Film Room: Clowney Talks About Upbringing
David Clowney talks to Jane McManus of ESPN New York at his charity event last night.
Read Jane’s compelling profile of Clowney on ESPN, here’s a quick sample.
… Clowney’s life is about trying to make things right. In July, he will bring clothes and supplies to the west African nation of Ghana after an eye-opening trip last March to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. While he could sit back and enjoy the lifestyle of an NFL player fighting for a slice of playing time, he is spending this offseason visiting some of the poorest places in the world.
It’s probably not what people thought he’d end up doing when he was a kid.
"Nobody thought that at all, not even a little bit," Clowney said.
For a young guy coming from such a tough upbringing, Clowney is a guy with a great perspective on life, and we hope that “The Clown” gets the chance to show more of it on the field. His biggest chance will come in the form of the four game suspension to Santonio Holmes early in the season.
35 Responses to Film Room: Clowney Talks About Upbringing
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Great to see that Clowney is dedicating himself to charitable works and giving back to the less fortunate.
I love seeing more of this stuff making the news as opposed to the negative stuff out there. A lot of players in the NFL are really good guys and you don’t hear enough about them and what they do off the field.
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firstdown77 says:
Clowney wasn’t BSing that interview at all…he actually takes his charity work seriously and is dedicated 2 it. Good for him…I respect him a bit more after watching that video.
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juunit says:
Always nice to see, especially when it isn’t just the superstars who have millions to dip into. We all know Clowney has the speed. He’s basically Braylon Edwards v2. Fast, but not so great hands. So I’d like to see them give him the ball and let him make a play instead of just going deep with him. Throw him something underneath and see if he can’t get some extra yardage with his legs. Have him and Edwards running crosses, the sheer speed will put opposing defenses into a panic. Just keep the passes short so somebody is sure to catch it.
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Harvlis says:
If Schottenheimer had a brain, this would be the year of the Clown. Why Schottster didn’t utilize him, last season, is a mystery to me. Speed kills. The third corner of most teams cannot stay with Clowney. It would be nice for the fans, to be able to root for a real hero.
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Harvlis,
I used to feel the same way as you about Schotty’s use of Clowney. Then I realized Clowney possesses literally zero skill other than speed. He can’t run routes and if all he does is run fly routes the defense would be able to eliminate him every play.
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ramble914 says:
Brendan,
Then why the heck are we keeping him? If he is no good, then we should release him and give his spot to someone who can contribute.
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Yeah I agree. But he doesn’t play ever and they didn’t have guys good enough to knock him off the depth charts. Now I think they do.
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Jimbo says:
Yeah, I know he’s doing nice charity stuff and all that…..but I bet that at some point this season he’s gonna be complaining…AGAIN.
I kind of just wish he’d go away already. There’s a reason we keep picking up wideouts and not giving Clowney much playing time; he’s not any good.
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Schottenheimer doesn’t have a brain though.
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Brendan,
If all Clowney had was speed, he would not be in the NFL. He is not a Special Teams player but, he has shown the ability to get deep and to hold on to the ball. How can you possibly come to your conclusions, when Clowney was thrown to less than twenty times, the whole season. Even if Clowney didn’t run good routes (which is something that you just made up) – route running is not something that is genetic. It should be taught by coaches. In addition, the Offensive Coordinator’s job is to design plays to utilize Clowney’s speed. There is no way that Schottenheimer has done that. As the third or fourth receiver in our formations — Clowney could add an important dimension to our offense. Unfortunately, under Schottenheimer, we may never get to see it.
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Eddie DiGio says:
Harvlis
No its not something that he made up…Clowney has the raw deep speed to beat 4th and 5th string CBs in the NFL. But thats about it
Clowney was cut from Green Bay because he did not run good routes. Its common knowledge. Guess Mike McCarthy up there doesnt know what he is doing either….
Funny, Braylon is probably not as fast as Clowney timed speed wise, but he is WIDE open (even though he drops it)…How do you explain that? Braylon doesnt seem to have any problem creating separation…
Clowney is what he is, he is at best a 4th reciever. He has some deep speed but other than that he is not a threat to break tackles and take it to the house like a Santonio Holmes. He is not physical enough to be like Braylon Edwards.
