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Smith injured, Carr uninspiring in 49ers loss
By Morris Phillips October 24, 2010 |
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Among the myriad of troubling, lingering questions surrounding the 49ers, you can add one more. With starting quarterback Alex Smith injured, can the 49ers get any level of proficiency from backup David Carr? Given the evidence of Sunday’s come-from-ahead 23-20 loss at Carolina, the answer would have to be no. Carr threw into double coverage and was picked off by the Panthers’ Richard Marshall with less than two minutes remaining, setting up Carolina near midfield with the game tied at 20. On the next play, Carolina’s Matt Moore connected with Brandon LaFell on a 35-yard sideline completion that saw rookie Taylor Mays running stride for stride with LaFell, but not looking for the football. Four plays later, John Kasay kicked the Panthers to their first victory of the season with a 37-yard field goal. For the 49ers (1-6), the issue of critical turnovers will accompany each coach and player on their flight to London just like their passports. Smith committed a NFL-leading nine interceptions in the team’s 0-5 start. But on Sunday, Smith and the 49ers got to halftime with six turnover-free quarters under their belts and were in position for a second straight victory, although likely narrow and uninspiring. But then Smith suffered a serious, shoulder injury—similar to the one that ended his 2007 season—when rookie Bruce Davis was beaten badly by pass rusher Charles Johnson, who sacked Smith and landed on the quarterback’s shoulder. The irony is Smith could be done for the season—and his 49ers’ career—with some promising, turnover-free, play as his final statement. But in his place, Carr, who hasn’t seen significant action since 2006, has assumed the turnover mantel, as his critical interception broke the clean streak and led directly to Sunday’s loss. And it’s a mantel that has passed from J.T. O’Sullivan to Shaun Hill to Smith and then to Carr in a really hard-to-watch three seasons of 49ers’ football. “I think what we wanted to do when David Carr came into the game, because of the limited reps and everything else, is try to run the ball, try to get some continuity at that time,” coach Mike Singletary said. Carr entered Sunday’s game with the scored tied at10 early in the second half, and immediately the rust on the arm of the former No. 1 draft pick was apparent. Carr misfired on several throws and almost immediately, coordinator Mike Johnson deferred to run plays. Of the first five 49ers’ possessions with Carr at the controls, only one lasted more than three plays. On that drive, the 49ers opted for run plays on the first six plays before a Carr incompletion followed by a field goal that tied the game at 13 early in the fourth quarter. The 49ers’ defense then came up big, seemingly taking the pressure off Carr, when Ray McDonald picked off Moore and rambled 31 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. But the 49ers’ offense stalled out on the next two possessions and in the last half of the fourth quarter, the lopsided time of possession (36 minutes to 23 minutes in favor of the Panthers) took its toll on the fatigued San Francisco defenders. In the final minutes, the pass rush that had made Moore miserable for most of the game eased. Then the 49ers’ secondary was felled by coverage errors, the most egregious being Shawnte Spencer’s misstep that allowed David Gettis the edge on a 23-yard touchdown catch. Then Mays was vicitimized on the sidelines by LaFell, and the 49ers were losers again. But the defense shut down the Carolina run game, allowing just 76 yards on 34 carries, along with harassing Moore. But with little help from Carr and the offense, they simply spent too much time on the field. Remember, Carr represents the great unknown with 65 touchdown passes and 70 interceptions in his career. Carr hasn’t played regularly since 2006 when he threw 12 picks and fumbled 11 times (with only 11 touchdown passes) for the 6-10 Texans. His 2007 season with the Panthers in which he replaced the injured Jake Delhomme was statistically the worst of his career: six games in which he threw three touchdowns and five picks. In 2008 and 2009, Carr was in New York and never let go of his clipboard with Eli Manning making all the starts. And still the playoff push continues. First, team owner Jed York predicted a big finish to the season and now Singletary has followed suit. “We’re going to make a season of it, and I still believe we can go to the playoffs. I still believe we can get those things done, we just have to get the right things in place and go from there,” Singletary said. |
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