Derek Carr says he’s doing everything possible to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but that he’d feel confident starting even if he doesn’t throw a ball all week. At the same time, the New Orleans Saints quarterback made it clear that he doesn’t want to put himself in a position to potentially hurt the team by playing when he isn’t able to perform at a high level.
“If I can play, I’ll play. If I physically just can’t play, I won’t be out there,” Carr said. Saints head coach Dennis Allen previously said that this would be more of a pain management issue for Carr rather than anything structural he’ll have to overcome, so there’s a real chance he’ll be playing on Sunday.
Still, they’re prepared to start Jameis Winston at quarterback if Carr can’t go (and it would be Winston, not Taysom Hill, getting that nod). One interesting note from Carr’s Wednesday media availability: Carr said he’d be confident starting on Sunday even if he doesn’t throw a single pass in practice all week.
That’s the approach the team took with Drew Brees back in 2014 when he suffered his own AC joint injury, which he related to Mike Triplett at NewOrleans.Football earlier this week. Clearly that approach can work. The question is whether it’s the right way for the Saints and Carr to address his situation.
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