Hes made a few plays against guys who were a little better than I was in college, all in the preseason. He has some juice, but Santonio and Edwards are both better and the Jets dont throw the ball 50 times a game. Not enough targets to go around for a guy who MIGHT hit a pinch hit homerun…
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Harvlis,
I just made it up? Really?
Look, you can disagree with me but don’t tell me I’m just making things up and/or lying to win an argument. I’m not always right, but I don’t just lie on here to prove a point.
If you can tell me one time you’ve ever seen Clowney run a crisp, clean route than please do share. He’s never ran a crisp route that I’ve seen, even in preseason (when it should be easier when he’s going against 5th/6th string players).
“route running is not something that is genetic. It should be taught by coaches.”
Exactly. The Jets have an excellent WR’s coach and he can’t make any headway with Clowney. What does that tell you? Maybe it’s not the coach (who has been at this, and at this successfully, for longer than Clowney has been playing high level football) and the canvas with which he’s being forced to work with? Just maybe?
You can complain about Schotty as much as you like, but when you have a one-trick pony (and I don’t know how you can say Clowney possesses anything other than speed) it’s not very easy to gameplan for him.
So you would rather have Clowney play than one of either Edwards, Holmes, Cotchery or Brad Smith? Are you joking? If you mean during the first four weeks, when Santonio is out, Clowney should get play, well I agree and I think he will. But he and Santonio are on the team for the same role (deep threat) and I think it’s pretty obvious which one should be getting the playing time.
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“route running is not something that is genetic. It should be taught by coaches.”
I dont know how much you’ve coached in your life Harvlis, but I have a little bit…
As much as you think its the offensive coord responsibility to work with the 5th string WR on his route running….they have INDIVIDUAL coaches for that…
Not to mention, when you make it to the NFL, you are EXPECTED to catch on…the team does not WAIT for one guy to catch up to everyone else. You either can or cannot do it. You don’t, you’re out. Like Clowney was in Green Bay and soon to be with the Jets
These NFL coaches spend 16 hours a day at the facility, some of them sleep there, they have a TREMENDOUS workload, watching film and gameplanning for the next week’s game. They really dont have time to say “Hey, lets stop what we are doing so that David Clowney can run routes like a #1 or #2 NFL WR”
That is not a NFL off coordinator’s job. Its something that is learned in high school and college, and either the player picks it up or he doesnt. A WR has to have a natural feel for when to make his cut, how far before he cuts and what coverage the defense is in. Its all improv, on the fly, quick decision making…
So you can tell the guy what route to run, but the end result depends on how smart the player is and how effective the player is on running the specific route. Schotty cant run Clowneys routes for him
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Eddie,
Clowney didn’t get cut from the Packers because he couldn’t run routes. Now, you are making things up. When was the last time you spoke to Packer management? He was cut because they felt they had better receivers. Route running can be taught.
Braylon got open,because the plays were designed to get him open. Clowney is a burner who needs to have plays called for him, to be effective. The same would be true for any receiver.
No, he is not Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, or Jerricho Cotchery but, he has a weapon that could make him very dangerous – speed. If he was used properly, where he was hitting the home run on a regular basis (which I beleive he could do) — you and Brendan would be wearing his jersey, instead of bad-mouthing him because he hasn’t done anything yet.
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Harvlis,
Well, I’m a “grunt” guy so I’d never buy a receiver’s jersey. And speed isn’t exact (playing speed vs. track speed). And Clown’s speed isn’t all that special on this roster, not when Holmes ran a faster 40 than him (4.33/4.35 to 4.36). So speed is a nice skill to have, but it can’t be your only skill. Clowney isn’t a rookie, and he’s not developed a skill set to get him any real playing time. That should tell you something. It’s not a lack of opportunity, it’s a lack of skill.
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AKA Jack says:
Harvlis-
You’re right about one thing, Clowney didn’t get cut by the Packers. The Jets signed him off their practice squad.
But you’re wrong about much of the rest. Clowney made it to the NFL, barely, he was a 5th round draft choice, on his sprinters speed. He was not a polished WR in college and got by because he could just outrun guys. In the NFL, that’s not enough which is why he was on the Packers practice squad to begin with.
