Tag: David Carr

Texans picking David Carr over Julius Peppers considered a draft blunder

The Houston Texans may have had a different start to their early years had they gone with Julius Peppers over David Carr at No. 1 overall in 2002.

Not every team can nail their draft picks, and the Houston Texans are no exception. In fact, their very first draft choice in team history may be considered a blunder.

So says Tyler Sullivan, who released his list of draft blunders since 2000 for CBS Sports. One of the mistakes to make the list was the Texans’ selection of quarterback David Carr at No. 1 overall.

David Carr was picked to usher in a new era in the NFL as he joined the new expansion team in the Houston Texans. However, his arrival to Houston didn’t produce a ton of wins out of the gate. For his Texans tenure, Carr went 23-53 as a starter and completed 60% of his passes while averaging 176.2 yards passing per game. Not exactly what you’d be hoping for from a No. 1 overall pick at quarterback, but Carr was admittedly in a tough position and led the league in sacks in three out of the first four seasons of his career.

Who Sullivan says the Texans should have taken was North Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers, who went the very next pick to the Carolina Panthers.

Had the Texans elected to bolster their defense upon first entering the league, they likely would have found a little more success as the Carolina Panthers were able to select pass-rusher Julius Peppers right after Carr. Peppers went on to have a tremendous carer that just wrapped up back in 2018. He was named to nine Pro Bowls over his career and is a member of the All-Decade Teams for both the 2000s and 2010s. Peppers also holds the NFL record for most forced fumbles of all-time.

Peppers went to a scheme under John Fox where the Panthers were deploying a 4-3 front, and Peppers was able to play as a down lineman. Had he gone to Houston, where new coach Dom Capers was running a 3-4 scheme, Peppers would have played standing up as an outside linebacker.

Of course, Peppers proved he could play as an outside linebacker standing up when he played for the Green Bay Packers from 2014-16. Incidentally Capers was the Packers’ defensive coordinator during Peppers’ tenure.

It could be argued the Texans decided to go always go with the defensive end over the quarterback. Houston’s next two No. 1 overall selections (2006, 2014) were edge rushers in Mario Williams and Jadeveon Clowney. The first quarterbacks off the boards in those respective drafts were Vince Young and Blake Bortles.

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Brian Johnson kicks Washington past Raiders 17-15

Brian Johnson plays hero for Washington in his game for his hometown team.

Talk about pressure.

Washington kicker Brian Johnson newly signed this week, nailed his 48-yard field goal attempt with 37 seconds remaining, boosting the Washington Football Team to its 17-15 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

Washington (6-6) had led the entire game, only to see Raiders QB David Carr lead the Raiders 43 yards in eight plays, setting up Daniel Carlson’s 37-yard field goal with only 2:22 remaining, providing the Raiders (6-6) their first lead of the game.

In his last offensive snap, Washington QB Taylor Heinicke had thrown his only interception of the game to CB Nate Hobbs with 7:03 remaining, leaving the field frustrated and shaking his head.

Heinicke regrouped, completing four of his five attempts for 37 yards in Washington’s final offensive possession. On a drive that started at their own 25, Heinicke found John Bates for nine yards to the 34, Adam Humphries for ten yards to the Washington 48, Humphries for 12 yards to the Las Vegas 40, and Antonio Gibson for six yards to the Las Vegas 34.

Curtis Samuel then ran for three yards, and Washington faced the fourth &1 setting the stage for Johnson,  who had been waived by New Orleans on November 19, having missed three extra points this 2021 season.

Johnson had then been signed to the Bears practice squad November 23, and signed by Washington, November 30, becoming the fourth kicker for the Burgundy and Gold this season.

Being called upon to win or lose your first game with your third team this season, in the final minute and from 48 yards, the pressure was no doubt felt. Yet Johnson came through, narrowly keeping his attempt inside the right upright, kicking Washington to its fourth consecutive win.

Fact: 2021 Texans are not the worst team in franchise history

The 2021 Houston Texans seem to be the worst team in franchise history, but they don’t show up as leaders in very many ignominious categories.

The 2021 Houston Texans have been a colossal disappointment.

Houston sports fans braced themselves for this outcome all offseason, and have tried to keep a clear-eyed view on the 2022 offseason, when general manager Nick Caserio will have the salary cap space and draft picks to finally refit the roster in a meaningful manner.

