| Texans general manager Charley Casserly has known for months what NFL
commissioner Paul Tagliabue would say when he stepped to the microphone to announce the
No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2002 draft. But that won’t cheapen the moment for the
expansion franchise when the commish pipes, "With the Number One pick in the 2002 NFL
draft, the Houston Texans select Fresno State QB David Carr." Casserly has followed
Carr religiously — a virtual season-ticket holder for Fresno State football last
season — and critiqued his every move, mannerism, drop back and delivery. Today, he
bears the fruits of his labor and brings the real deal, the seven-year, $46.25 million
deal, to Houston.
"It’s still a game of people," Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore
said. "It is still the person before the player."
Moore knows the drill the Texans have begun with Carr. In 1998, Indianapolis selected
QB Peyton Manning first overall. He’s been to the Pro Bowl twice since he started as
a rookie. Casserly and head coach Dom Capers turned to a peer familiar with developing
young quarterbacks, Chris Palmer, to escort Carr through the rigors of learning at the
next level. Palmer has helped turn Drew Bledsoe, Mark Brunell, Rob Johnson and Tim Couch
into household names. His task in Houston? Transform Carr into a finely polished hot rod.
"There is going to be some pressure," Palmer said. "That comes with the
territory of being that top pick. But David Carr has been in that situation and
thrived."
After the Texans signed 10-year veteran QB Kent Graham, they gave the indication that
Graham would be the caddy, not the quarterback, when the season begins in September
against Dallas. Palmer, the first head coach of the expansion Browns in 1999, started
rookie QB Tim Couch in his team’s second regular-season game. Bledsoe started Game
One. Palmer isn’t necessarily a proponent of hands-on education, but he is a fan of
playing your best card.
"We aren’t making those decisions in April," Palmer said. "We have
a couple of mini-camps and training camp and we’ll see who looks the best and fits
with the rest of the (talent) around him."
Fresno State head coach Pat Hill, an NFL assistant in Cleveland from 1992-95 and
Baltimore in ’96, said he would be wary of throwing a rookie to the wolves —
even Carr.
"It’s not an adjustment made overnight and it’s not an adjustment made
easily," said Hill, who installed Ted Marchibroda’s pro-style offense at Fresno
State. "College football is Algebra I compared to what NFL football is in terms of
what you have to learn at that level. It takes time to go from algebra to geometry to
trigonometry."
Even Carr’s confidant, Seahawks QB Trent Dilfer has told him not to expect to
"come in and light up the NFL." Dilfer knows first-hand. As the sixth overall
pick in the 1994 draft out of Fresno State, Dilfer threw five touchdowns and 24
interceptions in his first two seasons despite, like Carr, coming off a 4,000-yard senior
season.
"We’ve seen quarterbacks become great from all different levels of
competition," Moore said. "Peyton having gone to Tennessee and then you turn
around and Kurt Warner (at Northern Iowa) and then the Arena League and NFL Europe. The
big thing in all those places is playing experience. That is critical. You have to have
the ability, but how do you develop the ability? Through playing. (Carr) has played and
will play."
Carr has been to Texans’ workouts and holds an offensive playbook. He is putting
in the work, much like Moore said was the key to Manning’s smooth transition, and
developed a close relationship with Palmer.
"We do speak often," Palmer said of bi- and tri-weekly phone sessions with
Carr. "It’s just a coach-to-player, man-to-man conversation. We want to keep one
another up to date on everything and I answer his questions, he answers mine."
Former Falcons’ head coach June Jones, known for his offensive prowess, has seen
Carr in the Western Athletic Conference the last two seasons. He considers Carr a solid
prospect.
"I like his accuracy and his toughness," Jones said. "He’s done it
in big games. (Fresno State) went on the road and won at Wisconsin and Colorado, Oregon
State. He has what it takes to be one of those special guys."
In terms of arm strength and throwing under duress, one personnel director compares
Carr to Packers QB Brett Favre, a player from a middle-of-the-road conference that
developed into a Hall of Famer.
"He has incredible balance and strength as a combination," the scout said.
"No matter where his feet are — running sideways, scrambling forward, stepping
away from pressure — he throws the ball straight, flat and gets it into small spaces.
That is natural. When you can teach a player like that the rest of the game, give him an
understanding of the offense, your job as a coach is much easier, but also, that potential
is immeasurable."
Aside from arm strength, the most notable critique of Carr is his three-quarters
delivery. Noting that Carr completed 63 percent of his passes last season and stands
6-foot-4, Palmer said the delivery doesn’t detract from his effectiveness. However,
if Carr is open to moving his release point up a slot closer to over the top, Palmer would
oblige.
"You can change a guy’s delivery," Palmer said. "We did that with
(6-5) Drew Bledsoe. Drew had a tendency to carry the ball low and we tried to change that
and carry the ball higher. That helped him the year we went to the Super Bowl. He had
fewer tipped balls. David can raise his release point. He has concentrated on getting it
in and out of his hand as quickly as possible. We’ll work with the launch a
little."
Palmer did not say he was concerned that Carr would be a bust or struggle out of the
gate, but admitted that is something you always take into account.
"You never know until they get on the football field," he said. "When a
young man gets drafted, so many things change. Does he still have the burning desire to
excel? That separates the good ones from the also-rans. It’s a situation where you
look for a redeeming quality a player has. His arm, accuracy, intelligence or arm
strength. Something that will set him apart and give his team a chance to win. We added
them up and measured them with other guys."
If you read the Texans’ abacus, the sum of Carr’s individual traits adds up
to No. 1. |
