Football
Associated Press 19y

Adv 13-14

HOUSTON -- As the first draft pick of the Houston Texans,
David Carr immediately became the face of the team, the guy most
responsible for whatever success they did or didn't have.

He knew that and was ready to accept the challenge. He wasn't,
however, ready to be the team's leader -- and he refused to be
pushed into the role.

But now, as he prepares for his fourth season wizened by his
first three, Carr is willing to proclaim the Texans as his team.

"It's not something that you can just take, it's something
you've got to earn," Carr said. "You show you can play and then
you feel like you can open your mouth a little bit more and say
some things. I feel like going into my fourth year, I understand
what it takes to win a football game.

"So when I do open my mouth, guys listen."

Although being the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft gave Carr some
leverage, he wasn't ready to use it as a rookie in a locker room
filled with veterans. Besides, he wouldn't have had to speak up had
Tony Boselli been healthy.

Boselli, an offensive lineman, was the club's top pick in the
expansion draft and would've been the veteran anchor. But he was
injured and ended up retiring without playing a down in Houston.
Still, he was around long enough to try encouraging Carr to take
over.

"I didn't really want to say anything because half the time I
didn't know if I was right when I did open my mouth," Carr said.
"Then the next part was I didn't know if they would actually
listen if I did say something."

Forty-four games later, Carr knows what he's talking about now.

He's taken Houston from four wins to five to seven, a steady
climb that has raised playoff hopes for this season. The rise also
has helped Carr feel as comfortable his fourth year in Houston as
he did as a fifth-year senior at Fresno State.

"I just have the feeling I always wanted to have," he said.
"I feel like if this feeling could have happened in month three of
my first year, it would have been great. But obviously it's
something that has to take some time."

Carr began asserting himself in the first team meeting before
minicamp. He stood up and addressed the offense, giving words of
encouragement and laying out his expectations.

At training camp, he leads the team stretching exercises before
workouts and is often seen taking players aside to lend advice or
give encouragement.

"He's the quarterback, so he's always been the leader and
always will be the leader," said offensive guard Chester Pitts,
also entering his fourth season. "But this year he really stepped
up and showed that he really wants it and is taking it now."

Carr thinks he's a more effective leader because he sat back and
absorbed things. He also thinks teammates know him well enough to
understand that when he says something, they should listen.

"I'm never going to be a guy that's in your face," he said.
"I'm not just going to open my mouth to feed my own ego or just
bark at guys. I'm going to do it for a reason -- to try to get our
team better."

Regardless of how cool and confident Carr feels, none of it will
matter if the line can't do a better job of keeping him on his
feet.

Carr was sacked a league-high 49 times last season. He's been
taken down 140 times in his career, including an NFL-record 76
times in 2002.

Coach Dom Capers feels like the line has improved even though
it's virtually unchanged. He is toying with the idea of starting
offseason acquisition Victor Riley at left tackle over incumbent
Seth Wand.

Here's another sign of Carr's leadership: He is the line's
biggest fan.

"You've got to think that it's always going to get better,"
Carr said. "If you start getting skittish and worrying about the
rush, I think you'd be better off just staying at home."

Carr also partly blames himself for all the sacks. He's worked
this offseason on a quicker release in hopes of getting the sack
total down to the 20s, maybe even the teens.

"I think that's when we'd really be able to showcase the kind
of talent we have," he said.

Despite the sacks, Carr improved his numbers drastically in
2004. His quarterback rating was 83.5, up from 69.5 in 2003. He
also was more accurate, leading to a career-best 16 touchdown
passes, seven more than the previous year. It also was the first
time he had more TDs than interceptions.

It helped that he had Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson and
1,000-yard rusher Domanick Davis to lean on. With the pair going
into only their third seasons, Carr can look forward to them
getting even better.

And they're looking forward to him making them better.

"He tells everybody what to do and then we start rolling,"
Davis said. "He keeps everybody focused."

His focus now is on making the playoffs.

"There are some great athletes out here, so why should we be
average when we do our jobs that we get paid to do?" Carr said.
"We've got to go out and try to win some games."

^ Back to Top ^