At 1-6, the current incarnation feels like the worst team ever fielded in franchise history. After all, they did sustain the worst loss in team history in Week 4 when the Buffalo Bills shut them out 40-0, and the Texans, led by rookie quarterback Davis Mills, are on a six-game losing skid.

Taking a look at the following statistics through the first seven games and comparing it to the rest of the seasons in team history, the 2021 team really isn’t that horrendous. That isn’t to say the losses don’t sting or the franchise is in good shape; it is merely to demonstrate Houston sports fans witnessed far worse and were able to cope.

Former NFL QB picks Dolphins’ draft pick to be most impactful non-QB

Former NFL QB picks Dolphins’ draft pick to be most impactful non-QB

Impactful rookies in the NFL are most often seen at a number of critical spots, including young quarterbacks and young pass rushers. We saw that exact scenario play out this past year with Justin Herbert’s record-setting performance in 2020 and Chase Young’s big year to help the Washington Football Team to a division title. But there was also a big year from Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, who put up whopping numbers as the No. 2 receiver with the Vikings.

You never know who is going to blow up. But you can give it your best guess!

And that’s exactly what NFL.com’s panel did for the 2021 NFL draft, but with a catch: their choices had to be non-quarterbacks. Some selections, like Brian Baldinger’s were for a trench player in Alijah Vera-Tucker who is a near lock to start all season. But others went with a more bold and ambitious approach, including former No. 1 overall pick David Carr — who chose a Miami Dolphin.

“I’ll keep this short and sweet. Jaylen Waddle is going to be the reason Tua Tagovailoa is considered Miami’s franchise quarterback after this season.” — David Carr, NFL.com

Carr’s choice isn’t just indicative that Waddle is going to have a monster year, it’s suggesting that Tua Tagovailoa is going to have a monster year in large part because of Waddle’s addition to the offense. Should that reality materialize for the Dolphins, the sky is the limit as far as how much team success the 2021 Dolphins will find for themselves.

But if Tagovailoa goes from a promising rookie with some ups and downs in his play and evolves into an unquestioned franchise quarterback in Year 2 and Waddle is the critical piece of the puzzle, than it will be officially time to consider the Dolphins’ Super Bowl window open for the first time in a long time.

We need to see it first, of course. But we’ll be sure to remember Carr calling his shot if this indeed is spoken into existence by the former top pick.

Former NFL QB believes it’s time for Henry Ruggs III to take the next step

Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr’s brother, David, spoke about WR Henry Ruggs III and his abilities on NFL Total Access and explained what…

Former NFL quarterback David Carr, brother of active quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders Derek Carr, talked about former Alabama star wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and what he must do in season No. 2.

Ruggs was drafted No. 12 overall by the Raiders in 2020, however his rookie season was from solid. He recorded 452 yards and two touchdowns on 26 receptions.

Carr said on NFL Total Access that his brother loves Ruggs, but knows that the speedy receiver hasn’t been able to translate his abilities onto the field come time for a game.

Most of Ruggs’ targets were downfield, which is mainly due to his speed and ability to blow by defensive backs, but speed can only get a receiver so far. Many of the fastest pass-catchers in the league are physical and have various abilities beyond running fast.

Carr goes on to say what is seen from Ruggs in practice compared to in a game is different. In practice, Carr quoted his brother as saying, “In practice, he’s the best player I’ve ever played with.”

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Former Texans QB Sage Rosenfels shares funny story about Cal McNair

Former Houston Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels told a story about the time David Carr saw Cal McNair playing video games in his office.

People have an idea of what Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair is like as a public persona and head of the franchise, but what is he like behind the scenes?

Former Texans backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels joined Michael Silver’s podcast to talk about the Texans’ boss.

“I’ve got nothing really bad to say about Cal McNair,” Rosenfels said. “He always treated me really nice. I was open to conversations with him.”

One story Rosenfels shared came from the 2006 season when he first arrived to Houston with new coach Gary Kubiak.

“One time my first year there I was talking to David Carr about this, and David had just come from Cal’s office, I think, to discuss something,” said Rosenfels, who went 6-4 as a starter in Houston from 2006-08. “I’m not sure what it was. And I hadn’t really met Cal at this point.

