gotten better this year.”

Listen to Matt Barkley on XX 1090 in San Diego here

The Irish open their season 10 days from today against South Florida. Later, they go to Michigan for a night game, take on Big Ten contender Michigan State, Mountain West contender Air Force and Pac-12 contenders Stanford and USC, just to name a few.

Brian Kelly joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta with Barnhart and Durham to discuss the differences heading into his second year, his starting quarterback Dayne Crist, how winning the last three games a year ago has given the team momentum, the brutal schedule, what he’s still concerned about and how his life has changed in 10 years.

How different is it heading into Year than it was heading into Year 1?:

“All of the analogies would probably hold up — night and day. … This is my fourth program that I’ve coached and Year Two is always a better year in terms of communication. Your players understand what you’re asking them and then they start to obviously, clearly understand what your demands are. We’re at that point.”

On the evolution of starting quarterback Dayne Crist:

“I think this was really about demeanor. His character is absolutely flawless. He’s an unbelievable young man, what he does on and off the field. … What I wanted was a demeanor. At the quarterback position, you’ve got to have a mental and physical toughness to you and Dayne has developed that in the past year. Some of it has to do with his circumstances. He overcame two knee injuries and had a sub-par spring and really had to fight, I think maybe for the first time in his life, for a starting position. … Having to dig down really showed a side that I hadn’t seen before. It goes to his development as a quarterback and as a young man.”

Has winning the last three games last year had any carryover this year?:

“Absolutely. You use words like momentum and confidence, but they are one in the same. When you gain confidence as a football team, that builds momentum and that builds the belief that you can go out and win every game that you play. Those were absolutely crucial as the building blocks going into Year Two where you’re looking for confidence in your football team. … Now, having said that, you want to maintain momentum, you need to win games.”

On the tough schedule:

“Look, if we go undefeated, there can’t be any debate as to whether we play for a national championship. You have to have that kind of schedule because when you’re not in a conference, if an SEC team goes undefeated and a Big Ten team goes undefeated and Notre Dame goes undefeated, we have to get into the national championship game. And the only way to do that is you have to have a great schedule.”

What are you still concerned about or looking at as the season gets closer?:

“Just depth. Year Two in your program, there are generally areas where you’re concerned from a depth standpoint. We addressed our defensive line last year in recruiting. We’ll have to address running back and wide receiver in Year Two. I know who I’ve got in my top 22. You guys know you can’t play with 22. It’s the next level, at some of the skill areas, that I’m concerned about, that we can’t sustain injuries in those areas.”

Less than a decade ago, you were at Grand Valley State, now you’re at Notre Dame. How much have things changed?:

“You know, the coaching does not. I come in the office the same way as I would if I was at Grand Valley State. It’s just a lot more people care at Notre Dame.”

Listen to Brian Kelly on 790 The Zone in Atlanta here

Just three seemingly short years later, Hoke is now the head coach at one of the most prestigious college football programs in the nation at Michigan. Once again he’s charged with resurrecting a program. He’s done it before, and I know for a fact he was passionate about those turnarounds. But listening to him here, he sounds more passionate than ever, which should scare a few Big Ten teams.

Brady Hoke joined ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt to discuss opening camp as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, how he keeps his team from looking ahead to Notre Dame, how quickly his staff can turn around a paltry defense, why their doing so well in recruiting to Michigan, how fast he can restore the program’s honorable spot in the college football landscape and the journey he’s taken to become head coach in Ann Arbor.

What was it like to wake up and know that it was the first day of camp and you were the head coach at Michigan?:

“I think it’s what the morning has been like for 30 years of coaching. You’re excited to get back at it, you’re excited to be with your players and be around them. You get out of some of those administrative things and you get to have fun coaching a great game and really helping kids with life lessons and anything else.”

But, come on, today’s a little different because it’s Michigan:

“There’s no question it’s humbling and we’re very honored to be here and we understand the rich tradition and the legacies. Our job is to be accountable to all those 131 former teams.”

How do you keep your team focused on the season-opener when Notre Dame is looming the week later?:

“You just keep educating your guys about that first impression, because you don’t get a second chance to make that first impression. We’re the 132nd team at the University of Michigan and the legacy of our seniors and to get to the second game, you’ve got to play the first game. We’ve just got to keep focused.”

