Carr Will Be Ready

by Jaxon on Sep 27, 2007 4:36 PM EDT in News Comment 7 comments

CSR user AJ sent me his thoughts on David Carr and his prospects for starting.

Hey, I think it's certain that Carr will be starting Sunday. Jake did not practice again today. Of course, they want to keep TB guessing, but that's probably not fooling them.
The writers at the Observor are really poor. You would think that yesterday when Carr took all the sanps with the first team that they would have been reporting on how he did and how the offense looked with him in charge. It took a reporter from another city to say that Smith caught everything Carr threw him and Colbert didn't. Wouldn't it be nice to know the same about today's practice?
I predict that Carr will have a great game. Who knows what the defense is going to do? With TB expecting the Panthers to try to establish the running game early(conventional wisdom) and bunching 8 near the line, I predict Carr's first play will be a bomb. Much like his very first pass in the NFL (and the first play of the game) against the Cowboys, a 43-yard bomb which got a pass interference call. Followed by his first completed pass, a 19-yard TD.

It kills me to think of all the access the Observer writers get and they continually miss the key points. I really wonder if they are sports fans or if they are just waiting for a gig at the Weekly World News to open up.

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bah

You do understand the rules under which the Observer writers operate, right? I mean, they mention it every season as camp closes because it suddenly limits what they're allowed to say in some very significant ways.

From Steve Reed (since that's the first quote I could find):

Keep in mind fans, from here on out this season we as reporters are only allowed to report a limited amount of information obtained from what are now "closed practice sessions," which often precludes us from discussing the type of plays that are being run, who made a nice play during practice and any position changes (unless coach John Fox or a player addresses it specifically following practice).
Fox has made it clear through the team's PR department that a violation of this agreement could result in all practices being closed to reporters.

So I'm interested in which 'reporter from another city' reported the details... and I'll be interested in knowing if that guy or gal ever gets back into a Panthers practice to report on these things again.

by r3 on Sep 27, 2007 9:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Do your homework

To answer your first question, I did not know the rules (which is different than not understanding the rules), assuming that Steve Reed's interpretation is correct. I had not read Reed's quote since I do not read his blog.

I did check the blog out, and it is neat and well-written, but a little short on solid analysis, unlike this blog. For example, in its breakdown of the Falcon's game, I believe Carr's name was only mentioned once. It did not mention Colbert's miss of Carr's first pass which could have been a TD, nor Carr's later completion to Colbert of a 38-yard pass which had at least a little to do with the final Carolina field goal. Nor did it mention that Smith's only reception of the game was a 10-yard pass from Carr. I've just outlined three of the four passes that Carr threw, which appeared relatively significant to me. (By the way, the pass I left out was also a completion.) Seems like a little objectivity and thoroughness is missing.

If you are really interested in who wrote the article I referred to, you can find it the same way I did -- the old-fashioned way, look for it. Apparently you have access to a computer since you posted this comment. In the meantime, I will assert my reportorial privileges and not reveal my sources.

by A J on Sep 28, 2007 8:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But I want YOU to do my homework!

Oh, I agree, there's a reason that I read this blog, along with the other sites I frequent. I'd much rather see more thorough analysis based on watching and re-watching the game than I would a series of fluff pieces or a cursory overview of the larger themes of the game (because, ya know, I watched it too). But, that said, it's important to understand what the practice-attendees actually get to talk about, and criticizing the reporters who are hamstrung by the team is kind of like screaming at retarded kids that they're stupid; they can't help it.

Anyway, having not done any research to back this claim up, I will still assert confidently that there are One Hundred Thousand websites regarding football, any of which could have a reporter attending practice and thus reporting on things he/she shouldn't. I'm not looking them all up, but you could throw a dog a bone and at least mention the relevant city. Gastonia? Durham? Raleigh? Rock Hill? Winston-Salem? Asheville? Spartanburg? Greenville? Columbia? Is it Clemson's student paper? Is it a visiting national reporter for SI/CBS/Fox/NBC/ESPN/ESPN The Mag/Sporting News/Beckett? It's a big world out there. Help a brother out.

by r3 on Sep 28, 2007 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It was the Canadian's

Seriously, I'm not sure where AJ pulled it from. Thanks for your comments. Oh, and I liked the retarded kid analogy, it fits pretty well :)

by Jaxon on Sep 28, 2007 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's what I thought!

Well, at least you took it in good humor. But you've got me at an overall disadvantage -- you actually get to see the games. I live in Houston and don't.

I have followed Carr, in spirit, to Carolina because I liked him, thought he got a raw deal in Houston, becoming the scapegoat for the failures of everybody else connected to the team. If he is not the QB I thought he had the potential to be, then we'll soon find out when he gets a decent supporting cast around him. I want to see him take the Panthers to the Super Bowl, or at least go with them there. I really think there is a possibility that Jake may be out for the season, which I deeply hope will not be the case.

I wasn't aware of the limitations on the reporters regarding practice sessions, but I think there is much more they could report on within those restrictions. And that area is not the bounds of their other shortcomings. Look at the silly exchange on today's Observor with the TB reporter. Not a single meaningful insight between the two of them. Compare that to some of Jaxon's pregame exchanges on this website with bloggers from rival cities which are substantive discussions.

I would throw you a bone if you sit up and begged. Well, I guess that's what you're doing. Oh, OK, but I swear I will hunt you down and make you suffer if you get this guy in any trouble. He's just a guy trying to make a living. Your last paragraph in your first post made it sound like you were more interested in seeing this guy punished somehow, rather than being interested in what he wrote. I'm not trying to be coy, but I don't know what your vested interest is, if any. But since it was published publicly, check the NC newspapers for yesterday. Hint: not any that you listed.

by A J on Sep 28, 2007 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

bah?

So saying "Steve Smith caught everything Carr threw and Colbert dropped everything" would get you banned from practice? Like we couldn't have guessed that. Come on, of course I don't expect them talk about position changes, plays their running or who had a good practice. I'm talking about the fact you have to read a Canadian paper or the Winston-Salem Journal to get any pertinent player interviews. Yas instead talks about Darryl Strawberry, Big Peach in Gaffney, SC or just repeats whats been reported elsewhere without any additional insight. That's what I expect from a blogger who has access, additional insight that doesn't violate confidentiality. I know its possible.

by Jaxon on Sep 28, 2007 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did you see Stan's latest post on the Observer?

That thread about this same subject got ugly when some trolls from the Bucs weighed in. Problem is that Stan let them get to him. A couple of the posts should have been deleted immediately but were still up a little while ago.

Wow, I think we had an impact on the Observer blog, cool!

by Jaxon on Sep 29, 2007 12:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs