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October 15, 2007
Expect Carr to be starter going forward
GLENDALE, Ariz. The Vinny Testaverde bandwagon is rolling, as it should be. But before it gets out of control and fans anoint Testaverde as the starter for the rest of the season, there’s something they should know. If you saw Testaverde walking (and we use that term generously) in the locker room after the game, you would know that’s not what the Panthers want.
Sure Testaverde’s always been a workout warrior and he’s in great shape, but he’s 43 years old. He was a great solution for one game and he could play here and there the rest of the way. But Testaverde doesn’t have 10 starts in him.
David Carr, who should return from a sore back after the bye, has more than 10 starts in him. The Panthers wanted a guy who was a viable long-term alternative to Jake Delhomme when they signed Carr in the offseason. They’ll stick with that plan and use Testaverde as a quasi-coach and as an insurance policy if Carr goes down for the short term.
PAT YASINSKAS
Posted by Observer Sports on October 15, 2007 at 12:52 AM | Permalink
Comments
I think VT has more than 10 starts in him. Car seems to be a lil' scared in the pocket compare to VT.
I'm on VT BANDWAGON baby!!!!!!!
GO CATS!
Posted by: Cats' Fan | Oct 15, 2007 1:48:47 AM
I think your worng very worng. Carr will need more then a week to be at full speed and Vinny will get the start in two weeks. You cant say a half speed Carr is better then VT.
Posted by: Dame | Oct 15, 2007 2:04:37 AM
I think your wrong very wrong . Carr will need more then a week to be at full speed and Vinny will get the start in two weeks. You cant say a half speed Carr is better then VT.
Posted by: Dame | Oct 15, 2007 2:06:16 AM
Should anyone really suprised that Fox would not stick with Vinny. I think they should stick with Vinny as long as they can but I'd expect Fox to go back to Carr.
Posted by: mattdaddy | Oct 15, 2007 8:01:38 AM
I'm more on the VT bandwagon than not. But I do see the point to KEEP HIM healthy. He is 43. He's obviously a GREAT option for us. Maybe this will put some fire under David Carr the way he put some fire under Delhomme at the beginning of the season. If Carr flutters like the past couple weeks, I would hope that VT would police him up and help him out. This is after all a team. But man, I have to say, Vinny looked much more in control of the huddle then I've seen Carr do this season. It was almost as if the players trusted VT. Hopefully Carr can get that going with the offense too. But at least now we know what Vinny has left in the tank. And let's not forget...even though Rattay played...our defense played great. If we can keep that up, we'll be in a position to win every game. GO PANTHERS!
Posted by: clayton | Oct 15, 2007 8:40:30 AM
I think Vinny has several more starts in him. I can't fathom putting Carr back in until we have to. Vinny showed the experience to command the field yesterday. He also didn't make many mistakes!!! To me, he looked more like a seasoned 35 year old QB. If they start vinny, and he starts to struggle, they could also put Carr in. I just can't see the down side in starting Vinny. I just hope they go with the "If it an't broke, don't fix it".
Posted by: greg | Oct 15, 2007 9:09:32 AM
I think I'll wait until I hear it from Fox himself. No offense Pat but what you are doing is speculating.
Posted by: panthersrule | Oct 15, 2007 9:11:03 AM
One of the main reasons the Panthers won the game vs Arizona was because Julius accidentally took Warner out of the game (Peppers DID make a GREAT play with the sack/forced fumble/fumble recovery) Warner's elbow got bent some kind of ugly, his elbow was bending just like an elbow but in the opposite direction.. OUCH! And when they were forced to go to their 3rd string QB (Rattay), the defense wasn't tested like they would have been if Warner was in the game.
Overall, the Panthers D played well. Especially the safeties, with Harris causing a forced fumble and Cooper with TWO interceptions ! The only real miscue was that horrible lack of tackling display on James' TD. Chris Gamble did nothing to stop or even slow him down.
Im still pretty psyched about coming out of Zona with a win and a tie for 1st place in the NFC South. Go Panthers !!!
Posted by: Zenmanship | Oct 15, 2007 9:20:28 AM
Good to hear it. 43 year old KoolAid? no thanks. WE WON, thats all I care about right now, happy for Vinny but thats as far as i go with him this season.
