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Training Camp Preview: Insurance Policy
By John Schmeelk, Giants.com

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JULY 14, 2008

For many Super Bowl champion teams, the following year's training camp does not typically feature a lot of personnel changes. Generally, there aren't many battles for starting or reserve spots. That will not be the case for the Giants this season, who have a number of important positions that will be determined by performance at training camp. Leading up to camp, Giants.com reporter John Schmeelk will analyze six of those battles. This is Part 4, backup quarterback.

Since becoming the Giants starting quarterback in 2004, Eli Manning hasn't missed a game. He has started 57 consecutive games, and the team hopes that will continue for as long as Eli plays. In fact, the Giants hope they never actually find out whether or not they chose the right backup quarterback in training camp. It seems silly to worry about a player that won't even see the field if things go as planned, but contingencies must be put in place in case the worst happens. You don't plan for a fire, but you still have a fire extinguisher in the house.

That's where the Giants stand with their back-up quarterback situation. Anthony Wright, David Carr and Andre Woodson will battle for two roster spots in training camp. Woodson, drafted in the 6th round out of Kentucky, is considered a developmental quarterback that will likely slide into that third quarterback slot Jared Lorenzen held the second half of last season. NFL franchises normally prefer to have one of their backups be a veteran, and the other a young player they can groom. It's doubtful the Giants would put an unproven 6th round pick in a spot where he would have to lead the franchise if Eli Manning goes down with an injury.

In many mock drafts Woodson was rated to go in the second or third rounds, so the Giants think they got good value with a pick they can develop into a NFL caliber quarterback.

"He has won a lot of games and carried his team for a long time at a school that hasn't necessarily flourished in the SEC," offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "When you get a guy that has carried his team for a long time in a very competitive environment it's very hard not to take a chance on him. We are excited about him coming in and seeing what he can do. You have heard Tom (Coughlin) and Jerry Reese say that we have been working on getting a young guy that can come in here and develop and become a quality backup to Eli. Hopefully he will be that guy."

Of course, if Woodson proves he is the best of the three he will get the backup job, but that doesn't seem like it's the first scenario Gilbride is preparing for.

"It can be a young guy," said Gilbride, "but you would like to think that there is a veteran that can do it while you ease the transition or you slow down the transition or the dependence on the young guy, but hey, if he can do it, that's great."

Gilbride's description of what he wants out of a back-up quarterback seems to mesh much more with what a veteran brings to the table.

"Obviously you are looking for the best player, but to me I am just looking for a guy that can go in and the fall-off is minimized.  You don't have to start changing what you have been trying to do as an offense because you have lost your starting quarterback.  Now there are going to be some alterations, some modifications, but you would like to minimize the adjustment.  So you need a guy that can come in, has a little savvy about him, has a feel for what you are trying to accomplish, so he has to have a degree of intellect and know what you are trying to accomplish, and we think that we have a couple of guys that can do that."

That leaves Wright and Carr, who have come to the Giants from two very different paths.

Wright made the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Steelers in 1999. He has been a backup quarterback for the Cowboys, Ravens and Bengals until signing with the Giants last year and beating out Tim Hasselbeck for a roster spot in training camp. He started five games for the Cowboys and 14 for the Ravens over that span and actually went 5-2 for Baltimore down the stretch in 2003, leading them to a playoff birth. He has a career quarterback rating of 66.3 with 20 touchdown and 25 interceptions. Arm strength has never been a question for Wright, who can make all the throws and get the ball down the field. Wright was the third string quarterback for the first part of 2007 until moving into the back-up slot after Lorenzen got hurt. Even after Lorenzen became healthy, Wright stayed as the backup.

Carr came into the league much more heralded, as the first overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft. In his six-year career, he ironically has a better career quarterback rating than Manning (74.4 vs. 73.4). That either speaks to the unreliability of the quarterback rating stat, or the fact Carr just simply hasn't been on a lot of good teams. In his five seasons with the Texans they went 26-54 and Carr was treated like a virtual tackling dummy, enduring 249 sacks. For a point of reference, in that same time period Tom Brady was sacked just 141 times.

Last year Carr was a backup for the Panthers and played in six games after Jake Delhomme was injured. He was ineffective, throwing for only 635 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. 2004 and 2006 were his two best seasons for Houston. In 2004 he threw for 3,531 yards and completed 61% of his passes with 16 touchdowns to a 83.5 quarterback rating. In 2006, he had an unbelievable 68% completion percentage but threw for just over 2,700 yards and only 11 touchdowns to an 82.1 quarterback rating.

Carr has a history with quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer, who was his offensive coordinator for the Texans.
"I'm excited to meet up with Chris again," Carr said. "That's really the main reason I came up here. He has the best feel for what I'm doing. He knows what's best as far as what my mechanics should be when I throw the football."
However, there's a worry that all those sacks he took might have adjusted Carr's internal clock and prevents him from being comfortable in the pocket. The Giants hope their superior offensive line will help return Carr's clock to its appropriate setting.
"I have a lot of calluses," Carr said. "I'm like an old carpenter - I've been through it. If you let that stuff affect you, you're not going to be able to do your job. One of the reasons I'm excited about coming here is they protect the quarterback well and they have playmakers on the outside."

With four quarterbacks heading into camp there will be limited reps for Carr, Wright and Woodson to show what they can do, so they must make the most of their limited opportunities. With a starting quarterback as good and durable as Manning, the Giants will pick the player best suited to play at the highest level now to be their backup. If Manning does get hurt, the backup simply needs to keep the team afloat and give them a chance to win until he comes back. All three players will have the opportunity to prove they're that guy.