Here’s a scouting report from VT:
http://nfldraft.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=1559#scouting
Note this part.
>>The bad: He has the frame to bulk up and must get stronger to win against NFL cornerbacks on a consistent basis. He needs to run better routes and show the ability to come out of his breaks quicker and more crisply.
He has progressed some but he is still not good enough to jump over Edwards or Cotch and now Holmes for a bigger role. He has earned what he has and nothing more.
This isn’t about Schott who you blame for everything but the parking issues. As was noted above, he has a position coach, Henry Ellard, who had an excellent career as a player and as a coach in the NFL. It’s his job to teach and then recommend to the OC who plays.
Clowney seems like a real good kid and I hope he continues to progress but he has been a borderline NFL player his whole career and that’s on him and nobody else.
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miketaliaferro says:
I’ll leave it up to Rex to determine Clown’s physical skills.
What really may be at issue here is his maturity level, which has always been working against him, IMHO.
The whole tweet nonsense was about immaturity, not about what he did, exactly. He didn’t burn the place down or hurt anyone, he just did something really stupid.
But when you take the time to reach out to those worse off than you, you’ll walk away a changed person. You can’t help buy be.
When camp opens, the one issue I’m looking at with Clowney is the Man or Boy thing. Has he grown up? If so, he may be able to do things with his physical gifts that eluded him before.
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Bent says: Jack – ah, but don’t you have to be cut before you go onto the practice squad?
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Bent-
Yes, but you are not cut from the organization. Clowney was the property of Green Bay when the Jets signed him away.
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Brendan,
You’ve never seen him run a crisp route? Stop being ridiculous.
Clowney is a free agent pick up, not a high draft pick. At the current time, he is the fourth or fifth wide receiver. It is up to Schottenheimer, to decide if he wants Clowney to be one of his options. So far, Clowney has been an after-thought. I feel that, if Schottenheimer used Clowney properly, Clowney would do one of two things – draw one of the oppositions fastest defenders or draw the attention of a safety. Either way, it would open up the field for our other receivers. If Clowney gets single covered by a weaker corner — advantage Clowney.
I am not saying that Clowney should be starting over Santonio Holmes or Jerricho Cotchery. I feel that he should be in the rotation and his ability should be utilized. You don’t think much of Clowney, because Schotty hasn’t used him in a way that gives him the opportunity to impress you.
When you ask how Braylon gets open — it is the design of the play that makes it all possible. Clowney’s speed will draw attention. When that happens, the field opens up for eveyone. I have to modify a previous statement — Speed kills — if used properly.
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Let’s be clear Harvlis,
At BEST he’s the 5th receiver. There’s zero chance he’s higher than Braylon, Holmes, Cotch or Smith. He’ll be 4th until Holmes comes back most likely, so I guess you can claim partial points for that.
So you want to use a roster spot for a decoy? I’d rather have Braylon (who has to get the other team’s best defender and draws the safety because he’s a freaking giant) do that while still making catches.
Braylon gets open because he knows how to play receiver. He knows more than simply “run real fast”.
I’m not being ridiculous. I know the game of football very well, I’ve been around it since I was in the womb, and know a sloppy route when I see one. Even fly routes can be sloppy (which Clown’s sometimes are). He’s not a good route runner. Obviously I said never to drive home my point, I can’t reasonably assume he’s NEVER done it, but it’s not like he’s sometimes doing it, he’s very rarely running a good route.
Again with this speed kills stuff. Yeah, it does. But he’s barely faster than the guys in front of him. And don’t forget about Keller. You think Clowney should get reps over Braylon, Holmes, Cotch, B. Smith, Keller, LT or McKnight? I don’t, not for a second. All of those players are bigger playmakers with much more skill.
Clown is a good guy, a little immature, but simply has not improved. You can use the preseason to gauge only a few things, one being skill/form/fundamentals. Clowney just doesn’t have it.
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Jack,
You are right, about the way I feel about Schottenheimer. I do hate the guy. I still feel that we cannot win the big one with him, unless the defense does it by themselves. There are too many things he has done poorly, in my opinion, to go into depth.