Carr was the last QB to beat the Colts and has 10 starts vs the Colts and can run from preasure, it would be a train wreck if Vinny started against the Colts, meet you at the QB kind of deals.
Posted by: BigKahuna | Oct 15, 2007 9:43:10 AM
Pat...I have to disagree as well..what we saw mas a very mature QB running the plays yesterday....if you count in the 4-5 dropped passes, VT would have had a day an QB half his age would have loved...Carr needs a lot of work...he's not versatile...doesnt move well in the pocket...and lacks the size to "play over top" the d-line for effective slant patterns which btw, served us well yesterday...I would be very surprized if Fox doesnt play VT against Manning...it will give Indy alot more to think about than just presuring Carr...which I think helps us in a game that is likley to turn out to be a really bad hair day anyway....just a thought
Posted by: Bob | Oct 15, 2007 9:46:45 AM
20 completions,33 attempts, 1 T.D. , 0 turnovers ,sacked once.Yea, he should start on the 28th.
Posted by: greenstreet | Oct 15, 2007 10:13:04 AM
There are so many clowns on the Observer Panthers beat, the post-game locker room must resemble a Barnum & Bailey show.
Yastinkas worthless musings, pure speculation reported as fact, and weak reporting skills belong at the Rock Hill Herald. Hey, I'll even spring for a one way bus ticket.
Posted by: Larry Soisson | Oct 15, 2007 10:24:05 AM
If he's healthy, Carr will likely start in two weeks. That's the way the Panthers operate. They will likely stick Dan Morgan back in the middle, too, even though Beason has proven to be quicker and harder hitting (not afraid of concussion?!?!?) and really warmed to the defensive signal calling yesterday. Watching Vinny yesterday, it appeared that his technical skills are about equal to Carr's. The big difference was his composure in the pocket - no happy feet, even though he is much less mobile than Carr. It appears that Carr got hit so often behind Houston's bad offensive line during his formative years in the NFL that now he is overly jumpy and prone not to look downfield when he sees a rush coming. If Carr can't get over his happy feet, that will be his undoing.
Posted by: catfan | Oct 15, 2007 10:32:17 AM
Allowing Carr to start after the bye does absolutely nothing to benefit our squad. He has not shown the ability to....well, basically WIN. Our team shows no confidence and fire when Carr is under center. VT played a hell of a game yesterday and my question is...does it really take a 20+ year vet to realize that u have to throw Stevie the ball. If we get Steve 10+ touches...we win!!
Posted by: Riddle | Oct 15, 2007 10:34:03 AM
VT is the man. Yeah he's old, but he looked a heck of a lot better than Carr. He made quicker decisions, and seemed more in control than Carr has ever been with the Panthers. Is VT a long term option? Absolutely not, but VT is a solution for this season. If he can hang in there and not mess up to bad, then keep him as the starter. I felt like I was watching a real football team yesterday. This is the best game they have played since playing the Rams, which Arizona is a much better team than the Rams. The Panthers did start off a little slow, but they did start hitting on all cylinders as the game went on. The Defense looked great, the offense looked okay, and special teams looked decent; lets hope this game wasnt a fluke.
Posted by: Ace | Oct 15, 2007 10:42:29 AM
The Panthers need to cut Dan Morgan because Beason is his replacement and is a better player than Morgan. They also need to cut Carr because he sucks. The defense has looked great the last two weeks with Beason playing the middle and everyone looks like thry are in sync.
Posted by: BDUB | Oct 15, 2007 11:26:29 AM
HEE HEE HEE...Vinny's older than the zip code....HEE HEE HEE....he's a geezer and is as old as Dwayne Jarrett's dad...HEE HEE HEE...old people can't play...except dominos and checkers....HEE HEE HEE...
Yeah, you sophmoric "columnists" and "experts" saw a savvy, composed, fearless warrior out there...he didn't have the happy feet of Delhomme and Carr. 43 is old, but is about like 33 in previous generations. Not all players stay out all night chasing tail, drinking, smoking and playing. Brains and composure means a lot in a controlled Fox offense. What would we have done without Vinny last week? Enough already with the jokes...when Colbert, Carr, Robinson and Peppers start showing the same "old man" consistency as Vinny, I'll quit laughing at them. In the meantime, I'm still laughing at that "young" Eric Shelton, our star running back from Louisville. Oh, I forgot, youth didn't help him very much and we cut him.
