http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...e/3781636.html
Carr driven by last year's 2-14 disaster
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
David Carr was back in the weight room two weeks after last season ended. His mind needed the work more than his body needed the rest.
"Whoever the new coach was going to be, I wanted to be ready," Carr said.
Carr asked Texans strength coach Dan Riley to challenge him those first mornings back at Reliant Stadium. Riley obliged.
Carr was driven by 2-14. It hovered over him for every extra rep, every drop of sweat. No matter what he does in his NFL career, he'll always have
2-14. He's fine with that. It's what comes next that's important.
"I've heard guys say they want to forget last season," Carr said. "I don't. I don't ever want to forget 2-14. It drives me. I think about it every day."
He knocked on Gary Kubiak's office door while boxes were still being unpacked.
"I'm ready when you are," he told the new coach.
Offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun was just beginning work when Carr showed up.
"He gave me the old Denver playbook since ours wasn't finished," Carr said. "It's similar to what I ran in college. I went over it a few times with him. Just this week, Gary joined the meetings."
New-look quarterback
Carr discusses all of this in a voice filled with more enthusiasm than any time the last four years. There's more emotion, more edge.
He may not be the same David Carr you remember. He knows his honeymoon is over. He knows he must play better. He understands some people would prefer to see Vince Young playing quarterback for the Texans.
There's also this: Next season will be David Carr's first real opportunity to succeed.
The Texans used the first pick of the 2002 draft — the first pick the team had — on Carr. And then they almost guaranteed he would fail. Thanks, Dom Capers. And you, too, Charley Casserly and Bob McNair. Nice work, fellas.
They never protected their young quarterback. They ran a system more complex than some 10-year veterans run. They failed to put enough talent around him. Imagine how good Troy Aikman would have been without Emmitt Smith, Daryl Johnston and Jay Novacek.
Upside still tremendous
Even some of the people who believe the Texans should take Vince Young — that
would be me — freely admit they have no idea how good Carr can be.
We know he has a strong arm and that he's smart and athletic. We know he has all the skills to be a success.
After four seasons and 59 starts, as he closes in on his 27th birthday, we're still forced to guess. He's instantly likable, impossible to root against, someone who could still be special.
And yet.
He has been sacked 208 times in four seasons. Last season, the offense was cut back so much that Carr was being to ask to get rid of the ball before a play had a chance to develop.
Despite that, shouldn't he have shown more glimpses of being something special?
We'll know soon. He now has better coaches working with him and much more talent around him. He has a better offensive system.
Everything is new
"We've started from scratch," Calhoun said, "beginning with how to break the huddle, cadence, calling certain routes."
In other words, everything.
Carr is the key to Kubiak's success. He was his first tough choice, and even after Reggie Bush arrives and even with all the new talent, Carr still has to play better.
"We want to make things clear for him," Calhoun said, "and he's cognizant of the fact that he must play better. I can't emphasize enough how strong his appetite to learn is."
Ask Carr what's different about his new offense and he answers simply.
"I have to do less," he said. "I go through my reads. I look one place. If it's not open, I go to the next read."
He'll be asked to speed up everything, including getting out of the huddle and lining up.
It'll be months before he's comfortable in the new system.
As for the Vince Young debate, Carr understands.
"When I was watching the Rose Bowl, I was happy for Texas," he said. "There was just this one little hitch. Vince might want to play quarterback in his hometown. I understand that. He's a great player."
Fire burns within
If Carr is bitter about any of this or if he feels he has been treated unfairly, he's going to keep it to himself
"You know what I think about that?" he asked. "We put ourselves in this position. That's the part that hurts the most. We won two games. We did it. I did it. I haven't gotten over that. All the stuff that has gone on, it comes back to the fact that we won two games.
"No matter who we bring in, nothing is going to change that fact we haven't won a playoff game in four years. That's what's important. I can't worry about some college kid coming in here to take my job. If the organization wants to bring in someone to compete with me, I'll compete."
'Great things' to come
He arrived here four years ago as a fuzzy-cheeked, can't-miss prospect. He probably never guessed it would be this hard.
"You start to have doubts," he said. "But I have a strong faith. I have a great family, and they've never let me forget what kind of player I am, the type person I am.
"You go through a lot of trash. But then I go out on the field and realize I can still zing the ball around. I look around our weight room right now and see all the new guys and it's exciting. I think we're going to do some great things."
Carr driven by last year's 2-14 disaster
Carr driven by last year's 2-14 disaster
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