In regard to any offensive player, Schotty can make or break them. I have never said that Clowney is this huge star who could be another Wesley Walker. Clowney has rare speed. If he is on our team, Schottenheimer should be utilizing it. Fourteen catches in 2009 is not utilizing Clowney’s speed.
Schottenheimer did the same thing to Leon Washington, prior to the start of the 2009 season. In 2008, they handed off to Leon about five times per game. In 2009, after anyone with a brain screamed at Schottenheimer for this — he was giving the ball to Leon about fifteen times a game.
Schottenheimer wasted Chansi Stuckey, as well. After catching a TD in our first three games of 2008 — Stuckey, was forgotten about.
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“Braylon got open,because the plays were designed to get him open. Clowney is a burner who needs to have plays called for him, to be effective. The same would be true for any receiver.”
So Schotty CAN in fact design plays to get WRs deep over the middle then??? Which is it? First he cant design the plays, then its he only designs them for Braylon Edwards…
He throws the deep balls to Braylon because Braylon can beat DBs on a CONSISTENT basis. Whether its pure speed or setting up DBs, Braylon gets the job done. Clowney does against 2nd rate competition, not when the fur is flying.
Schotty is not the problem and, our WRs are fine. If Clowney had all the tools to be a starter he would have broken through already. Thats how you start in the NFL. You make the play when your opportunities are there. And if its only a few chances, then you make damn sure to make the most of them. Clowney has in the games that dont matter…and has dropped TD passes in Buffalo when it does…
Its ridiculous to blame Schotty for Clowney’s inability to perform against 1st rate NFL competition. Because teams are offering draft picks for Clowney and Stuckey is absolutely setting the NFL on fire right?
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And like Brendan, I often buy defensive players jerseys as opposed to offense…only WR Ive ever had is Chrebet…so I wouldnt buy it either
I bought you a Schottenhiemer jersey…instead of where the numbers go it says “OC”
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Harvlis-
I’m not going to argue with you about Schott. These arguments rarely change anyones mind and they generate a lot more heat than light.
I’ll just say I’m with Rex on this one.
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Not to mention that lets see what Schotty can do with Braylon, Santonio, JCo and Keller lining up…
To be fair, the guy has never had a WR corps like that in his tenure here…
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Where do I begin? I love getting you guys worked up.
Eddie,
Your argument is childish. My problem with Schottenheimer is not the design of his plays. I have never stated that he can’t design a play. If you don’t like Clowney or have any respect for his ability – that is fine. All I am saying is that Schottenheimer, in my opinion, has not utilized Clowney properly. I believe that, if he did, Clowney would open up the field for our other weapons and catch the occasional bomb. Clowney has never embarrased himself on the field. He just has not been given the opportunity. If he was given the opportunity and was proven to be lacking in ability — he would have been long gone. He is still here, because they know he has talent and they haven’t tapped it yet.
Jack,
If it wasn’t for Rex stepping in to the Offensive meetings and telling Schottenheimer to rein in Sanchez — we would not have been in the playoffs. I don’t think that Rex has told Schottenheimer what he should or should not do with Clowney.
Eddie,
Schottenheimer has had plenty of weapons and a top-flight O-LIne, during his Jet tenure. This year he has no excuses. I can’t wait for his first reverse, during a rain storm.
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Harvlis
“Schottenheimer has had plenty of weapons and a top-flight O-LIne, during his Jet tenure. This year he has no excuses.”
Real quick where do I begin…First they put that O line together two years ago and he’s been here for 4, so how does that work again? Secondly, they never had a competent WR in a WR driven league that stood 6’2 or taller. Schotty may have had some guys with potential as rookies or just starting out, but this is the first year you can honestly say that he has a finished product on the offensive side of the ball. That statement in itself is just wrong and an outright falsehood. I dont know how many different ways and by different people your points get be refuted, but here it goes again
Childish???
Ok guy…Ive got some news for you. You dont know as much about football as you think you do and you dont know half as much as Brian Schottenhiemer does.
