Jimmy Clausen sat out practice on Monday and went back to work on the field Tuesday, admitting he will have to deal with pain in his toe for months to come.

The Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback had hoped that surgery after his season last year at Notre Dame. His right big toe plagued him last year and the surgery delayed his preparation for the draft, one he figured would go much better for him than it did.

“I still don't feel 100 percent, as of right now," Clausen told Darin Gantt of the Charlotte Observer. “The doctor said it would probably be after the season until I feel 100 percent. He said I'd have to play through some aches and pains until the season's over. That's just the nature of football.

“It's some kind of turf toe. A bad case of it, I guess.”

To his credit, Clausen didn’t want to use the injury as a crutch or for excuses. He said the injury wasn’t something he thought about when he played on it for 10 games.

“It was pretty painful,” he said. “It bothers you after the fact. You're not really thinking about it while you're playing.”

Hopefully the Panthers can manage the situation with Clausen he doesn’t wind up missing practice for an extended period of time because he needs all the work he can get.

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