Posted by: Geezer Man | Oct 15, 2007 11:41:49 AM
I am pleased with how the Panthers played and my comment is only in regards to one play in the Tampa game and one in the Arizona game. In both games a player went down untouched, put down the ball and walked away (David Carr in Tampa, Larry Fitzgerald 4th Qtr after a 1st down). In both games everyone went about their business as if the player was down. Did I miss something. If I didn't, then our players just need to treat every play like it is live until the whistle is blown.
Posted by: NMH | Oct 15, 2007 12:41:03 PM
Chris Gamble is one of the most overated players in the NFL. Yes he is very physically gifted but Gamble is an idiot. With his athletic ability he should not get burned so many times. His mental game is very weak. Gamble gets burned as much as Ricky Manning Jr did with the Panthers, but at least Manning was a standout on special teams too. Im glad we dont have both of them on the team.
Posted by: Dave | Oct 15, 2007 12:51:10 PM
I love the articles on this site.. But I have to disagree with you on this... It should be without question that VT earns a starting spot at least going up against the Colts. Every interview i watch with Carr in it seems like hes trying to be an expert speaker, always talking to fast, and saying, "yea, Ill definately be ready next week, even better" but in reality, he's not. I don't trust him, he doesnt take shots with the ball, i guess because he doesnt trust himself, Testeverde is a veteran, and I believe its the best chance at defeating those undefeated Colts.. You always stick with the guy who's hot, and he can continue to be on a roll, if Carolina gives him that shot to start.. Trust me, its an ESPY moment in the making!
Posted by: Eric | Oct 15, 2007 1:00:07 PM
are u guys crazy...yea VT had a good game, he didnt make the mistakes some QBs do...but lets be honest...we all kno Carr will start and thats the best option for us...we played a just as banged up as us Zona squad without boldin, brown, and they had tim rattay at QB. Yea, our defense played pretty darn good...but u cant have a QB start every game for u that doesnt have much mobility and who has a weaker arm then delhomme. hes a good leader and he kept us together this week...but the best option is to put the more mobile, stronger armed, and dare i say BETTER qb in against the colts (so long as hes healthy) and somebody said he cant win? 2-1 when games hes in with us...seems like a winning record to me? the heart Carr showed in the game against the saints...the drive he led to win the game? he made some great throws...and the way he can move...Carr is the best for us...we should all kno that...Go Panthers!!!!
Posted by: Mo | Oct 15, 2007 1:05:47 PM
Although I think that that you are right in saying Carr will start, I do not think he should. Carr has played awful in his starts for the panthers. For some reason Steve Smith can't even catch Carrs throws. Vinny moved the offense yesterday...at crucial times. If Fox is smart at all it will be Vinny who finishes the season.
Posted by: Joshua | Oct 15, 2007 1:32:31 PM
Ill tell you why Pat is right here. While VT is clearly a better game manager, and probably a better QB than Carr, we simply cannot afford to risk VT getting hurt. Carr is banged up, and VT is fragile. I would rather play Carr, and replace him with VT if he gets hurt or sucks it up then start VT, watch him get hurt in 3 weeks, and have Carr/Moore as our only options. If we lost VT to injury, there is NOBODY else.
Start Carr, save VT until we NEED him.
Posted by: Dan | Oct 15, 2007 1:45:34 PM
To hell with Carr. This league, this season, this setup is WIN NOW. Testaverde gives us the best chance to WIN NOW. We're not in a rebuilding year... we're trying to WIN NOW for what could be the last time with a core group of guys. If we were 1-5, then Carr's the man for the rest of the season. No more growing pains... I want experience and poise, if not star stats, from my QB because I want to WIN NOW.
Posted by: WIN NOW | Oct 15, 2007 2:38:40 PM
I think you keep starting Vinny and let him show you how many starts he has in him. We're going into a bye week, so Vinny can rest up, get into better shape, and keep learning the playbook. What we put on the field yesterday worked, so why mess with it?
Posted by: Dave | Oct 15, 2007 2:39:14 PM
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