Not for nothing, but aren’t you the same guy who clamored for Eric Ainge to start in Tampa Bay this year when Sanchez was hurt, and criticized Schott for starting Clemens in a must win game??? Lets get serious…
Ive played football my entire life in both high school and college. Coach and scouted most of my adult life as well.
And in my experience, you get more opportunities by making the most of the few you get when you start out. No one GIVES you anything. You earn it. You make the coach look to you more by PRODUCING. You seize the moment. Your argument sounds like you’ve never competed in athletics in your life. Just blame the coach, “its not on the player fault, the coach doesnt use me right”. Im not trying to be nasty, but guys who I played with who sucked thought that way. Sorry, Im just sayingNow Clowney earned a look with his play in the preseason, then he didnt do much when the real games started. No seperation, no big plays. JCo got nicked up with a hammy this year, and did Clowney distinguish himself? Nope.Just a few routine catches and a dropped TD in Buffalo and a drop that resulted in an INT in the AFC Championship. And a lot of Twitter posts that made Rex bench his behind.
Spare me. You can think what you want, but I know how the inner workings of a football team work, and the reason why Clowney is where he is and why the Jets went out to get Santonio. And your incessant axe-grinding with Schotty just shows that you cannot possibly be the least bit objective when looking at an issue like this, because you detest the man.
Will see if Clowney produces, and if he ever becomes a #1 or #2 somewhere, you’ll get an apology…until then he’s a 5th WR who will get balls in the preseason or when the capable guys get hurt…Marcus Mason led the NFL in rushing in the preseason but I guess his O Cord is a moron too…
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Harvlis, on May 19th, 2010 at 7:43 pm Said:
Where do I begin? I love getting you guys worked up.
Eddie,
Your argument is childish. My problem with Schottenheimer is not the design of his plays. I have never stated that he can’t design a play.
Harvlis, on May 19th, 2010 at 2:20 pm Said:
“In addition, the Offensive Coordinator’s job is to design plays to utilize Clowney’s speed. There is no way that Schottenheimer has done that.”
Thats where you said it….like I said, you are pulling a Hank and shifting the argument to suit yourself
And another FYI, when you make the practice squad, you in effect, DO GET CUT, because you are not on the 53 man active roster, you dont get credit for being on the team and any team that wants to sign you, can…
So Im not making things up as I go along, I just didnt word it correctly
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“I feel that, if Schottenheimer used Clowney properly, Clowney would do one of two things – draw one of the oppositions fastest defenders or draw the attention of a safety. Either way, it would open up the field for our other receivers. If Clowney gets single covered by a weaker corner — advantage Clowney.”
Its that easy huh? That simple. The defense doesnt run the same coverage every play…do you even understand how coverages are rolled to one side. This isnt Tecmo Super Bowl on Nintendo. You sound like Al Davis…just chuck it up there and the fast guy runs under it…
No guy, if it were that simple, Hussain Bolt, Johnny Lamb Jones and Rocket Ismail would be immortal WRs…
But they aren’t because D Coords are a whole hell of a lot smarter than that, starting NFL CBs are more talented than that….
Speed is part of it, but route running, quickness out of cuts, timing between a QB and WR and football IQ are also very large parts of the equation…all areas where Clowney is sub par for an impact WR in the NFL….
Hes good enough to beat borderline players, its not Schotty fault, Clowney needs to improve to get more targets, and Im right and you are wrong…
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Eddie,
I’m sorry that I hurt your ego so badly that you had to tell me about your complete sports background. My statments are opinions and you haven’t put a dent in anything that I have said. You can make excuses for Schottenheimer all day. He has had as much or more talent than any team in football, for years.
An OC controls who is used in the offense, designs plays for those players, and his choices dictate how much a player gets on the field and how much he contributes. At that point, the player has to show that he belongs and can enhance the offense. Clowney barely saw the playing field and has never had a serious role in the offense. Your contention is that he is not a good player, hence his small role. My feeling is that he could be a useful part of our offense but Shottenheimer is not using him properly. I feel that Schottenheimer did the same thing to Leon Washingtion in 2008,
With the depth that we have now, Clowney may not even make the team. In sports, many players need things to fall into place for them. They might need to make a big play to get noticed or they need a coach who sees something in them. If that doesn’t happen, sometimes a player never gets the opportunity to shine. I think, if given the opportunity, Clowney could shine. You don’t. Argument over.