“I was like, ‘What’s Cal like?’

“He’s like, ‘Well, I walk into his office and he’s sitting on the floor. There’s no desk or anything and there’s this huge TV on the wall, and he’s playing video games.’

“I was like, ‘What?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah.’

“And I was like, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ And that was like my only really behind-the-curtain Cal McNair story other than he was a really nice guy and was kind of his dad’s right-hand guy sort of, and shake hands after the game.”

The Texans were still in the expansion phase of their franchise when Rosenfels was there, going 6-10 in 2006 followed up by consecutive 8-8 finishes the next two seasons.

It is unknown whether McNair still sits in his office on the floor playing video games on a flatscreen. Given the decisions that face the team as they recover from a 4-12 disappointment in 2020, it is doubtful he has much leisure time at NRG Stadium these days.

NFL.com prediction has Vikings missing playoffs

The Vikings finished the 2019 season with a 10-6 record and upset the Saints in the wild card round of the playoffs.

The crew over at NFL.com put together a poll of how they think the regular season standings will shake out.

Those being polled include former players like Nate Burleson, David Carr, Kurt Warner, along with writers and analysts.

Out of the 35 people being polled, 18 predicted that the Green Bay Packers will win the NFC North. Fifteen votes went to the Vikings while two went to the Bears.

Surely, though, with the expanded playoffs, the Vikings snuck in as a wild card team, right?

About that . . . 

The Vikings were tied for fifth to get a wild card spot. But to be fair, obviously the 15 people who voted for the Vikings to win the NFC North did not vote for them to get a wild card spot, so this survey is a bit flawed.

Minnesota opens up the 2020 season at home against the Packers. The Vikings opened up as 2.5 point favorites.

Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley named NFL.com’s top WR duo

Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has been a model of consistency through nine years in the league, but lately it’s been the team’s No. 2 WR, Calvin Ridley, who’s getting the attention this offseason.

Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has been a model of consistency through nine years in the league, but lately it’s been the team’s No. 2 WR, Calvin Ridley, who’s getting the attention.

Ridley, a first-round pick in 2018, enters his third season and has already done considerable damage with 17 touchdown receptions in 29 games. His ability as a deep threat helps keep opposing defenses from giving Jones too much attention.

According to NFL.com’s ranking of the top five receiving duos entering 2020, Jones and Ridley are the NFL’s best one-two punch. Check out what David Carr wrote about Atlanta’s dynamic duo.

I can’t say enough about Julio Jones’ dominance over the last six seasons. Since 2014, Jones has 623 receptions and 9,388 receiving yards (both most in the NFL), and he’s posted six consecutive seasons with at least 1,300 receiving yards, which ties Torry Holt for the longest such streak in NFL history. He can do it all even when double- or triple-teamed, which he often is, providing Matt Ryan a reliable target in tight windows. The one knock against Jones over the last few seasons has been his relative lack of touchdown production, an area in which Ridley has excelled, logging 17 TD receptions in his first two seasons. The third-year pro, who thrives after the catch and has improved his route running, is hungrier than ever to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the first time. He can accomplish that feat with Jones garnering so much attention from defenses. After ranking fourth in receiving yards among WR duos last season, Jones and Ridley are poised to climb the ladder in 2020.

Ridley has been unafraid to set high expectations for himself this season. The biggest potential reason he may break out — other than his outstanding speed and route-running ability — is the Falcons’ addition of running back Todd Gurley.

The former tenth-overall pick in the 2015 draft can help the team improve upon a rushing attack that averaged just 85.1 yards per game last year. If Gurley can force extra defenders into the box, quarterback Matt Ryan should easily find either Jones or Ridley in favorable coverage.

Atlanta’s season kicks off in a month at home against the Seattle Seahawks.

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David Carr lists Eli Manning, Justin Tuck among his top NFL teammates

David Carr says retired New York Giants QB Eli Manning and DE Justin Tuck were among his top five best teammates.

David Carr spent 11 years in the NFL after going No. 1 overall to the Houston Texans in the 2002 NFL Draft, which included two stops with the New York Giants.

In addition to the Texans and Giants, Carr also played for the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, so he’s had a wide range of experiences and a wide range of teammates at the professional level.

But which of Carr’s teammates were among the best?

