Believing in Quincy???

[Chicago JK]

If Parcells believes, have faith in Quincy
By Jim Reeves
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

IRVING - Do you trust Quincy Carter?

It's a bottom-line question, isn't it? It gets to the nitty-gritty about whether we believe in a resurrected Cowboys team that's 6-2 at the halfway part of the NFL season, and seemingly on its way to the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season.

The question was bouncing around the airways on TV after Survival Sunday, when the Cowboys had as horrific a start to a game as any team ever, and still beat the Redskins 21-14 at Texas Stadium.

It was kicked around again on radio Monday morning.

IRVING - Do you trust Quincy Carter?

You hesitated with your answer, didn't you? You wanted to give a resounding shout: "Yes!" You wanted to pump your fist and lead the Blue Kool-Aid parade down Main Street. But you couldn't quite let yourself do it.

Me either.

But you know who doesn't hesitate?

Big Bill, that's who. Big Bill trusts Quincy Carter.

And who do we trust? Repeat after me: Trust in Big Bill.

So maybe it's OK to start believing in Quincy.

A little bit, anyway.

At his Monday morning news briefing, Parcells said Quincy's development has been the most pleasant surprise of the Cowboys' season. And he took about five minutes to enthusiastically explain why.

"There's no secret to why he's doing better," Parcells said. "There's no secret, there's no magic potion, there's no big change in his ability. What's changed is his preparation, his work ethic, his commitment. That's what's changed."

Maybe it's as simple as maturity, Parcells said. Maybe Carter felt like "his back was to the wall and it was close to the end of the line if he didn't do those things.

"Whatever it was, I don't care. I really don't," the coach went on. "I think that's where he has proven to me that he's going to take his responsibility and be stand-up about it. I like that."

If that's not an endorsement, I don't what is.

Parcells, in fact, doesn't really hide his fondness for the quarterback who was all but run out of town last year. He clearly likes Carter's enthusiasm, his eagerness to learn, his willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

Sure, Parcells is quick to throw the usual bromides, reminding us the third-year quarterback is a work-in-progress. But so is this odd-couple relationship between the two of them.

"All I want to do is encourage him now, see that he's prepared, see what he likes," Parcells said. "With a young quarterback like this, communication with him becomes more important.

"When you have a veteran guy like [Phil] Simms or Vinny [Testaverde], you can just look at him and say, 'You like this deal or not, this thing we're doing?' You could get a good feel for them and if they didn't like it, you'd just throw it out.

"With Quincy you've kind of got to go slower, because he wants to please you, he wants you to feel confident that he can make all the throws and that certain actions are OK with him. And yet, deep down I don't know what he really loves."

Who would have thought that Bill Parcells might care about what Quincy Carter loves? But he does.

And he's learning.

"A couple of times I'd say, 'What do you think about this?' and he'd say 'Well, dial it up'," Parcells said, and you could see the affection in the smile that played across his lips. "That means he likes it. 'Dial it up.' "

Yes, Carter still makes mistakes. He sometimes throws off the wrong foot, or under-throws a receiver. Sometimes he might miss a read.

He's not perfect, never will be. Nor will he ever be Troy Aikman. But he just might be good enough.

"I think he's improving as we go," Parcells said. "I think his game management's better. There are still two or three areas I want to talk to him about. There are a couple of things as a coaching staff that we might be able to alter to assist him a little bit."

But when Big Bill was asked if he had confidence in Quincy, he never hesitated.

"Yeah, I do. Here's the difference," Parcells said. "When we first started and he made a mistake, it wasn't surprising. When he makes one now, I'm surprised.

"He has a way to go, but he's on the march a little bit. He isn't still in boot camp."

No, he's not. Quincy Carter may march to a different drummer than most, but at least we know now who the drummer is.

It's Big Bill.

And if he trusts Quincy, maybe there's a lesson there for all of us.

[kingrex]

I was a naysayer when it came to Quincy, but I have grown to respect the effort he has given this year. He is the proverbial player who needs to work harder than the next guy to make up for his deficiencies. I still think he is a limited player, but dang if he hasn't done a good job so far.

[bogey]

The thing about Quincy Carter was that last year he was lazy and took things for granted. His reputation was cemented as a poor player. He will have to earn his way out of the doghouse with Cowboys fan who have long been known to hold their quarterback to a higher standard. The long line of excellence at QB in Dallas history demands it. The fans demand excellence. Qcar has not provided that yet.

From last season to this season, he has made terrific strides in his preparation by all accounts. He is working on films, working on his techniques, etc. He didn't do that last year. Parcells ripped into him early into his tenure and Carter has responded. I still think he has a LONG way to go to be a respectable NFL QB. For the Cowboys to win, Carter needs to be the guy who doesn't lose you the game. Parcells still gets on him for his many mental lapses during games, but he has reduced those quite a bit as well. If he can continue to improve he will probably be good enough to play QB for the Cowboys on a champion quality team. However, if he continues to toss up interceptions at this rate, it might be enough to get Parcells looking for the next QB.

Only time will tell, but so far he is improving and that is enough for now. I predicted a 7-9 year in a pick 'em contest. I think now the Cowboys will be 9-7. It should be enough for a playoff bid and should be enough to instill some team wide confidence for next year. This is no Superbowl quality team. That won't happen this year. But, give Parcells all the credit in the world for this turnaround. It is him and all him. This is basically the same team as last years shitty team under Campo and Coslet who destroyed the teams ability to win.

