OzzO
.. and then?
Carr taking charge on, off the field
In the beginning, David Carr did what quarterbacks typically do. He took charge.
"He wanted to give every shot, do every test," David's father, Rodger, said. "He wanted to find out everything he could about the disease. That's his nature."
Actually what David Carr wanted to do in the very beginning was cry. He wanted to know why his 4-year-old son had to get sick with juvenile diabetes in the first place. He wanted to know if Austin Carr would still be able to run and play with the other kids. He wanted to know if Austin could play football.
"You wonder why," David Carr said. "You're shocked. We questioned it for a couple of days. But our faith never wavered."
Son comes first
Melody Carr first noticed Austin acting differently around the end of last football season. He was consuming large amounts of water, acting lethargically and taking frequent naps. He wasn't his same energetic self.
"She has a great sense about her kids," David Carr said. "She knows two days in advance if they're going to have a cold. She could tell something wasn't right."
Melody didn't know what to expect when she took Austin to the doctor. Even when the doctors told David and Melody their son had the disease, they had questions. They had heard of it, and they had seen people wearing bracelets, but they hadn't really paid attention.
Funny how real life sticks its ugly head through the front door at the oddest times and starts rearranging the furniture.
David Carr had other things on his mind. He was an NFL quarterback, the man the Texans were building a franchise around. He was one of those rare people with looks and brains and personality.
David Carr was going places. He felt he was getting there, too. He had crossed a threshold of sorts in January after his third NFL season. That season ended with an embarrassing 22-14 loss to Cleveland, but that one defeat led the Texans to look at themselves harder than they had before.
Loss was wake-up call
So poised and so careful with his words for most of his career, Carr seethed with anger after that game. He hinted at internal problems, at things that needed to be fixed before the Texans could even think of making the playoffs.
"It was the frustration of knowing the talent you have on the team is not matching up with what you're producing on the field," he said. "I felt last year we were a playoff team. We were good enough. We fell way short of that."
He was sacked 49 times last season to bring his three-year NFL total to 140. Carr knew if he kept getting hit, there would be long-term consequences.
That last game had ended badly. Carr had been booed. A fan had thrown a cup of beer at Melody.
He was swirling with anger and frustration when he asked to meet with head coach Dom Capers a few days after the season. Carr told him something had to be done. He said he couldn't keep getting hit the way he had been getting hit.
He couldn't have known it, but the Texans already were having meetings on that very subject. General manager Charley Casserly essentially ordered Capers to have offensive coordinator Chris Palmer fix the pass protection.
By the time the Texans returned to the practice field last week, their offense had been dramatically changed. They have added an array of quick throws, timing routes and new pass-blocking schemes. When they do throw down the field, they are going to keep extra men in to block for their quarterback.
Why they allowed their quarterback to be sacked 140 times before doing something so basic is a discussion for another day.
Capers has installed a buzzer at practice to remind Carr how much time he has to release the ball. Depending on the route, Carr typically has 2.6 to 3 seconds to unload it.
The immediate result will be more short throws, more dump-offs to backs and tight ends. But Carr believes as opposing defensive backs adjust to the short stuff, the deep routes will develop.
"I think the way the season ended might be positive in some way," Carr said. "I don't think we'd have made these changes and looked so hard at our offense if we'd have won that game. If we'd have won, we would have rode off into the sunset and said, 'OK, everything is great.' "
Decision to go public
Against this backdrop of change and optimism, David Carr learned that his son had a disease that could require insulin injections and a vigilant monitoring of his blood sugar and diet for the rest of his life.
Shortly after the diagnosis, Carr attended a meeting with other parents. That's when he decided to speak out.
"Things happen for a reason," he said. "That's why we decided to be public about it. These people would never have a chance to go out and explain what juvenile diabetes is and why it's different. We realized the one thing we could do for this disease is get the word out. That's what we're going to do."
The Carrs hope that adding their voice to the discussion will raise money for research, too. They are hoping, if not for a cure, a way to make life easier for those with juvenile diabetes.
Part of the learning process was taking some shots himself. David Carr said he wanted to feel what his son was going to feel. So Austin watched his parents take injections from syringes filled with water.
A nurse then handed Austin a syringe and told him to give his father a shot. Austin complied. And laughed.
"He was pretty cool with that," David Carr said. "I asked the nurse, 'Are you serious? He's 4 years old. He watches Star Wars movies.' He stuck the nurse first. Then he did me. He was loving it."
Austin, who recently turned 5, now gets a shot in the morning and another at night. His blood sugar is monitored throughout the day.
"He's himself again," David Carr said. "Five minutes after taking his first shot, he was great. It's the best he has
felt in a long time. There are
no limitations on him. He can play football when the time comes."
Austin's diabetes has changed his father, too. Things that seemed to be hassles last fall are irrelevant.
"I enjoy things more," he said. "I enjoy football practice more. I'm healthy. I'm 25 years old and can run and not worry about taking insulin shots. I come out and play with a smile on my face."
chronicle (located article via PSH )
Carr... you're aces brutha.
Go Texans! 
mixed with some of this 
will = 
for some coaches and personal if these guys dont produce on the field and compete for a playoff spot[wildcard] next year.