How quickly can you guys turn the tide after a paltry defense a year ago?:

“We’ve got a tremendous staff. … Those guys do a great job of teaching fundamentals, teaching techniques, talking constantly about the passion that you play defense with. … I think our players, I’m really proud of this group of guys because they’ve heard all the criticism and they’ve just gone to work every day. They had a great summer. … It’s going to be exciting and they have a lot to prove.”

What are you guys doing so well that you have been so successful in recruiting?:

“It’s the University of Michigan. It’s a global education and it’s the winningest program in the history of college football. When you start talking about that and when you see the facilities. … It’s amazing in the changes in the facilities and the things that we have to offer and an education that is second to none. And we’ve got a tremendous staff of guys who work their tales off, they know the lifeblood of the program.”

How quickly can you return this program to its special place in college football?:

“That’s always the $64,000 question. What I can tell you is our seniors have taken ownership. Our seniors have done a tremendous job and that’s where it’s got to start when you look at the work ethic and the things that we want to do as a program on the field and off the field. … We’ll just see where the chips fall at the end of the year.”

If I had told you during the great season at Ball State in 2008 that three years later you would have been through San Diego State and were now coaching in Ann Arbor, what would you have said?:

“I’d have probably told you you made a poor bet. But this has been a lifelong dream. I think and feel so much in my heart about the University of Michigan and what it represents on a national scale, what it represents regionally in the Midwest and the type of football and the guys that have come through this program. Being here for eight years, you really absorb the traditions — the band and the tunnel — and all of those things are a part of being Michigan.”

Listen to Brady Hoke on ESPN Radio here (Interview begins at 32:10)

The Fighting Irish are led by senior guard Ben Hansbrough, who is averaging a team leading 18.5 points-per-game, which is third best in the league. Hansbrough was selected as the Big East player of the year beating out Dwight Hardy of St. John’s and Connecticut’s Kemba Walker. When people watch Notre Dame and see the Hansbrough name they think of his older brother Tyler, who was the national player of the year in 2008 with North Carolina. His little brother is making his mark on the college basketball scene in his senior year.

Ben Hansbrough joined The Dan Patrick Show to discuss who’s the best shooter on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, how surprised is he that Notre Dame is this good, does the Big East eat its own before the NCAA tournament with conference tournament play, who offered him a scholarship, what is his reaction to Jay Wright saying he was a more prepared professional basketball player than Jimmer Fredette and how nervous is he for the 2011 Big East Tournament.

Who’s the best shooter on the team?

“I think we’ve got a lot of great shooters, but you know I’m gonna have to say if we had a shooting contest I’d think I’d take it down.”

How surprised are you that Notre Dame is this good?

“I’m not surprised. I would say it’s more of we’re reaching, we’re starting to strive towards our expectations you know some of the goals that we set at the way beginning of the year. I don’t think it’s surprising it’s just that it’s almost like these goals we’ve set, we are getting closer-and-closer to accomplishing.”

Does the Big East eat its own before the NCAA tournament with conference tournament play?

“Yeah I think that’s one way to look at it, but another way to look at it is the teams have the best mental toughness and always find a way. That’s one thing we’ve done with our focus and our intensity throughout the whole year.”

Give me the schools who offered you a scholarship?

“Purdue, Florida State, no actually they [Florida State] didn’t after I transferred. Basically just Purdue and Oklahoma State and Notre Dame.”

Jay Wright said you were a more prepared professional basketball player than Jimmer Fredette?

“That’s a heck of a compliment you know. Villanova came in here and they caught us on a very emotional night for me on senior night. I don’t think there was anyway we were losing that game, but that’s a heck of a compliment and right now we’re worried about the Big East tournament.”

How nervous are you for the 2011 Big East Tournament?

“I’m not very nervous. I’m confident in this group. I feel like we have to go out and prepare ourselves mentally and physically you know hopefully give our best shot at the Big East Tournament.”

Listen to Ben Hansbrough on The Dan Patrick Show here

Adding to the confusion, they recently dropped road games to St. John’s, which the Irish beat a week before losing by double digits, and Marquette.

I guess instead of trying to figure out the teams, it’s more about figuring out a league that is simply beating itself up. It’s also undoubtedly the best conference out there, and one that senior Ben Hansbrough is trying to win. The victory over Pitt was a start, but the Irish still have some catching up to do.

