Carr in the driver’s seat Texans banking No. 1 pick will be cornerstone of franchise
By Greg Rajan, Caller-Times
It didn't take long for the Houston Texans to know David Carr was the guy they wanted.
It was that way since the college football season ended in January. With weeks to go before the NFL Draft, the Texans announced that Fresno State's star quarterback would be their top pick and the first overall. And the week before the draft, they agreed to a seven-year contract worth $46 million, with a $10.9 million signing bonus.
And when the Texans hit the field on Sept. 8 for their regular-season opener against Dallas, Carr will be the guy leading them.
He's already become the face on the franchise. His visage adorns dozens of football preview magazines and he is arguably the best-known Texan. No offense to Jermaine Lewis, Ryan Young or Jamie Sharper, but Carr has already passed them when it comes to being recognized.
Texans owner Bob McNair wouldn't have it any other way.
"I think it's a wise decision," McNair said. "To win, you have to have a good quarterback. You can be competitive without one, but by and large - unless you're just dominant in some other part of the game - if you don't have a good quarterback, you aren't going to win in the playoffs.
"We know we have to get that outstanding player, and it's not often you have an opportunity to do that. He's going to be a rookie, and he's going to make a lot of mistakes, but that's the way he's going to learn. We'll be patient with him, but I think he'll probably pick it up pretty fast."
Getting to Houston
Carr made himself the top pick in the draft with an eye-popping senior year at Fresno State.
The Bulldogs' program is known for occasionally cranking out an NFL player or two, but is not known as an upper-echelon team nationally.
Carr changed that perception in 2001. He guided the Bulldogs to upsets of nationally ranked Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin in their first three games. The Bulldogs peaked as high as No. 8 in the polls before finishing 11-3.
Carr's final statistics looked like something out of a video game. He passed for 4,839 yards and 46 touchdowns, both of which led the nation. In 13 games, he topped 300 yards 10 times. And in airing it out 533 times, he only threw nine interceptions.
"He has all the intangibles," Texans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer said. "Pat Hill and the staff at Fresno (State) prepared him very, very well for the NFL. He has to learn our system,_but he's going to have a great career."
Bumpy road ahead
While the consensus seems to be that Carr will enjoy a fruitful NFL career, it's certain that he'll go through some growing pains along the way.
Carr is the 12th quarterback taken first overall since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Of the previous 11, only John Elway (with Denver in 1983) saw his team reach the playoffs. But Elway only played 11 games that year and split time with Steve DeBerg.
The previous 11 top picks averaged five wins per season in their rookie years, which appears to be a likely figure for Carr and the Texans.
The Texans are looking for Carr to be the first rookie quarterback to start every game since Indianapolis' Peyton Manning in 1998. During that season, Manning threw for 3,739 yards and 26 touchdowns. Of course, he also threw 28 interceptions as the Colts finished 3-13.
But Manning learned valuable lessons that season about what it takes to play in the NFL and read defenses. The next year, the Colts went 13-3 and won their division. He's since come to be regarded as one of the NFL's elite signal-callers.
That's not to suggest that the same will happen in Houston, but throwing Carr into the mix right away should aid his development more than stunt it.
Experienced mentors
The men who'll have the biggest role in Carr's development, Palmer and Texans head coach Dom Capers, have been down this road before.
Capers was the Carolina Panthers' first coach, and Palmer held the same role with Cleveland when it returned to the NFL in 1999.
Both started veterans at quarterback - Frank Reich in Carolina and Ty Detmer in Cleveland - before turning the reins over to rookies Kerry Collins and Tim Couch, respectively.
In Carolina's second season, Collins helped lead the Panthers' unlikely run to the NFC championship game before personal problems led to his departure.
"Having Dom as his head coach in his rookie season is good for Carr," said Collins, now the Giants' starter. "Dom's going to be very supportive because he went through it with me. He knows what it's like to play with a rookie quarterback.
"He knows Carr's the centerpiece of the organization and he's not going to do anything that's not in the best interest of (him) and the team."
While the regular season will be Carr's true test, he impressed with his performance in Houston's preseason opener, a 34-17 loss to the Giants.
In that game, Carr was 9 for 17 for 96 yards, with a touchdown and interception. Despite playing with a patchwork offensive line due to injuries, he wasn't sacked.
"Carr can throw the ball real well," said the Giants' Michael Strahan, one of the NFL's top pass rushers. "He showed composure in the pocket. He's got a quick set-up and release. I like him a lot.
"He's going to get better with time. What he needs is as much game experience as they can give him. Once their offense jells, they'll be an exciting team because of Carr."
In the Texans' first preseason win, Carr led the team past New Orleans, 13-10. Carr connected on 9 of 14 passes with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Carr was just happy to hit the field after months of hype and anticipation.
"I had a blast to actually play my first NFL game," he said. "It's been a long time coming. I'm happy to get it out of the way. I just played average. We have a lot to work on."
