Mike James
The One... and the Two
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Registered: May 2003
Local time: 04:51 AM
Location: Rice University
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Carter Ready To Drive The Bus?
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
September 4, 2003, 5:40 p.m. (CDT)
IRVING, Texas - As the Cowboys prepare for Sunday's season opener against the Falcons, many questions should finally get answered.
Like, how the Cowboys will play under new head coach Bill Parcells?
Like how the Falcons will play without star quarterback Michael Vick?
Like what will life be like around here after Emmitt Smith?
And for sure, and most pressing, like can Quincy Carter drive this Cowboys bus?
Dating back to training camp, Parcells has repeatedly said he doesn't need his quarterback to be a superstar.
"All he needs to do is drive the bus," Parcells said. "That's his job."
So Carter now has the keys, and jumps into the driver's seat at 3:15 p.m. Sunday at Texas Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons.
Is he ready to shift into drive?
"I think so," Carter said. "I've been working hard for a long time now and trying to get myself prepared both mentally and physically. I think our whole team is ready to go. We're all excited about getting out there Sunday and playing well."
And Carter playing well is obviously a big deal for the rest of the team, one which knows its offense must come around if this team is to pull out of this three-year, 5-11 tailspin. Being the quarterback, the third-year pro said he accepts the added responsibilities that come along with the position.
"As the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, you have to be one of the leaders," said Carter, who beat out Chad Hutchinson for the starting job during a heated competition this off-season and training camp. "You're the guy your teammates can lean on and expect to make plays. We've got a lot of good leaders in this locker room in Darren Woodson and Dexter Coakley and Joey Galloway. But as the quarterback, you're always considered a leader. I have to go out and lead by example."
And that doesn't always mean just leading on the field.
Carter caught Parcells' eye this week when the coach noticed his starting quarterback still watching game film after 8 p.m. Tuesday at Valley Ranch.
While Parcells commended Carter for putting in the extra hours, he didn't go overboard with his praise. To Parcells, staying late is what a quarterback is supposed to do.
"I said (to him) from here out, 'All I want you to do is practice, lift weights, look at film, eat the right food, get enough rest and prepare yourself to play football,'" Parcells said of his conversation with Carter. "Other than that, you don't have anything to do. So you don't need to have a life except for that."
But after the year Carter has endured, going from being the season-opening starter last year to the bench for the final nine games to regaining the starting job for this season opener, he seems more than willing to do whatever he needs to do to be successful, including watching a little extra tape at night.
"This is the way a quarterback should be," Carter said. "He should be up here the majority of the time studying tape, knowing tendencies of a football team and taking care of your body. I'm just learning how this business is really, and this is the way it should be."
Carter's right about still learning the business. While his experience probably helped him win the starting job over Hutchinson, Carter hasn't run off all the "green" from his game. Don't forget he has just 15 starts under his belt, going 6-9 as a starting quarterback, including leading the Cowboys to a 3-4 record last year before getting replaced after a four-interception performance in a 9-6 loss at Arizona.
That game also included a heated verbal exchange between Carter and team owner Jerry Jones on the sideline following his fourth pick, two of which were claimed in the end zone. Whether it was the interceptions, the loss, the exchange with Jones or a combination of many other extenuating factors, Carter never played another snap after last season.
But Carter admits things have changed dramatically since then.
"I think I've matured a lot, both on and off the field," Carter said. "Looking back on last year, things were tough because we weren't having the kind of success we all expected. But if you're going to do well in this league, you need to grow from your mistakes. I think we all need to that. I feel more comfortable now, in my third season. Hopefully, I can do a better job for my team this time around."
And this time around is No. 3 for Carter, who becomes just the fifth quarterback in franchise history to start three consecutive season openers, along with Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, Danny White and Troy Aikman. Now incredibly, only nine different quarterbacks have started a season-opening game for the Cowboys in their previous 43 years, but considering the ups and downs of Carter's short career so far, leading the team for three straight seasons would go down as quite a feat.
"I've been through this twice now - started the opening game of my rookie year and also started last year," said Carter, who is 0-2 on opening day. "But it's about the right time. We've put everything in our offense. I've got enough reps. We've done enough to establish what we want to do on offense, the kind of identity we want to have. The timing we want to have with our receivers, tight ends and running backs. Right now it's just all about putting it together right now. I feel like I'm ready to go."
Parcells certainly hopes so. Ready or not, the coach said he sees a quarterback with a better understanding of what the offense is trying to accomplish.
"I think he's got a lot more confidence right now," Parcells said. "He understands what we're trying to do and I think he's got an understanding, stylistically, what we're trying to do with him. Before, he was just out there running plays. But I think he knows how we're trying to use him now."
Carter should, and Parcells has made it clear he does not need a "marquee" quarterback to be successful, hoping for Carter to just play within himself.
So come Sunday, Carter jumps behind the wheel of this new Cowboys bus, and whether he's deftly weaving in and out of traffic or cruising effortlessly down the highway or running off on the shoulder, how Carter drives this bus will have a whole lot to do with Sunday's season-opening outcome.
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09-06-2003 06:27 AM