Ben Hansbrough joined 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis with The Ride to discuss his individual game, whether this season has been a surprise, if he’s lived up to his own expectations, what it was like playing against brother Tyler growing up, the biggest key to closing out the season and if anyone enjoys the game more than he does.

If he surprises defenders with his capability off the dribble:

“I don’t know. I think I’ve kind of got my reputation built up to where guys know that I can take them off the dribble. It’s just a matter of, are they able to stop me sometimes?”

Whether he expected this type of season for himself and Notre Dame:

“Oh yeah, absolutely. That’s one thing we wanted to do in the offseason is set goals for ourselves and talk about how good we could be and reaching our potential. If you look at some of the late last year stretch of the nucleus, the core we put together, we made some great runs. … I think that’ll help us this year. This team’s done a great job of believing in themselves.”

If he embraces this season more than any other:

“I won’t be able to answer that yet. We’ve still got a long way to go.”

Has he lived up to his expectations individually?:

“Individually, I don’t make very many individual goals. My goals, I would say, are probably more team-oriented and my goals have yet to be reached in the Big East Conference or the Big East tourney or the NCAA Tournament. We haven’t got anywhere near those yet.”

What the backyard games were like growing up with brother Tyler:

“They were very good; they were very physical. You almost had to have a referee out there — a basketball referee or a UFC referee, one of the two. They were good; very competitive.”

On the biggest key to closing out the season in the Big East:

“I think the biggest key is to continue to keep our focus as a unit and keep our energy ready.”

Does anyone enjoy playing college basketball as much as him?:

“I don’t know. There’s a lot of guys out there that enjoy the game and I’m just one of them.”

Listen to Ben Hansbrough on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis here

First, speaking after the injury to Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, Brown says the rookie should no longer return kicks after suffering a season-ending injury. Hard to argue with that. Bryant has a had a huge impact this season, and a lot of that has been in the return game, but let him return punts and not kicks so he can have an impact long-term.

Then, Brown takes off on the college football angles. He says Cecil Newton, Cam Newton’s father, shouldn’t be at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. The fact that he could be there is an absolute joke. If you want us to believe he didn’t have any impact on his son’s life to the point that Cam Newton had no idea that his father shopped him, you can’t say that he’s an important enough figure to be at the ceremony.

Then Brown goes on to say that the NCAA shouldn’t be able to rule players ineligible after the fact. There’s no way the NCAA could adopt that because there’s no way to argue that they always have all the facts straight by the time graduation rolls around, but kudos to Brown for at least arguing intelligently.

Tim Brown joined ESPN Dallas with Galloway & Co. to discuss whether Dez Bryant should return punts and kicks when he recovers from his injury, coming back from tough injuries, why Cecil Newton shouldn’t be at the Heisman ceremony, people coming out and saying they didn’t vote for Cam Newton and the history that could be dug up surrounding a lot of Heisman winners.

On whether the Dallas Cowboys should ever use Dez Bryant as a returner every again:

“Well, you know, my second year in the league, in Oakland, I returned a kickoff versus San Diego I tore my knee up and ended up missing the next 15 games of the year. Now, mine was a little different. I saw the guy coming and tried to cut, but the grass gave way. It was in L.A., which, at the time, USC was playing there, it was a pretty beat-up field. I actually told David Wells, who actually lives right down the street from me — and actually Dez Bryant does, too — I told David just a couple two or three weeks ago, I said, ‘Man, talk him out of returning kickoffs.’ … I didn’t think he should be returning kickoffs because he’s 6-2, 6-3, he has sort of a long gait and that doesn’t bode well when you have to make a quick, sudden move. … David hasn’t spoken to me since then. He’s thinking that I sort of brought that about.”

On continuing to return kicks after his injury:

“When I came into the league, the one thing that I realized is that I can return punts and kickoffs in the NFL. I didn’t know about playing wide receiver because at Notre Dame, crazy offenses, but I was very confident as far as being able to return punts and kickoffs. When I tore my knee up, they wouldn’t allow me to return kickoffs anymore. … I wanted to go back and return punts and I did. … I’m the oldest man in the NFL to return a punt. … Punt returns, I always felt like I could protect myself, but kick returns are something totally different.”

