|
IRVING, Texas -- Chad Hutchinson, who's never taken a snap
in an NFL regular-season game, says he's ready to be the starting
quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys, desperate to improve offensively and find their
quarterback of the future, are about to find out if Hutchinson is
it. Hutchinson, the 25-year-old rookie whose last regular-season
game was as a college sophomore five years ago, gets his first NFL
chance Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks when he replaces
two-year starter Quincy Carter. "I've prepared myself all season to step in there. I wouldn't
say I expected this,'' Hutchinson said Tuesday. "I was here to
support Quincy and be the best backup that I could be, but it's a
coaches' decision.'' Hutchinson, who spent four seasons in professional baseball
before signing with the Cowboys last winter, learned about his
surprise promotion in a "pretty brief and pretty matter-of-fact''
meeting with offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet on Monday. "I hope to go out there and execute the offense,'' Hutchinson
said. "The last three to five weeks, I've really felt good with
all of the reads and with the reps I've been getting. I feel very
comfortable with it.'' Coach Dave Campo said Tuesday he hopes Hutchinson will be a
better fit in Coslet's quarterback-friendly offense. Carter has
been inconsistent. The Cowboys (3-4) rank 21st on offense and are next to last
among the 32 teams with 13.4 points per game. They have scored just
eight offensive touchdowns, with a one-game high of 21 points. "We are hoping that Chad will consistently let the scheme take
its course and let it do the work,'' Campo said. "We feel like we
can move the ball better.'' Carter, 6-9 as the Cowboys' starter, threw a career-high four
interceptions in Sunday's 9-6 overtime loss at Arizona. Three
interceptions came while he was scrambling out of the pocket, and
two were near the end zone. "I've shown the things that needed to be shown to be an NFL
quarterback,'' Carter said Tuesday. "I've needed to take all of
the positives, and also the negatives, to make sure the next time
I'm in the open field that I'm making better decisions.'' Another poor decision-maker paid the price Tuesday as Dallas
released punter Micah Knorr, who was the holder on a botched
extra-point that could have beaten Arizona. The previous game,
Knorr failed to recognize that a fake field goal had been called
off and ruined the play. The Cowboys also cut safety Keith Davis. Carter admitted he was disappointed and hadn't expected to lose
the job after one bad outing. "Besides Sunday, there were a lot of positives I can take out
of the last year and a half,'' Carter said. "I have to keep my
head up and be a positive person like I have been.'' Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Campo said the decision was made
based on Carter's 15 starts over the past two seasons, not just one
game. The Cowboys have also made it clear they have no intention of
shuffling between Hutchinson and Carter. The job is Hutchinson's,
and he will be given an extended opportunity to prove himself. "I think I will always have something to prove, but it's nice
to know that it's not just one start,'' Hutchinson said. Hutchinson's only game action for the Cowboys was in three
preseason games, when he was 16-of-27 for 154 yards with an
interception and no touchdowns. He has spent most of his practice
time going against the Cowboys' first-team defense. "For me, it was kind of a good situation to feel things out and
get more confidence for myself,'' he said. Hutchinson played in a similar offensive system for 23 games at
Stanford before going to play in the St. Louis Cardinals'
organization. Carter, the second-round pick in 2001, was 215-of-397 (54
percent) for 2,537 yards with 12 TDs and 15 interceptions in his 15
starts. He was 125-of-221 (57 percent) for 1,465 yards with seven
TDs and eight interceptions this season.
|
