uga_iv said:
...I don't know when his contract expires, but if he doesn't make a significant improvement soon, I suspect he will follow in the footsteps of his idol Trent Dilfer or Drew Bledsoe -- released or traded...
Carr is entering year 4 of a 7 year contract. There's a very good chance he'll have that contract extended soon. Carr is the Texan QB for the long term. The coaching staff will leave before Carr will. Probably even Casserly. Bob McNair won't allow Carr to be released or traded.
Here's a little research I did a couple of months ago that showed Carr was among the passing leaders in the NFL when given
average protection.
Link
When the pass protection broke down, Carr's stats (and the Texans season) went downhill. Some of us were scratching our heads as to why the sack total went up as the season progressed. You'd think that Wand & Pitts would have improved as they gained experience. That wasn't the case. Sure, the rushing attack improved over the course of the year. But, how much of that was due to the O-line coming together versus Davis getting over the yips & injury and rounding back into form? Here are some reasons why I think the Texans allowed more sacks over the 2nd half.
1) Defensive strategy - In the first 7 games of the season, Carr was sacked 10 times by D-linemen, 6 by LB's & DB's. Teams were trying to force the ball out ASAP and blitzed Carr. The strategy didn't work that well as the Texans made a lot of plays downfield vs man coverage. Over the last 9 games, Carr was sacked 29 times by D-linemen, 4 by LB's & DB's. Teams blitzed Carr much less, kept 7 defenders in pass coverage, & still got to the QB. Plain & simple as it gets, offensive linemen were getting beat one on one.
2) Injuries to the O-line - Not the season ending kind, but the lingering types that keep guys from being 100%. Todd Wade was hobbled by a high ankle sprain during the season, missing all or parts of 4 games while being less than effective in others. Wiegert struggled over the 2nd half of the season with a bad knee, after missing parts of 3 games early with an elbow injury. Wiegert isn't very nimble to begin with, and he had no chance with a bad wheel. McKinney was on the injury list a few times with shoulder & chest injuries. But, he never missed a start. McKinney also missed some time in camp with a bad hamstring. But IMO, the guy has never been the same player since he "sprained" his left MCL in the '03 training camp. McKinney's game has always been quickness & finesse, and he's had none the past 2 seasons. Taking all of this into account, the veteran side of the line was never able to gel over the 2nd half & looked beaten down by the Browns game.
3) Game tape on Seth Wand - Over the 1st 7 games of the season, Wand's "man" (RDE or ROLB) collected 5.5 sacks. Not great, but expected for a LT in the beginning his career. You'd also expect a young LT to improve his production over the 2nd half of the season. But, Wand's pass protection stats worsened as his man picked up 10 sacks over the last 9 games. Why? I think one reason was that teams were able to scout Wand from early in the season and picked up on some flaws & tendencies. Wand was never really able to adjust to the leagues' "book" on him, and was finally replaced on passing downs in game 14 by lifelong scrub Marcus Spears.
What does this have to do with Cal's JJ Arrington? I don't know (I think he's a pretty good back). But, someone hijacked the thread long before me. Anyway, everyone has their opinions on the Texans passing game woes. But, the black & white facts suggest that if Carr is just given the average (not great) amount of protection, he can be a top passer and a winning QB. Maybe the Texans think that the problems they had last year are repairable with the current players. I'm not so sure. But, I am sure that it has to get fixed. Jobs will be on the line, but I'm certain it won't be Carr's.
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