Carter, Crouch on Different Courses

Quincy Carter is well aware of the history of Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks before him: Meredith, Staubach, White and Aikman.

He’s ready for his turn.

“I just want to uphold that tradition,” Carter said. “I’ve got a lot of pressure on myself. That helps keep me going.”

For Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch of Nebraska, his award is inconsequential. The former Nebraska quarterback, perhaps the future X factor in the Rams’ offense, now is playing catch-up at a new position.

Crouch is a wide receiver with zero experience, trying his best to avoid embarrassment among four-time Pro Bowler Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. It’s a vastly different atmosphere for Crouch. When he accepted college football’s biggest individual honor last December, he was No. 1. Now he’s a remedial athlete.

“You know you’re starting from the bottom of the barrel, and you’ve got to make your way all the way to the top,” Crouch said. “It’s going to be a challenge, and that’s one thing I’ve always looked at. Every time I step on the field, it’s a challenge.”

Both are trying to adjust to their surroundings.

Carter knows the Cowboy quarterbacks before him established themselves as leaders, won games and produced championships. In his second training camp, Carter feels he can make the Cowboys his team and move in the right direction following two consecutive 5-11 seasons.

Carter talks and walks with confidence. There is a calmness about him, whether facing new offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet, a blitzing defense or questions about whether he deserves this chance.

Last year, Carter was unexpectedly thrust into succeeding three-time Super Bowl champion Troy Aikman midway through training camp.

After a shaky camp, Carter missed half of last season because of thumb and hamstring injuries. He started the last six games, and the Cowboys went 3-3. His best game was against playoff-bound San Francisco, when he threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-21 victory.

Cowboy owner Jerry Jones has noticed Carter’s growth since his rookie season.

“It’s like daylight and dark,” Jones said. “He’s certainly proven that he knows how to make good decisions.”

When the Cowboys signed free-agent quarterback Chad Hutchinson last winter and gave him a bigger contract than Carter, Jones and Coach Dave Campo assured Carter he was their starter.

Hutchinson played four seasons of pro baseball and has not played football since 1997 at Stanford.

Carter remained No. 1 during the offseason as the Cowboys learned Coslet’s West Coast-style offense, which features a less-complicated passing scheme.

There are more short and medium passes, but there also are deep routes to take advantage of speedsters Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail. Emmitt Smith also will have plenty of rushing opportunities.

Coslet, who is known for working with young quarterbacks, is excited about Carter.

“He can’t prove himself until we start playing games,” Coslet said. “He proved himself a couple of times last year but had an injury-plagued season. Let the guy have a chance. He’s a good player and could be a really good one.”

Carter can pass and run. He has a strong arm and 4.6 speed over 40 yards.

During the first week of camp, Carter made good throws and was accurate on several long passes.

“He knows it’s his offense,” Galloway said. “He steps in knowing, ‘OK, I’m the guy, I’m running the show.’ We can see that, we can feel that. It’s not like he’s a fresh guy coming in trying to lead guys that don’t know him. We feel better about him, and he feels better about us.”

There have been missteps for Crouch, who nursed a hamstring injury during the Rams’ first two minicamps. While he grapples with the terminology and the route-running during training camp, he sometimes drops a perfectly thrown pass or watches a punt tumble to the grass.

“It’s definitely a challenge for him,” Bruce said. “This is a place to learn, and he’s going to take his bumps and bruises. He can’t get disappointed with himself if he doesn’t make a good play.”

Holt can relate to Crouch. After putting up big numbers as a receiver at North Carolina State, Holt went sixth overall in the 1999 draft.

When he came into training camp, Holt also felt behind.

“You’ve got to stay patient,” Holt said. “When you don’t know everything and you’ve got guys who are better than you, you kind of take a step back and stay humble.”

The Rams will be patient with their third-round pick, whom Coach Mike Martz envisions as a receiver, returner and secret weapon.

During his college career, Crouch showed a flair for the dramatic. His end-zone-to-end-zone dash against Missouri last fall is one of many standout plays. He used his speed and athleticism to become one of three major college quarterbacks to run for 3,000 yards and pass for 4,000 yards in a career.

Crouch is the Rams’ fastest player, ahead of running back Trung Canidate, Bruce and Holt.

“He’s the fastest player I’ve ever been around,” Martz said.

Speed aside, learning a new position has been difficult.

“There’s a lot of little things you have to pay attention to,” Crouch said. “I’m getting a lot of advice from the veterans, and I’m going to be learning every day out there.

“I just have to absorb as much as I possibly can and try to translate that to the football field.”

All those years at quarterback have been an asset. Crouch knows about each position, and he believes that has helped him learn the playbook.

Yet sometimes he gets the urge to get behind center Andy McCollum and start barking signals.

“I haven’t completely forgotten about quarterback, I have to be honest,” Crouch said. “I still have an itch to pick a ball up and throw it, but that’s something that’s just innate for me.

“I’m starting to feel like a receiver more and more every day, running routes and learning from the veterans, and hopefully one of these days sometime soon it can just feel natural and look natural for me.”