E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

THE SIGNING OF DAVID CARR MAKES SENSE – ONCE YOU REVIEW THE REST OF THE CREW
By DAVE KLEIN

As the Giants were motoring onward and upward to reach the NFL's version of "The Pinnacle" last season, you might consider the luckiest piece of business that came their way.

Would you rank the ascension of Brandon Jacobs as a running back with league-wide impact as the one major event? It did, after all, enable the team to make up for the retirement of what's his name. Add to his emergence the help provided by Derrick Ward, Reuben Droughns and the rookie Ahmad Bradshaw and you might cook up a convincing case.

Or do you think it was the return of defensive end Michael Strahan, who held out for the entire summer training camp period (and never really admitted to anyone just how close he had come to retirement)? His senior presence stabilized a young defensive line and gave those guys, like Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and rookie Jay Alford, a little more cushion.

What about the hiring of Steve Spagnuolo as the defensive coordinator? Certainly that was a major event, as things turned out. He added creativity and a sense of assault to the defense and once his new system was properly ingested the Giants’ defense became the scourge of the NFL.

Similarly, one could point to the dismissal of offensive coordinator John Hufnagel and defensive coordinator Tim Lewis as positive decisions made by head coach Tom Coughlin, perhaps in the sense of opening all the windows to clear the air. Neither man did much of a job; as evidence of that, Lewis took a job as the assistant coach of the Carolina Panthers’ secondary and Hufnagel appears to have entered the Witness Protection Program. Perhaps he even sees Ray Handley from time to time, but he'll never tell.

All right, we digress. There were so many fortunate breaks that befell the Giants during their magical meandering to the denouement of the New England Patriots in Glendale, Ariz., that it might be easy to forget the one that might be the most important of all.

Eli Manning did not get hurt.

He didn't miss a game. He didn't miss a start. He accounted for 529 of the team's 544 passing attempts, 297 of the 302 completions, all but 40 of the 3,376 yards gained, all 23 touchdowns, all 20 interceptions and absorbed all but one of the 28 sacks allowed by the offensive line.

The other two waiting in the wings were Anthony Wright and Jared Lorenzen.

And that, dear reader, is why the Giants signed journeyman David Carr the other day, adding him to the sweepstakes to earn the backup spot behind Manning. It is probably not a wild guess that Wright is going to be the odd man out in this race. He has been in the league for nine seasons and he has played for five teams. He is not a factor. Lorenzen, variously "The Pillsbury Throw-Boy" and "The Hefty Lefty," has some ability, but has managed to keep it out of the public view for a long time now - or ever since leaving the University of Kentucky.

The safe guess is that Carr will become the second quarterback and Lorenzen will reprise his role as "Captain Clipboard" next season.

Is Carr an improvement? Undoubtedly, because one must consider the quality of the depth he now joins. He has actually played in meaningful games. He was the NFL's first overall draft pick in 2002 out of Fresno State, which became a nationally recognized football power because of Trent Dilfer (that’s a joke, fellas) and, more seriously, former Giants’ wide receiver Stephen Baker.

Carr has played in 82 games, starting 79 of them. He set an unwanted NFL record as a rookie when he was sacked 76 times in 16 games, or almost five times a game. Of course, he was playing behind an offensive line consisting of five of the Seven Dwarves. How else can that nightmare be explained?

Overall, he has been sacked 262 times, which probably explains the slight tic in his body and the nervous reaction of throwing himself to the ground when anyone taller than six feet approaches.

But there might be an upside to Carr. He did have the NFL thrilled at his potential when he was drafted, becoming the first-ever pick of the Houston Texans. For the first four of his five years there his quarterback coach was Chris Palmer, who was hired by the Giants last season and no one can deny he helped the often shaky Manning. Perhaps Palmer can provide more than a friendly face, you know?

There have been high-water marks in his career, such as the NFL record-tying 22 straight completions against Buffalo in 2006; the 372 yards gained passing against Minnesota in 2004 and the accomplishment of gaining more than 300 yards in four games.

The figures involved have all said the politically right things.

"David Carr is a talented player who came out as the number one pick in the draft," said Coughlin. "He is a smart and athletic player who has put up some big passing numbers. We look forward to working with him [and] we do have some technical things to work on, but we are anxious to work with him. If we can place him in a positive environment perhaps he can reclaim some of the things that people saw [in him] to draft him in the first round."

General manager Jerry Reese, similarly, was just brimming with optimism. "He has a strong skill set for the position and he has a history with Chris Palmer," he said. "He is here to compete for a job and I am looking forward to seeing him complete." Nobody mentioned a rigged race, but perhaps that is on everyone’s mind and, perhaps, it is the major reason for signing him.

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

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