ESPN is reporting that the New York Giants have agreed to sign quarterback David Carr to a one-year deal to serve as Eli Manning’s backup. Carr was picked first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2002 Draft. He was released after five unsuccessful seasons in Houston and subsequently signed with the Carolina Panthers before last season to serve as Jake Delhomme’s backup. He was pitiful for the Panthers last season, getting released after just one season. Apparently one of the reasons the Giants were interested in Carr is because quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer was the offensive coordinator in Houston while Carr was there.
I realize that he is only a backup, but this is a questionable move for the Giants. To put it nicely, Carr stinks. After Delhomme suffered a season-ending injury last season, Carr was pressed into duty, where he was flat-out awful. I wrote yesterday that he was so bad that he lost his starting job to “Grandpa” Vinny Testaverde and Matt “Who?” Moore. God-forbid (or for a Cowboys fan like me, God-willing) Eli Manning gets hurt and David Carr has to play. I can say without a doubt that if I were a Giants fan, I would rather see “The Hefty Lefty” Jared Lorenzen play ahead of Carr. How bad is Carr? After writing my post yesterday, I saw an interesting comment from Don Banks of Sports Illustrated about the Giants being interested in Carr. Here’s what he had to say:
I know Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer was Carr’s offensive coordinator in Houston from 2002 to ‘05, but I’m not sure there’s a bigger reclamation job in the NFL right now than Carr, the No. 1 overall pick in 2002. Carr made four starts and appeared in six games in Carolina last year, where he started the season as Jake Delhomme’s backup. But in the end, he couldn’t hold off either 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde or rookie Matt Moore, an undrafted collegiate free agent. Panthers coach John Fox acknowledged that he wouldn’t play Carr at home late in the season due to the ferocious booing that the former Fresno State quarterback was subjected to.
Since when are those rabid Carolina Panther fans known for ferocious booing? I can’t recall a single instance in the 13-year history of the Panthers that their fans have booed anybody. It’s one thing to be booed by Jets fans, Raiders fans or even Browns fans. But Panther fans? Ouch. How bad must Carr have been to be subjected to ferocious booiong from Panther fans? The answer is awful. David Carr stinks, plain and simple. But hey, I’m glad he’s on the Giants.
Filed under: NFL - Giants, Writer - Bill Slattery