[LRB]

Quincy still has a long ways to go to be a great quarterback. But from last year's Quincy to this year's Quincy I've seen a huge improvement. Credit Quincy for doing the things it takes to improve and for buying what the Tuna was selling. The Tuna will be the best thing that ever happened to Quincy's career if he'll keep buying.

[FineCubanCigar]

Carter is a poser.

[kingrex]

Originally posted by: FineCubanCigar
Carter is a poser.

C'mon FCC, I know you've got more to offer than just this one sentence. Weigh in and let's discuss the matter. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[bogey]

Why? Succinct answers rule. Especially when they are most likely to be accurate.

[Dooby]

First off, I think this is as fine a column as I have read in the local papers in a while.

Originally posted by: bogey
The thing about Quincy Carter was that last year he was lazy and took things for granted. His reputation was cemented as a poor player.

For the record, this is what we were told. We were told this by Jerry; we were told this by an offensive staff that was so good, none of whom are in the NFL this year. But if you recall, we heard none of this before Q-Car was benched for Chutch. Yes, we heard that Q was a reach as a second rounder and yes, we heard that Quincy sucked. But his reputation wasn't really tarnished until Jerry and his gang decided to fulfill their metrosexual fantasies and play Chutch instead of Quincy.

It is very important with Jerry Jones to contrast what we are told with the truth, because they aren't always the same.

[kingrex]

Originally posted by: bogey
Why? Succinct answers rule. Especially when they are most likely to be accurate.

I agree getting to the point is fine, but I wanted his reasons why he thought that Quincy was such a poser? A poser to me just talks the talk, but can't walk the walk. Quincy has done the job for Cowboys this year through hard work and attention to detail. He not only has talked the talk, but he is walking like crazy. He has done more with not that much ability. So, that's why I wanted him to further elucidate his point.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: Dooby
First off, I think this is as fine a column as I have read in the local papers in a while.

For the record, this is what we were told. We were told this by Jerry; we were told this by an offensive staff that was so good, none of whom are in the NFL this year. But if you recall, we heard none of this before Q-Car was benched for Chutch. Yes, we heard that Q was a reach as a second rounder and yes, we heard that Quincy sucked. But his reputation wasn't really tarnished until Jerry and his gang decided to fulfill their metrosexual fantasies and play Chutch instead of Quincy.

It is very important with Jerry Jones to contrast what we are told with the truth, because they aren't always the same.

If you keep up with the board you know i'm a Quincy fan but I honestly think all of that talk about Quincy being a poor player and lazy was something Campo and JJ made up because at the time it didn't make any sense to bench Quincy so they had to make something up. You don't bench a guy when your team is 3-4 for a qb who hasn't played football in years. Thats like telling your players you don't believe they can win anymore games so we are going to forfeit the season.

[bogey]

Could be, but he certainly didn't play well last year. I don't fault them for looking at Hutch since they pay him so much money, but Qcar has outplayed him this year and the last time I looked this was THIS YEAR. But last year he wasn't good at all. Thankfully, last year is over.

[Just211]

IMO he is the same person he was last year. Do none of you remember Jones praising his work ethic, and his Gym rat mentality before?
I believe in the theory that people don't change, it's the circumstances surrounding them that change.
Sure he's gotten better, but his attitude is still the same. It's just now Dallas is winning, and BILL has endorsed this guy. We all trust Bill. But before Dallas was losing, and the crappy staff that was here didn't even support him. I thought he should have never been benched to start with, and would be even more improved now, if JJ and Coslet hadn't stabbed him in the back and retarded the learning process. Hopefully, everything keeps going good, and Quincy gets more and more time to develop, and he might just be the QB of the future, without a doubt.

[mercury_rev]

The best thing about QCar this season is his ability to make plays. Yes, the interceptions need to come down. Yes, his stats don't look very pretty (although I don't put a lot of stock in QB ratings anyhow.) But he's shown an ability to put the ball in the end zone. He can scramble enough to convert lots of 3rd downs Aikman couldn't have converted. He has a good attitude too. He'll probably never be Pro Bowl material, but you don't need a Pro Bowl QB to win in the NFL.

[kingrex]

Originally posted by: mercury_rev
you don't need a Pro Bowl QB to win in the NFL.

Moreover, Parcells doesn't need a Pro-Bowl QB to win in his system.

[MavsFanatik33]

The Cowboys are 6-2, for the most part he's done his job, and I trust him. We have nothing to lose this year, we haven't even begun to see Parcells at work...

[QCarFan]

I suire think we have seen Parcells work, he has put his stamp all over this team pal.

[Chicago JK]

I was never a quincy fan. I didn't have anything against him, I just didn't think he was a starting NFL qb. I enjoy being proved wrong though. I am still not totally confident that he is the long term solution, but him getting Parcells praise obviously makes me feel more comfortable. I have been impressed with him this year and I think Parcells and Co. has done a masterful job by playing to his strengths. Quincy is doing a good job driving the bus.

[kingrex]

Do you guys believe that Quincy will have a good game against the Bills this weekend?

Predict how many yards, TD's and INT's.

Mine are:
198 yrds
1 TD
1 INT

A so-so outing that will be bailed out by the D!

[arsenalth9]

I believe in Quincy...I think he has a lot of potential and has been playing well (with a couple exceptions)...but then again what do u expect from a guy that started his career so shaky..i think he is going to continue to improve until we are eventually america's team again.

[Max Power]

According to the FWST, Carter has 113 rating in the 4th quarter.