That’s a question Carr pondered recently, ultimately deciding he was comfortable enough to answer it without disrespecting some of the players who failed to make the top five list.

Among those five were 49ers offensive lineman Joe Staley, Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith, Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson and two Giants.

The first was defensive end Justin Tuck.

Tuck, a two-time Pro Bowler, was respected in the locker room and on the field. At 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, he had the build of a running back who was injected with Captain America’s Super-Soldier Serum.

For real, though: Tuck always wanted the tough assignment. When game-planning for a matchup with Robert Griffin III during his rookie season, one of the first questions in the team meeting was “Who’s going to spy RG3?” Tuck immediately replied “I got it.” As you can imagine, people in the room chuckled and I thought (like most others who were present), you’re a defensive lineman, you don’t have it. Well, Tuck had it all right. Of course, the dynamic rookie made his plays but Tuck was always right there with him. During my decade in the league, I learned that there aren’t a lot of guys like Tuck who are willing to take on something so out of the ordinary from their usual position duties.

As high praise as Carr had for Tuck, he had even more for the No. 1 teammate on his list — future Hall of Fame quarterback Eli Manning.

There’s so much that I’ve already said about Manning. He’s a phenomenal leader, but I’m going to discuss his football IQ and anticipation on the field here. He spent so much time in the film room, determined to know not only his role but that of every player on the field. Leading up to Super Bowl XLVI, we had studied the New England Patriots to no end, but Manning insisted that we watch every Patriots game from seven or eight seasons prior to see if what they put on tape matched up with what our game plan was. This sort of thing happened all the time with Eli.

When it came to his anticipation, he was on a different level. There were so many times when Manning made a throw and fans and commentators would say, “What was he thinking on that pass?” They didn’t understand that Manning knew where the soft spot of the defense was and expected his receiver to be in that spot (or close to it). After watching the film of these plays, we often realized that, yeah, you know what? The receiver WAS supposed to be where Eli threw the ball. The rest of our team, myself included at times, wasn’t on his wavelength.

Manning went through a lot in New York and he faced constant scrutiny, weathering storm after storm to finish his career with two titles and a Super Bowl MVP award for each.

Carr’s admission in regard to Manning’s decision-making should give some fans and analysts pause. How many times was he criticized for a bad throw when it was actually the correct decision and he merely shouldered the blame instead of tossing one of his own teammates under the bus?

For that reason, it’s no surprise Carr has Eli as his No. 1 guy.

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Legendary Texans WR Andre Johnson once threw a Cowboys DB out of the way for an easy touchdown

NFL Network analyst David Carr recalls a time former Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson tossed a Dallas Cowboys DB for an easy touchdown in scrimmage.

NFL Network analyst David Carr spent the first five seasons of his career as starting quarterback for the Houston Texans, which gave him the best views in the house for Andre Johnson’s career.

Carr, the first ever draft pick in Texans history, recalls a time when Johnson tossed a Dallas Cowboys defensive back like a rag doll during a training camp scrimmage.

Johnson was often challenged by cornerbacks, who would get in his face, talk smack and do everything possible to keep him out of rhythm. It rarely worked. During a preseason scrimmage with the Dallas Cowboys, one of their defensive backs started yapping at Johnson as soon as they walked out on the practice field. Later on, when that player went to jam Johnson on one play, Johnson grabbed the back of the DB’s jersey and threw him behind the line of scrimmage. Of course, Johnson was wide open, caught the ball and scored — while the DB was absolutely roasted by his teammates from the sideline.

While Carr does not specify when the scrimmage took place, it is possible the play occurred on Aug. 1, 2003, at the Alamodome, the training camp of Johnson’s rookie season. The original report mentions a 23-yard touchdown from Carr to Johnson. It would be the only time during Carr and Johnson’s tenure together that the Cowboys would train in San Antonio as they would not return until 2007. By that time, Carr was with the Carolina Panthers and the Matt Schaub era had begun in Houston in Gary Kubiak’s second season as coach.

Johnson, who played in Houston from 2003-14, became the Texans’ inaugural Ring of Honor member on Nov. 19, 2017. The seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro has the most career receptions (1,012), receiving yards (13,597), and receiving touchdowns (64) in Texans history. Johnson remains in the organization as a special advisor to coach Bill O’Brien.