Sportsfan
Rookie
First off let me say, this is NOT a 'draft Vince' post or an 'I hate Carr' post. I don't care who they draft, or whether they keep Carr or ditch him, i just want the team to get better, period. I just found the article pretty informative and unbiased. Pompei makes some really good points whether you like or dislike Carr.
Texans need to chase Carr out of their pocket
January 24, 2006
Dan Pompei
The most important question the Texans will answer this season is this: Should they sack quarterback David Carr?
My answer: Why not? Everyone else has.
In four seasons, Carr has been sacked 208 times. This year he was sacked 68 times -- 19 more than Drew Bledsoe, who was sacked the second-most times. He has lost 1,226 yards on sacks, roughly the distance from Reliant Stadium to George Bush Intercontintenal Airport, where he can find his flight out of town.
Of course, Carr has been the victim of poor support. His line has had the effect of a colander. The running game has been erratic. Perhaps the schemes he has played in haven't given him enough options to avoid sacks.
But he hasn't helped himself much, either, and the issue now is if he's capable of helping himself. Whether he has been beaten into a skittish quarterback or whether he's just not instinctive enough to operate with bodies flying around him, Carr cannot get out of the way of a pass rush.
One NFL head coach familiar with Carr says he believes Carr can be salvaged. Perhaps he's right. Perhaps not. It's not a bet I'd be willing to make if Matt Leinart of USC and Vince Young of Texas were options.
On the occasions when Carr hasn't had to worry about pass rushers, he has been effective. "He's fine with the three-step stuff," the coach says. "But because of the protection problems, he's looking at the rush and not downfield."
You don't play quarterback in a china cabinet. What separates the great ones is how they react to pressure. Carr doesn't feel pressure until he's on his back and seeing little birdies flying around his helmet.
Carr has been hit so much he won't stay in the pocket for that extra half-second to wait for a receiver to come free if it means taking another hit. Happy feet? His feet couldn't be any happier if he were a Disney character. Sometimes he plays like he should be wearing tap shoes instead of cleats and carrying a cane instead of a football.
"At some point, the fundamental protection instinct has to kick in," says another NFL head coach who has devised game plans against Carr. "I think that's happened a little bit. Because his protection has been so bad, it's hard to determine if it's something he'll always have or if it can get better with a better offensive line and a better offensive approach that allows him to know where to go with the ball."
Carr hasn't learned to throw the ball away and live for another play. Nor has he mastered the art of subtle movement to avoid a pass rusher, as Tom Brady has. When he feels pressure, he pulls it down and runs -- often right into another defender.
Against the blitz, he is defenseless as a kitten. On the 131 plays in which he was blitzed this season, Carr was sacked 29 times and had a 64.9 passer rating, which ranked 27th among starters, according to STATS Inc.
There are other issues with Carr. One personnel director who has studied Carr believes even though Carr has the arm to make every throw, he lacks the touch to get the ball over a defender.
His mechanics aren't out of a textbook -- he throws sidearm -- and the result was 15 passes batted down at the line, fourth most in the NFL.
Carr could overcome his delivery if that were his biggest problem. There is precedent for quarterbacks with unorthodox deliveries -- Fran Tarkenton and Bernie Kosar to name two.
I can envision Carr becoming a serviceable quarterback someplace else. But he probably won't ever be a difference-maker. The point is the Texans can't let a quarterback they can't be sure of prevent them from what could be a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
And that, dear readers, is sack No. 209.
Full article: http://www.sportingnews.com/exclusives/20060124/698707-p.html
Texans need to chase Carr out of their pocket
January 24, 2006
Dan Pompei
The most important question the Texans will answer this season is this: Should they sack quarterback David Carr?
My answer: Why not? Everyone else has.
In four seasons, Carr has been sacked 208 times. This year he was sacked 68 times -- 19 more than Drew Bledsoe, who was sacked the second-most times. He has lost 1,226 yards on sacks, roughly the distance from Reliant Stadium to George Bush Intercontintenal Airport, where he can find his flight out of town.
Of course, Carr has been the victim of poor support. His line has had the effect of a colander. The running game has been erratic. Perhaps the schemes he has played in haven't given him enough options to avoid sacks.
But he hasn't helped himself much, either, and the issue now is if he's capable of helping himself. Whether he has been beaten into a skittish quarterback or whether he's just not instinctive enough to operate with bodies flying around him, Carr cannot get out of the way of a pass rush.
One NFL head coach familiar with Carr says he believes Carr can be salvaged. Perhaps he's right. Perhaps not. It's not a bet I'd be willing to make if Matt Leinart of USC and Vince Young of Texas were options.
On the occasions when Carr hasn't had to worry about pass rushers, he has been effective. "He's fine with the three-step stuff," the coach says. "But because of the protection problems, he's looking at the rush and not downfield."
You don't play quarterback in a china cabinet. What separates the great ones is how they react to pressure. Carr doesn't feel pressure until he's on his back and seeing little birdies flying around his helmet.
Carr has been hit so much he won't stay in the pocket for that extra half-second to wait for a receiver to come free if it means taking another hit. Happy feet? His feet couldn't be any happier if he were a Disney character. Sometimes he plays like he should be wearing tap shoes instead of cleats and carrying a cane instead of a football.
"At some point, the fundamental protection instinct has to kick in," says another NFL head coach who has devised game plans against Carr. "I think that's happened a little bit. Because his protection has been so bad, it's hard to determine if it's something he'll always have or if it can get better with a better offensive line and a better offensive approach that allows him to know where to go with the ball."
Carr hasn't learned to throw the ball away and live for another play. Nor has he mastered the art of subtle movement to avoid a pass rusher, as Tom Brady has. When he feels pressure, he pulls it down and runs -- often right into another defender.
Against the blitz, he is defenseless as a kitten. On the 131 plays in which he was blitzed this season, Carr was sacked 29 times and had a 64.9 passer rating, which ranked 27th among starters, according to STATS Inc.
There are other issues with Carr. One personnel director who has studied Carr believes even though Carr has the arm to make every throw, he lacks the touch to get the ball over a defender.
His mechanics aren't out of a textbook -- he throws sidearm -- and the result was 15 passes batted down at the line, fourth most in the NFL.
Carr could overcome his delivery if that were his biggest problem. There is precedent for quarterbacks with unorthodox deliveries -- Fran Tarkenton and Bernie Kosar to name two.
I can envision Carr becoming a serviceable quarterback someplace else. But he probably won't ever be a difference-maker. The point is the Texans can't let a quarterback they can't be sure of prevent them from what could be a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
And that, dear readers, is sack No. 209.
Full article: http://www.sportingnews.com/exclusives/20060124/698707-p.html
Run into another defender? He was second among QB's behind Vick in rushing. Well there you go, another problem, his last name isn't Vick. Did he inadvertantly (I need a spell check please. Spend a Billion dollars on a team and you cant afford a spell check?) say that Carr could throw when he has time? How is the line unable to pick up a blitz Carrs fault? Who are the coach's he is talking too? A lack of touch was in Carr's scouting report. Poor caoching has allowed that to go on.
I believe in our organization and will support our new HC regardless... just hope he has a backup plan just in case.