On coming back from the injury:

“If you’re going to do something in the NFL, what you really want to do is break a bone because that’s the easiest thing to come back from. Ligaments is something totally different.”

On not wanting Cecil Newton at the Heisman Trophy presentation this week:

“My point is this, if he apologizes and I haven’t heard, he may have apologized, but I don’t think the public has heard that apology. I think he needs to do that first. I think he needs to clear the way, because, if not, then the cameras are going to be squarely on him the whole night. I think it’s sort of unfair to put his son in that position. It’s going to be his son’s biggest night ever … and it’s going to be taken away.”

On whether he voted for Cam Newton:

“Oh absolutely.”

On media members coming out with columns saying they won’t vote for Newton:

“I think that’s absolutely wrong. I think the one thing they give us, they give us a list of eligible players to be voted on. Once these guys are declared eligible then those are the guys that we can vote for. For someone to play judge and jury here, that’s not right. The last thing I would want to have happen, moreso than having the NCAA come back two years from now and say, ‘Oh yeah, we found all this stuff that Cam had done,’ even worse than that to me is giving the award to someone who is not deserving of it.”

On the history of Heisman winners with trouble:

“Well, you know, and this is the question, if they were to go back in everybody’s past, there might be two guys standing up there: Me and somebody else. … This is what I’m saying to the NCAA, if you’re going to declare somebody ineligible, you have to do it in the season of their eligibility. You cannot come back five years from now and cause this kind of a stink. You guys had this stuff on the table at that particular time. … I think it’s awfully wrong of them to put everybody in the position where they can come back five years later and say, ‘Oh yeah, we missed it then but we found something here.’”

Listen to Tim Brown on ESPN Radio Dallas here

Brian Kelly takes that idea a step further by taking over at the preeminent college football program in the history of the sport. And even though some of us may not want to root for the team, he’s the right guy for that job. There is no better way to describe Kelly than to say that he “gets it.” He perfectly understands how to leverage the media, encourage his fans and inspire his team. And he wins football games (171 wins to 57 losses in 19 years over three programs with little recent historical success).

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly joined Dan Patrick to discuss Joe Montana’s claim that most of the move Rudy was not real as well as Montana’s aspirations to get on Oprah to sell shoes, his personal expectations to win every game at Notre Dame, adjusting to the prestigious program and its traditions and how to beat Michigan this week.

On Joe Montana’s claim that Rudy was just a movie and that not everything depicted in it was real:

“I can’t say that. I still think there is Santa Claus. I still think that Joe is really trying to sell these Skecher shoes. I think it’s going to get him probably on Oprah if he keeps it up… A Hollywood movie that’s embellished? Get out.”

On his expectations at Notre Dame:

“Win every game. I don’t come into any game with the thought that, ‘Let’s just play this one close.’ I’d be disappointed to lose any  game we play. I try to carve it up that way, Dan. Big picture, I really carve it up with 12 individual Saturdays throughout the year and wanting to be successful on that given Saturday… I really just have focused on the process more because I think if I’m flying at 35,000 feet and saying, ‘Hey, I’m the coach at Notre Dame.’ And, ‘Hey, we’re going to a BCS game.’ I’d jump out my window with those expectations… But certainly, we talk about championships and being an elite college football team.”

On the biggest adjustment to in-season coaching at Notre Dame:

“It’s a busy week. There are so many things that are wrapped around football here at Notre Dame from the pageantry of the pep rallies to the walk from the Basilica. There is so much leading up to the game that, to be quite honest with you, in the first week, you are almost drained when you get to the football game. We’ve taken safeguards this week to make sure that nobody, including the players are overexposed because it’s such an event on campus.”

On his thoughts in the locker room before his first game at Notre Dame:

“I want to make sure my team plays the same way that I see Notre Dame football teams play and how they should play. That is with the same passion and pride that our fan base has. Our fans wake up and go to sleep thinking about Notre Dame football. As a football team you have to exhibit on the field that same kind of passion and play with that kind of enthusiasm.”

And on how to beat Michigan:

“If we can control (Denard) Robinson. The thing that Robinson does it that he can control the clock. The time of possession. He can limit other offenses because they can control the clock so well with his ability to run the football.”