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Great job Harvlis by restating everything you’ve posted previously….guess when you’ve got nothing else to say, just repeat yourself
Me 1
You 0
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You didnt hurt my ego., just my patience and belief that Jets fans are somewhat knowledgeable because I cannot believe that a rational person who has ever played or coached football would actually believe the stuff that you post. Not to be nasty, but a lot of people leave posts telling me “Hey Eddie, that was really good stuff” or “you’re on the money 99.9 % of the time” or ” thanks for explaining something that 90% of the bloggers would not know”. I read this site everyday, I dont see that for you. Im just trying to shed some light on subject that I happen to know alot about, probably more than the average fan. Thats all. Im not always right but when I make it a point, you better believe I have some experience with the issue at hand.
Not to mention you based your whole argument on the Jets being in 3 or 4 wide sets with the defense in man to man press coverage every play with Clowney always having the speed advantage….and that is not taking into account different defensive personnel groupings, the offense having to account for blitz pickups etc. Like Ive try to tell you, its not that simple. The offense doesn’t know what coverage the defense is in until the play has already been called and they are walking to the line of scrimmage. All the matchup stuff means squat if you cant block the blitz. So sometimes even if Schotty has his best intentions to throw David the rock, it gets canceled at the line of scrimmage. Now since you have chose to ignore this, you probably don’t understand a word of what Ive tried to say to you.
Got news for you,
1- Defenses in the NFL play zone as well…if the coverage is Cover 3, a third of the field is covered by 3DB s protecting the deep ball and because they have help, they arent overly concerned with David Clowney. Now I remember seeing Clowney on the field in those sets, just remember the defenses being concerned with Braylon, and who may have dropped the ball but did get open, I just dont remember seeing Clowney do much of well,…anything
2- That 4.3something speed is negated when you cant get off the press at the line of scrimage. Darius Heyward Bey ran a hell of a 40. But Louis Murphy was the Raiders best WR. The speed kills thing is true. But only when you have the other tools it takes to utilize that speed to its utmost capacity. Reggie Wayne probably runs a 4.5ish 40. But he is smart and understands the nuances of the game. The scouting reports and coaches decisions have clearly indicated Clowney needs to improve in those areas. Thats why he doesnt get the chance, as you say
3- Where in the history of Schotty as a Jet, has he had the likes of Brady, Moss, Welker and Watson, or Manning, Wayne Clark Addai and/or E James in his prime or Warner Fitzgerald Boldin Breaston or Brees Colston Shockey Bush or Aikman Novacek Irvin and Emmitt….
WHEN????You want to go with the combo of (06)Chad-JCo-Coles Baker or Curtis Martin for 6 games/Kevin Barlow or Clemens- Coles-JCo- TJ and no O line or Chad-JCo-Brad Smith Baker and TJ with no oline…yea those guys kept D Coords up ALL NIGHT… The closest thing to that was when Favre-JCo Coles-Keller-TJ and that itself was flawed because of no deep threat (Coles was on his way out and is SHOT now,) Keller a rookie and Favre running his own show and not knowing the offense…and I still think they set Jets offensive records. You want to say this year there is no excuse, thats fine. But the only person making excuses is you, for Clowney.
Im not always a fan of SChotty play calls but he is improving, he is a young coach, and Im willing to give him the chance to take it to the next level. Everyone else seems to feel the same way but you
I would hope this puts an end to or atleast puts the character issue into perspective. Outside of his tweet that showed him worrying about job security when Holmes was traded for, (and really who wouldn’t feel that way if your boss bought in somebody that could mean you could get layed off) every article about the Clown talks about him helping in a charitable way. And he always gets his teammates involved. Excellent character guy, right? While fans route for him to make it their have been enough comments saying the clown should go. And there has been any mention by the main media that this guy is here when they knock us for letting character go. That is because talent is more important than character EXCEPT if you are the New York Jets!
P.S. I hope the Clown makes it and not just in the offseason.