Quincy and McNabb are friends

[#1MavsFan]

Mothers' nature starts Carter-McNabb bond
The moms kicked it off, now Quincy wants to be like Eagles' McNabb

09/22/2002

By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

It started with their mothers. An exchange of their sons' phone numbers. And if Quincy Carter has success Sunday afternoon at Veterans Stadium, perhaps an iota of credit should go to his counterpart on the other sideline, Donovan McNabb.

Carter and McNabb talk on a regular basis. They have become friends, allies in a league where young quarterbacks, especially young black quarterbacks are trying to establish themselves, just as others such as Warren Moon and Doug Williams did before them.

When Carter was drafted in the second round last year by the Cowboys, McNabb's mother, Wilma, made it a point to recruit Carter's mother, Sherry Carter-Embree, into the Professional Football Players Mothers Association, just as Mrs. McNabb did with Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick's mom and Cincinnati quarterback Akili Smith's mom.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Mrs. McNabb, vice president of the NFL mom's association, told Mrs. Carter-Embree to be sure to have Quincy call Donovan if he ever needed someone to lean on. Carter made the call. McNabb then began calling Carter, just to check in. Now, it's an ongoing thing. Whenever Carter's cell phone rings and he sees a Pennsylvania area code, he clicks the talk button, listens, learns and, almost always, laughs.

"Donovan was booed right when they drafted him, just like I was booed when I came on the field against Tennessee last week," Carter said. "It's good to have a guy like that who's been through some tough situations, a guy I can lean on and talk to and get some advice from. It's just great to have a superstar like that who cares about the people around him."

Their families sat together in the McNabb suite during last year's 40-18 rain-splashed blowout by the Eagles in Veterans Stadium (Carter was injured and didn't play.). McNabb invited Carter to participate in his celebrity foundation dinner in June in Chicago. And in May, McNabb and his family invited Carter and his family to join them on a cruise to the Cayman Islands.

"Even when we have a chance to meet with our sons, it's difficult when the cell phones and the two-way pagers are constantly going off," Mrs. McNabb said. "On the cruise, those cell phones and pagers don't work. Our sons have nothing to do but relax."

Carter, however, couldn't make it.

"Quincy was in Dallas working out," Mrs. Carter-Embree said. "I tried to get him to go. But it was more important that he get with Bruce Coslet and learn the new offense."

Carter finds role model


In McNabb, Carter sees where he wants to go. He has made mental notes about all things McNabb, from how he runs out of the tunnel to how he stays positive with his teammates no matter what.
McNabb has given Carter advice on investing, advice on how to beat the blitz, advice on how to handle all the public appearance requests. In most cases, it's the same: be patient. Don't ever make a move without studying every aspect.

"Quincy was very excited about coming into this year," McNabb said. "He worked extremely hard to prepare himself. I've been telling him to stay patient. Don't think you have to make the big play on every opportunity that you have. Know what you see and take what you can get. Being a quarterback in his first full year of starting, he's learned a lot, and he's willing to learn at all times."

Carter was mentioned in the same breath as McNabb and Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper before his rookie season by Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones, who feels strongly that Carter can have the same success those two have had.

A glimpse at McNabb's and Carter's first 10 career starts shows that Carter isn't far off the numbers that McNabb produced. McNabb was able to reach the Pro Bowl in his second year. But he was also in the same offensive system his first two years under coach Andy Reid.

"You can just tell that everyone supports him and believes in him Â* his team, his coaches, his management," Carter said. "There's no friction. They've believed in him from the start. They've given him time to grow, and he's grown."

Carter, lately, has given the impression that he feels persecuted. After surviving wobbly passes, bumbled snaps and injuries early in his rookie season, he came back to go 3-3 as a starter with victories over San Francisco and the New York Giants. This year, Dallas brought in quarterback Chad Hutchinson with a signing bonus twice the size of Carter's and shook Carter up again by letting Hutchinson start a preseason game.

So when reporters asked questions implying that Carter was awful in the loss to Houston, and coach Dave Campo said on the 12 plays that Carter had time to throw against the Texans he completed eight passes, it's understandable that Carter has become testy.

Focus: Staying positive


McNabb said he was able to overcome boos on draft day and other adversity during the ups and downs of his early starts with prayer and focus.
"I didn't worry about what people felt on the outside and other opinions," McNabb said. "I just focused on what I needed to do to make myself better and make this team better."

Mrs. McNabb said Carter told her that he was "going to emulate his life after Donovan."

"All of our quarterbacks are not up right now," Mrs. McNabb said. "Knock on wood, we're doing well. There's probably a time coming when we won't be in a great situation. I pray not. But I think Donovan can help Quincy go through the tough times of not winning. Donovan was booed. They booed us from the start. From out of the darkness does come sun. Donovan believes that, and I think he can help Quincy believe it."

On Sunday in Veterans Stadium, Carter and McNabb will hug and chat before getting to the business of being bitter rivals on the field. Up in the McNabb luxury suite, Mrs. Carter-Embree will be a no-show because she been in Dallas overseeing the renovation of her son's home. And if the Eagles win, that's probably for the best.

"In my box, whenever we score a touchdown, we have to sing the Eagles song," Mrs. McNabb said. "Last year, Sherry said, 'I'll sing the song if I need to stay in the box because it's cold and rainy outside.' "

Mrs. Carter-Embree, who this year became the membership coordinator for the NFL moms association, laughed when she recalled the moment.

"She was yelling for Donovan, and I was yelling for the Cowboys," she said. "It felt like the commercial where there's one guy who stands and cheers in a room full of the other team's fans."

As for Carter, it will be his first start against the Eagles and a chance to show McNabb and the world all he has learned.

"I'm just glad us mothers got Quincy and Donovan together," Mrs. Carter-Embree said. "Even though they are on opposite teams, I think it's something that is really special."