Listen to Brian Kelly on the Dan Patrick Show.

Jimmy Clausen joined 1010 XL in Jacksonville to talk about whether he is ready to get on with his career and leave all of this pre-draft stuff behind him, whether he has a sense of where he is going to be selected or if he is going to be as surprised as everybody else, and whether it would be an honor to be selected by the St. Louis Rams with the #1 overall pick.

Whether he is ready to get on with his career and leave all of this pre-draft stuff behind him:

“Yeah I kind of am.  I kind of want to know where I will be playing next season and go out there in the next week or so and move out there and get things started.”

Whether he is done talking to teams and if he is just sitting back and waiting for Thursday:

“Yeah I am just waiting as of now.  I think my agent, Gary (Wichard), is talking to teams as we speak for these next few days but for me I am just relaxing and waiting on a phone call this Thursday.”

Whether he pays any attention to the so-called “draft experts”:

“I try not to.  I just try to do what I can do what I can only control which is advice that I got from many of the coaches that I have visited over the past few weeks but I am just having a lot of fun with the process.”

Whether he has a sense of where he is going to be selected or if he is going to be as surprised as everybody else:

“I think I am just going to be surprised.  My agent is telling me one thing but who knows.  The draft is so crazy, one trade or one person jumps up the whole draft day changes.  So I am just going to wait and see what happens on Thursday.”

Whether it would be an honor to be selected by the St. Louis Rams with the #1 overall pick:

“You know it would be great.  Whoever selects me and where I am going to end up playing, I am just going to be happy that I got drafted and can’t wait to get out there and start my new career in the NFL.”

Whether the Jaguars have shown any interest in him:

“Yeah they definitely have.  They came out to watch me throw on Pro Day.  I met with them down at the Combine and my agent talked to them quite a bit.  I was real excited to see them and go meet with them down in Indianapolis and down at my Pro Day.”

Whether he thinks that he is the best quarterback in the Draft:

“You know I am one of them.  I am one of them.  We will see what happens but I am real confident in myself and my abilities but at the same time I am not going to be real blunt and say that I am the best quarterback in the Draft.”

Whether he has talked to his agent about going to the Rams and telling them that he would like to be the number one pick and that he would do it for $40 million guaranteed so that they could secure where he will play: “

No, I haven’t had that conversation with Gary.  That is a valid point but at the end of the day, I don’t think the money really has a lot to do with it.  It is big money, but at the end of the day I think that they are going to pay it to whomever they pick and I think they have to.  I don’t think that has ever happened in drafts previous to this one but it is a good thought.”

Jimmy Clausen on 1010 XL in Jax with Mike Dempsey

Golden Tate joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta to talk about whether he ever thought about coming back to Notre Dame for one more year, what he thought of the Scouting Combine and whether he was satisfied with his forty time, who he tries to pattern his game after, and whether he would like to play for Charlie Weis in Kansas City.

Whether he ever thought about coming back to Notre Dame for one more year:

“I definitely thought about it a few times.  We sat down and thought about it a few times.  We just kind of sat down and thought about what was best for me at this point.  I know that Coach Kelly is definitely is a great coach and he throws the ball a lot and I am a receiver.  Obviously that is a great thing for us receivers and he uses a bunch of receivers.  I didn’t want to leave college but it was time for me to leave.  I evaluated the pros and cons and we thought that the pros outweighed the cons.”

What he thought of the Scouting Combine and whether he was satisfied with his forty time:

“After Indianapolis, I honestly think after that experience that is the toughest job interview in the whole world and I do not care what you are interviewing for.  It is the toughest mentally and physically.  Honestly it surprised me when I ran that 4.3 after going through waking up at six o’clock in the morning, every morning having to do psychological tests, and meeting with coaches and having doctors making sure that I am good enough to play.  So it was really, really tough.  But I made it.  As far as my forty time, I was impressed.  I knew that I was capable of running faster than what they thought that I was going to run.  I trained hard and I got stronger and bought into the program that I am in, which is Athletes Performance.  I think it did me wonders.  When it goes down to nutrition, training, regeneration, everything from top to bottom.”

