[NFL.COM] Great Article comparing Carr and Harrington.

Upon further review: Week 4


By Seth Polansky
NFL.com


(Oct. 2, 2005) -- Are David Carr and Joey Harrington the answer at quarterback for their respective teams? Unfortunately, maybe not -- but for different reasons.

Both were drafted at the top of the 2002 NFL Draft and both were made starters immediately. And after three full seasons, one would expect great play from the duo. But their teams are still waiting. In Week 4, they were given the chance to win their games to quiet their critics. Both trailed by less than a touchdown and had the ball in their hands for one last drive late in the fourth quarter. But that's the way those games ended -- losses by less than a touchdown. Carr's Texans are 0-3 and Harrington's Lions are 1-2.

Both quarterbacks came out the chute firing on their first drives Sunday. It was like they were staring at signs all around the stadium reminding them of the pressure they're under. Whereas Carr looked good despite being sacked once, Harrington looked jittery. And that was a common theme throughout the game.


David Carr is used to looking toward the sideline and getting the same play called in.
Carr was under constant pressure, as he always is, but didn't seem afraid and stepped up in the pocket to make his throws. It almost seemed by design that he would take a five-step drop, wait for the pocket to collapse, take two steps up and fling one just a few yards downfield. And that's Carr's undoing … not throwing the long ball.

With all the blitzes being thrown at the Texans' front, it would make sense that the receivers would consistently be open down the field. But constant conservative play-calling has the receivers running short routes when expecting the blitz instead of taking off downfield and possibly getting past the cornerbacks, who are all alone defending them. The team might have fired offensive coordinator Chris Palmer after two games, but Week 4's offensive game plan looked very similar to the ones from the previous two contests, and from the previous two seasons for that matter.

Houston is looking at yet another long season. If that offensive line -- which has played together for a couple years now -- can't protect Carr, then it doesn't matter how good the skill-position players are. Domanick Davis is a great runner, but there's only so much he can do while averaging 16 carries and 62 yards rushing a game. The Texans are constantly throwing late in games because they are always trailing. Andre Johnson is the only major receiving threat, and defenses have him double covered on every snap. Before his three catches for 38 yards against the Bengals, he had seven catches in two previous games for 38 yards. That's an unbelievably low average of 5.4 yards per reception for the third overall pick from the 2003 draft.

It seems Carr does have what it takes. It seems Houston doesn't have what it takes. Carr throws the short ball very well. He is accurate and has a zip. He just needs head coach Dom Capers to take the leash off the playbook and spread the field. The longest pass play so far this season covered 28 yards.

Harrington, on the other hand, might be crumbling under the weight of expectations to be the savior of the Lions. He is surrounded by an up-and-coming receiving trio, yet he is only completing 53.4 percent of his passes and averaging 167 yards a game. Harrington has exactly 500 yards passing on the season. Marc Bulger had 442 in his Week 4 loss to the Giants alone.

Watching Harrington drop back to pass is like watching someone trying not to fall through a sheet of ice into a freezing lake He's always on his tip-toes, and he never gets settled. Harrington's throws are usually high or behind his receivers. It's hard to follow through when you're jumping around the pocket like a little kid in a carnival bounce house. This was most evident on a third-quarter pass to Roy Williams. The wideout was open coming across the middle on first down and approaching the left sideline, but Harrington threw it too far behind Williams. He was sacked on the next play and an incompletion on third down forced the Lions to punt after starting with great field position. Harrington was too fidgety to even complete an easy one.

Harrington also looked rattled by the impending blitz all game. When he thought the vaunted Tampa Bay defense was going to bull rush, he checked off to draws and delays. The Bucs defense was too smart for that, plugging the gaps and stuffing Kevin Jones to the tune of 38 yards on 12 carries. It's almost as if Harrington was too scared to take the game into his own hands. The pressure has gotten to him.

Even when Harrington was given a chance to redeem himself, the main play-calling was run, run, run. Terrence Holt intercepted a Brian Griese pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it 51 yards to the Buccaneers' 23-yard line, and it looked like the Lions would rally for the improbable win. On third-and-5, Harrington completed a pass to Mike Williams for 11 yards over the middle and it was first-and-goal! But then everything went conservative. Jones for no gain; Jones for two yards. Facing third-and-goal from the 5, Harrington wasn't close on a pass to Marcus Pollard as he was flushed out of the pocket. Once again, nerves came into play. After the field goal, Detroit ended up losing by four points.

For every Peyton Manning, Michael Vick and Carson Palmer, there is a Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith and Tim Couch. But we're going as far as to compare Carr and Harrington with the latter three names on that list. These two will have a bit more success. But what if Carr was Detroit's starting quarterback? Now that would be interesting.


Wow, great article that puts things into perspective.....