New York Giants backup quarterback David Carr is past worrying about playing time.
Instead, the 2002 top overall pick embraces the opportunity to help his teammates that are fighting for a job shine on the field.
“That’s the approach I take throughout the whole preseason the past six years. Since I’ve not been starting,” Carr said Thursday. “I try to help the guys that are in there. They’re trying to make the team. They’re trying to get a job.”
That mentality for Carr, a 12-year veteran and former number one overall choice in the 2002 NFL Draft, is a stark contrast to when he began his career. With rookie quarterback Ryan Nassib expected to see a lot of snaps in his first preseason game, Carr took a stroll down memory lane to his first game as a professional.
Carr downplayed the game by generically stating that it was “exciting”. It was not only his first preseason game as a top quarterback draft pick, but also the inaugural game for the new Houston franchise, the Texans. And they played, who else, but the New York Giants.
Anointed as the new face of the franchise, Carr recalled playing well … ‘fortunately’. He went 9-for-17 for 96 yards and connected with tight end Billy Miller in the second quarter for the first touchdown in franchise history.
“The game was very fast. I thought I knew everything, but I had no idea. That’s the biggest hurdle for all the young guys — realizing that you don’t really have it yet,” Carr said.
After a respectable preseason and an exhilarating home victory against the in-state rival Dallas Cowboys that breathed life into Carr and the Texans, the path to NFL greatness seemed within reach. The inevitable struggles of being an expansion team, however, grew too heavy for Carr, who platooned at a 22-53 record with Houston.
In five years he completed 60 percent of his passes for 13,391 yards, 59 TDs & 65 INTs. His final year he led the NFL in completion percentage with 68.3 percent in 2006. What might be the most alarming, and most telling stat of Carr’s tenure with the Texans, is the three times he’s led the league in sacks (76 in 2002, 49 in 2004, 68 in 2005).
Now 34, Carr feels ‘blessed’ to have the longevity in a career where the average employee’s shelf life is roughly six years. He’s taken his good fortune as an obligation to pay it forward to those who are trying to make the roster.
“I’m going to do whatever is in my power to make sure they know what they’re doing, [that] there’s not confusion,” Carr said.
One of those guys is rookie Ryan Nassib, who’s vying for some of Carr’s snaps this training camp. Still, Carr has stayed in Nassib’s ear even when the rookie “isn’t asking for it”.
“They’ve given me advice everyday,” Nassib said of Carr and fellow former top overall pick Eli Manning. “They’ve been extremely helpful with what to expect. What to do when you’re in doubt. If you’re not sure about something they’ll give little tips on what to do to stay ahead of the curve.”
Carr, in his fifth year with the Giants, isn’t worried about the rookie taking snaps away for him, stating that coach Coughlin and the staff know what he can do.
“I’ll get my series or two — or whatever it turns out to be. And I’m fine with that,” he said.
When he’s not in the game, Carr said he’ll be focused on coaching up Nassib as much as possible and making sure the young guys are all on the same page.
There’s an old football adage that everyone always loves the backup quarterback. In the case for the Giants, the old adage couldn’t ring truer.