What kind of player Jimmy Claussen is and how he thinks that he is going to do at the next level:

“I think that Jimmy is going to be great at the next level.  I think that Coach Weis coaching him definitely getting him to where he is now.  We both knew that going into the situation, we are going to have a coach who has won championships and Super Bowls, coaches us – an offensive guru.  We both were in situations where we were going to do good and hopefully we were going to do well.  As far as Jimmy, I think Jimmy is great.  People have questioned his leadership and other things and I think that his leadership is great.  We have all been sick and we have all been hurt, but this guy for some reason, sick, hurt, comes out and plays and puts the team in a better position to win.  So what more can you ask for?  He is always going to give you great effort and he gets the guys around him better more importantly.  I can tell you right now.  Every Monday, Monday was an off-day; he had us the receivers and the tight ends watching film, getting a head start.  So those Tuesday mistakes were limited.  We got to play and we got rid of those.  As far as I am concerned, I think Jimmy will be great in the NFL.  He is a great leader and I think that he is going to have a great career.”

Who he tries to pattern his game after and whether he would like to play for Charlie Weis in Kansas City:

“The first question, who do I pattern my game after?  I see there is two guys.  There is this older guy in the league and his name is Steve Smith for the Panthers.  The guy is built a lot like me, fast, and very physical.  Very physical and not afraid to go across the middle and catch that slant against that big time linebacker that hits hard.  I really appreciate that about him and another, Percy Harvin.  He is a guy new to the league.  I really like what Minnesota did with him and how they moved him outside the slot, outside reverses and use him out of the Wildcat.  I think that I could do all of those things and hopefully bring another dimension to the offense that decides that I could help them.”

Golden Tate on 790 the Zone in Atlanta with Pollack and Bell

For a potential top-5 (or even #1 overall) pick, plenty of questions remain for the quarterback. Who is the real Jimmy Clausen? How long will it take him to adjust to the NFL after his struggles transitioning to the college game? Is he a winner? Those questions are on the minds of several NFL coaches and GMs. And, while we will not be able to answer them for several years, we will know where he will answer those questions on April 22nd at the NFL Draft.

Jimmy Clausen joined the First Call on KFNS in St. Louis to talk about his improvement last season, comments about being cocky, the combine, his foot, and Sam Bradford.

On his improvement last season:

“It was a good season statistically. Coach Weis did a great job in the off-season with watching a lot of tape with me of Tom Brady. We were just cutting down my game and trying to make my turnover margin better. And with interceptions, I think I went from 17  to four last year. ”

On how his style differs from Sam Bradford:

“He has some of the strengths that I have like accuracy. Some other ones that I have are my durability playing with two torn tendons this entire season. And playing under Coach Weis in a Pro-Style offense under center for the past three seasons. And I have four, come-from-behind victories in the fourth-quarter. Just having the ball in my hands in the last quarter or the last play of the game is something I strive on. I just love that feeling of my team coming back and winning the game for my team.”

On his reaction to comments about being “cocky:”

“To be honest, you would have to ask the guys I play with. It’s hard for me to sit here and say that I am a great leader or a great person. You would have to ask guys like Golden Tate or Eric Olsen, my center. I just love the game of football so much. When I am on the field, I am so passionate about it. Some people may say that that’s arrogant or that I am cocky. That’s just my love of the game.”

On his experience of the Combine:

“I just say it was awesome. It was an awesome experience. A lot of guys say it’s long days or tiring, but to tell you the truth, it’s a dream come true. Hopefully here in a few months my name will be called here for the draft. I’ve been thinking about playing in the National Football League my entire life. It’s just a dream come true and I am having fun with the whole experience.”

On his meeting with executives and coaches for St. Louis:

“I met with all of them. They were one of my meetings on Saturday night. It was the second meeting for me. It was a great meeting. I got to meet all those guys for the first time. They are really energetic and I would love to play for them. (Host: Did they indicate that they would bring you in to St. Louis for a meeting?) I think they were talking with my agent about that, but when I went in there we watched a lot of tape and they asked me a few questions and I asked them a few questions. The 15 minutes goes really, really fast.”

And on the health of his toe:

“My toe is feeling better. There was a lot of walking around going on at the combine and I had to get back to Southern California to rehab. But it’s feeling pretty good right now and I’m just getting ready for (my Pro Day) April 9th.

Listen to Jimmy Clausen with the First Call on KFNS in St. Louis