(SI) Article on Carr

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/michael_silver/06/08/texans/2.html

Well-armed
Texans' Carr finally has pieces to prove he's elite QB
Posted: Thursday June 8, 2006 9:19AM; Updated: Thursday June 8, 2006 4:38PM

The Texans have upgraded their personnel around David Carr and expect the QB to benefit in 2006.

As a high-stakes horseman with Triple Crown aspirations, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair has learned that motivating his athletes can be a dicey proposition. For instance, with Congaree, who finished third in the 2001 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, McNair used to fire up the colt by rubbing his gums before big races -- a strategy he may attempt to replicate this Saturday in New York, when his prized 3-year-old, Bob and John, runs in the Belmont Stakes.

"When I did that to Congaree, people would say, 'What are you doing?' but he absolutely loved it," McNair recalled Wednesday from the Texans' practice field, where he attended the first practice of a three-day minicamp before flying east to get down to business on the backstretch. "But with some of the colts who are more rambunctious, you have to watch your fingers."

Inspiring football players, at least in theory, should be a more reliable process. But it can be argued that in the Texans' first four seasons as the NFL's 32nd team, McNair and his principle hires, general manager Charley Casserly and coach Dom Capers, failed to fire up the franchise's prized thoroughbred -- quarterback David Carr.

Since being selected with the top pick of the 2002 draft and immediately stepping into the starting lineup, Carr has established himself as a resilient yet pedestrian performer who nonetheless commands the unerring confidence of his employers. Some believe that the franchise's incessant coddling of Carr -- along with an overmatched offensive line and unwise scheme -- has contributed to the passer's career flatline.

"But the good news," says one former Texans official, "is that those days are finally over."

Indeed, though Carr has been given yet another vote of confidence in the offseason -- the team reaffirmed its commitment by paying him an $8 million roster bonus in February, then passed on taking hometown hero Vince Young with the top pick in the draft -- he is being reminded of his fallibility on a near-constant basis by new coach Gary Kubiak.

"I've got to be on my game when I come out here, because [Kubiak's] on everything that I do, from the snap count to end of the play," Carr said after Wednesday's spirited practice. "I get called out regularly in the team meetings -- and you know what? It's kind of nice. He puts a lot on you, but at the same time he has so many more answers than he does critiques. And I do appreciate the attention."

Carr is wise to respect Kubiak's offensive expertise, developed during the Houston native's 11 years as MikeShanahan's offensive coordinator in Denver. He knows Kubiak could've come in and demanded his own guy, and he's grateful that all the power-brokers in the organization -- McNair, Casserly (since replaced by Rick Smith) and the incoming coach -- made him feel so secure from the start.

"I never had any feeling from them but confidence and respect for me as a player," Carr says. "Being on a 2-14 football team, that's a lot to ask."

This was one time that Carr, while under intense pressure, was able to avoid getting sacked.

Now the quarterback, who has spent an alarming portion of his career on his back -- he has been sacked 208 times in 59 starts, including an NFL-record 76 as a rookie -- is looking forward to throwing passes without a posse of salivating defenders in his grill.

"You can't throw the ball if you're lying on your back," McNair says. "In my mind people don't give David enough credit -- he got beat up time and time again and kept getting up off the mat and demonstrating his toughness. I expect our offensive line to improve, which means David's going to have more time to throw this year. And with Gary's scheme he's going to be getting the ball off quicker and rolling out and throwing on the run."

Would you buy a used Carr from this man? Kubiak did, and McNair says that the six other head-coaching candidates he interviewed after firing Capers in late December concurred that the quarterback was salvageable. Says the owner, "I asked all of them, 'Can he take us where we want to go?' And every one of them said, 'Absolutely.'"

As a noted quarterbacks guru who'd shied away from head coaching opportunities in the past, Kubiak, had he felt so inclined, likely would have told McNair he wished to bring in another quarterback, either via the draft, free agency or both. Most likely he'd have gotten his wish. But after taking the Texans' job, Kubiak went back and watched tape of every play of Carr's NFL career, concluding that the passer's toughness and athleticism overrode his inconsistency and sloppiness.

"I'd been down that same road with [Jake] Plummer the previous offseason, when Mike and I were deciding whether to keep him or go a different way," Kubiak says. "It's easy to make changes; it's tougher to say, 'We've got the right guys and we've just got to get them going in the right direction.'"

That said, Kubiak's devotion to Carr has not been unconditional. The quarterback may have received a fifth year on scholarship, but if he doesn't perform far better than he has in the past, you can bet he'll soon be in JoeyHarrington/Kyle Boller land, to name a couple of other former NFL starters, like Fresno State alum Carr, who were once mentored by Cal coach Jeff Tedford.

"We've got to work him out of some of those bad habits he developed as a pro," Kubiak says of Carr. "Already I've put him through about three camps' worth of intensive instruction, which makes sense, because he had to make the most progress of anyone."

Asked about his propensity for pointing out Carr's flaws in a highly conspicuous manner, Kubiak laughs and says, "He knows I'll be there for him."

Carr, in turn, has been more vocal than in the past, according to some of his teammates. "From what the guys tell me he's more confident than ever before," says veteran wideout Eric Moulds, whom the Texans regard as their key offseason acquisition on offense.

Was that enough? Some Texans fans remain unconvinced. After Houston passed on Reggie Bush (as well as on Young and Matt Leinart) and selected North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams with the top pick in the draft, McNair, like Lucy Ricardo, had some "splainin" to do to a fan base wondering what had been done to improve the league's 30th-ranked offense.

The owner's pitch: Moulds, a former Bills All-Pro who has quietly been one of the league's better receivers for a decade, and fourth-year wideout Kevin Walter, formerly of the Bengals, will combine to take the heat off young receiving star Andre Johnson. Kubiak will do for Domanick Davis or some lesser-known halfback what he and Shanahan did for out-of-nowhere standouts Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson and Reuben Droughns in Denver. Ex-Broncos tight end Jeb Putzier will provide another threat on passing downs, and a pair of third-round draft picks, tackles Charles Spencer and Eric Winston -- along with the expertise of former Packers coach Mike Sherman, now an assistant head coach/offense for the Texans -- will lead to improved offensive line play.

And, of course, the scheme will be better in general.

"This offense is refreshing," Carr says. "It's crisp, and there aren't too many holes in it. It gets the ball out of my hand faster, and it always gives you a way out of every situation. The coaches tell us, 'When we call plays, we're guessing, but don't guess when you go through your reads. There will always be somewhere to go.'"

Carr knows his learning curve had best go in a steep upward trajectory, and soon. Given the immense financial commitment McNair has made to the franchise, and the limited returns he has received to this point, the owner understandably expects a dramatic turnaround from his quarterback and his team in 2006.

Asked Wednesday if patience is one of his strong suits, McNair replied, "I'm sort of like the buzzards sitting on a fence in that old story. One says to the other, 'Patience? Hell, I'm gonna go out and kill something.' That's sort of where I'm at, and sort of where Gary's at. We want to win the first game and go from there."

In other words, the gum-rubbing days are over for Carr, no matter how well Bob and John runs on Saturday.

 

P**r b*st*rd has been bust-ed up mercilessly.

 

Poor decisions, yes...born of sieve of OL without system support to mask that problem. At least I like to think so. Otherwise, what a bust. But, DC remains with at least one good op left.