Did you see David Carr in the New York Giants' final exhibition? You probably did not. You probably were out doing something. So was I. But the TV was on, and I couldn't help but watch.
Carr completed 20 of 29 passes, threw for two touchdowns and was not intercepted. He led the Giants to a 19-14 victory against New England.
These weren't the real Patriots, obviously. They played most of their starters for about a quarter. But on one play a big guy broke through the line and went after Carr and another big guy came after him from his right.
With the Carolina Panthers last season, Carr would have dumped the ball before they got to him or taken the sack or he simply would have cowered. But on this night he calmly dropped back, moved around, sprinted right and, as he approached the sidelines, found a receiver and completed a pass.
This was the quarterback the Panthers envisioned when they signed him. He had spent the previous five seasons in Houston behind a terrible offensive line. He was hammered every Sunday.
Rare is the quarterback who can take such a pounding and stay cool in the pocket. Tim Couch, like Carr the first pick in the draft, took a similar beating and was beaten right out of the league.
The Panthers figured Carr could find himself again if they gave him time to become comfortable and didn't have to use him until late in the season. They never brought him in to compete with Jake Delhomme. They hired him to supplement Delhomme.
But when Jake went down in the third game with a severe elbow injury, Carr was sent into the fray. And he was overmatched. He was like a boxer who had been hit too many times and he began to cover up every time an opponent approached him. But instead of boxing gloves, Carr wore color coordinated gloves. The Panthers cut him.
Despite the gloves, Carr, 29, is a nice guy, and I was happy to see he made the roster of the defending NFL champions. He's No. 2 on the depth chart, backing up Eli Manning.
