Could David Carr have been good/great?

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Old ass article. But, a discussion topic nonetheless.

http://blog.chron.com/sportsjustice/2010/03/could-david-carr-have-been-great-well-never-know/

IMO, David Carr is the poster child of the modern NFL needing to harness and nurture their QB prospects to success by surrounding them with talent (namely, a capable offensive line first and foremost) to achieve success...protecting that asset. The Texans never did, and essentially ruined Carr before he had a chance.

A blurb from the article:

The Texans used their first pick on a guy they believed would be a franchise quarterback, and then they did almost everything wrong. They failed to put a quality offensive line in front of him. They failed to put enough good receivers and running backs around him. The Texans never even hired a real quarterback coach. Here was this strong-armed, raw-boned kid out of Fresno State, this kid with such a good heart, this kid who wanted to do everything right, and much of the incompetence that defined the Texans in those early years can be summed up by their care and handling of David Carr.

Here is an old scouting report on David Carr before he was drafted, so we aren't playing with hindsight.

Positives: Excellent size. Good all-around athlete. Top competitor. Legitimate tough guy. Has tremendous poise. Really stands in against the rush. Well respected by his teammates and coaches. Mature and confident without being cocky. Has improved by leaps and bounds and became a franchise-type player on the college level in ’01. Even in Fresno State’s three losses, he put up big numbers and got his team into the endzone. Excellent passer with a very strong and generally very accurate arm. Has good timing and anticipation of receiver. Makes some incredible throws and can really thread the needle. Can throw every pass in the book and really zing the deep out. Sets up well and has a lightning-quick release. Generally throws a nice, tight spiral. Can throw the touch passes. Reads coverages and shows good judgment. During the ’01 regular season had a 42-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Played very well against teams from major conferences and in the biggest and best games on his team’s schedule. Made his teammates better players and got the ball into the endzone. Had a strong practice week at the Senior Bowl.

Negatives: Semi-sidearm, unusual, three-quarter throwing motion. Has a very low release point, about shoulder level. Will get balls batted down, which could be huge problem, since so many teams use so many three- and five-step drops. Is basically a line-drive passer and might be better off if he put more air under some of his throws. Is not quite as mobile as you would like and is not a super athlete and improviser. Average scambler and is no Donovan McNabb as a runner. Can be inconsistent throwing the ball. Will force some and make some bad reads. Was brought along beautifully by the Fresno State staff and has not faced a lot of adversity, so you cannot be sure how well he can handle it. Did bounce back from the Ohio State disaster in 2000. In Fresno State’s two regular-season losses in ’01, he was in a position to lead John Elway-type comebacks but did not do it.

Summary: Has a chance to become a premier NFL quarterback if his release point does not lead to too many problems and he is brought along and utilized correctly. Could be the type of player you can build a team around if he is developed correctly.

So, riddle me this...could David Carr have been good/great under a different set of circumstances.

Discuss.

[SuperKevin]

I'd like to think so. No QB should ever be evaluated playing behind those offensive lines he had in Houston.

[jms493]

Watching him in preseason on the giants the last few years...his throwing motion is weird and he only throws to open receivers which in the NFL doesn't exist, hence the still getting sacked.

He generally does not look good vs Preseason defenses.

[Senser81]

I thought he was pretty good with Houston initially...then he kind of got worse before eventually suffering from Jim Everett Syndrome. Hard to say if he would ever become great...but it definitely looked like he was starter material.

[Raidersabc123]

Watching him in preseason on the giants the last few years...his throwing motion is weird and he only throws to open receivers which in the NFL doesn't exist, hence the still getting sacked.

Ya but by than the damage was already done, I think he could of been good maybe great if put in the right situation image how things would play out if for say he was put in a similar spot as Rodgers

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

In 2006, he ended up leading the league in completion percentage...its just in Houston, it didn't yield results. During his career, he was sacked, on average of 3.5 times PER GAME. The league average of sacks per game by a defense, is somewhere (depending on the year) between 1.8 and 2.2. That kid was getting sacked (not just hit) twice above the league average.

[Aso]

In 2006, he ended up leading the league in completion percentage...its just in Houston, it didn't yield results. During his career, he was sacked, on average of 3.5 times PER GAME. The league average of sacks per game by a defense, is somewhere (depending on the year) between 1.8 and 2.2. That kid was getting sacked (not just hit) twice above the league average.

He led the league in completion % with a painfully low 9.2 ypc. Kubiak is a genius but even he could only do so much with Carr.

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[Juggernaut]

I believe Carr could have been better elsewhere. The sack statistic is key to the discussion, being hit and sacked that often just shows poor coaching/ownership and definitely affected his progression.

A decent modern example would be Sanchez. If you put him on a team that can actually develop quarterbacks, he could have had the potential to be a top 15 qb. Bad luck of the straw that he ended up with the Jets, who were primarily a run heavy team that relied on an aging, albeit great, defense. By the time the defense and our running backs grew too old, we didn't develop Sanchez enough to take command of the offense.

[Kuzzy Powers]

He and many of the other draft busts we've ridiculed over the years, many of them victims of circumstance.

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Certainly good. He got the shaft in Houston. Thought he was Rick Mirer like where he showed enough stretches and promise to keep you hopeful but never finished delivering.
No QB that young and inexperienced should be put behind that OL and asked to succeed. I think he had most of what you need to be decent. Make him 21 again on a decent team and hed very likely be a top 15 passer in this league.

[Aso]

I dont remember his name but he was a star LT with the Jags and they picked him up in the supplemental draft and he got injured I believe before the 2002 season so they did have what initially looked like a decent o-line until their best lineman got injured. Thats some bad luck.

[Leftwich]

I dont remember his name but he was a star LT with the Jags and they picked him up in the supplemental draft and he got injured I believe before the 2002 season so they did have what initially looked like a decent o-line until their best lineman got injured. Thats some bad luck.

Tony Boselli

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[Glenbino]

It was the expansion draft and Boselli was pretty well known as being damaged goods by that point of his career; that's why the Jags didn't protect him.

[SuperKevin]

You honestly think the Jaguars would have allocated Tony Boselli into the expansion draft if he was still a quality LT?

[Tailback U]

No doubt in my mind that if he was drafted today he would be a legit NFl starter at he very least given the rule changes.

Think about it, every other time he got sacked would have been a first down. He'd be unstoppable.

Real talk, I went to the Silicon Valley bowl game the year Fresno St and Michigan St played and it was one of the most fun games I've ever been to. Carr and TJ duckett were unstoppable.