Last March, David Carr signed with the 49ers — and not only because he’s from Bakersfield, Calif., and starred at Fresno State, but because he wanted to start. A long, long way from the heights he attained when he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, Carr thought he’d have a shot at a starting job in San Francisco.
Sure, Alex Smith was there, but the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft was not entrenched and Carr was told he’d have a chance to compete. Soon enough, he realized it wasn’t going to happen.
“I kind of knew from the spring it wasn’t going to be a situation where I was going to compete or anything,” Carr said. “It was kind of frustrating for me all the way back then. Kind of wanted to come back to New York then.”
After opting to leave a fairly cushy two-year role backing up Eli Manning with the Giants, Carr kind of had to stay with the 49ers. He lasted only one desultory season — sitting on the bench, playing in only one game and throwing a total of 13 passes — before the 49ers released him on July 28.
Three days later, he re-signed with the Giants and tonight he will get to make his case for staying with Big Blue. Manning will start against the Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium, but Carr will make his preseason debut and likely will get the bulk of the work a week after his competition, Sage Rosenfels, played well in a loss at Carolina. Rosenfels, who missed the week of practice with a case of strep throat that put him in the hospital for a day, will not play.
“It’s fun to practice to re-hone your skills and get sharp, you’re kind of playing with monopoly money out there,” Carr said. “You can kind of take some chances, do some things. When game-time comes, there’s a way they play football here, coach [Tom] Coughlin, he preaches no turnovers, make sure you’re smart. I felt I did a good job of that the last time I was here.”
This summer, unlike his first go-round with the Giants in 2008 and 2009, Carr faces a challenge for the honor of helping Manning during the week and watching him play on the weekend. Manning has never missed a game in his NFL career, making 103 consecutive regular-season starts dating back to his 2004 rookie year. The identity of the Giants’ backup quarterback may not mean very much, but a turned ankle here or sore shoulder there for Manning and all of a sudden everyone needs to know who’s next in line.
Carr and Rosenfels are vying for the spot. Rosenfels, 33, served as Manning’s caddie last season and it was assumed there would be no change this year. But when Carr, 32, was released, the Giants couldn’t resist picking him up.
If the Giants want to go cheap and save some salary cap space with their backup, Carr is their man. He’s scheduled to make $810,000 this season. Rosenfels is more expensive, at $3 million.
“Who is the best, that’s what I think about,” Coughlin said.
He also thinks about who fits best. Rosenfels, more quiet and reserved, also serves as the holder for field goals and extra points, which is a big plus. Carr, outgoing and charismatic, does not.
“There are contributions to the meeting room,” Coughlin said. “There are all kinds of stuff.”
Rosenfels, once Carr’s backup with the Texans, completed 13 of 13 passes for 129 yards in last week’s 20-10 loss to the Panthers. Now, Carr must be as good, or better.
“We’re all going to play well, honestly,” Carr said. “In this system, it’s a quarterback friendly system, I expect every guy who goes out there to do well. If we’re paying attention in meetings and on the field there’s answers for you to be successful. As long as we can get the 10 other guys on the field to get what we’re trying to do at the line of scrimmage we’ll be fine.”