Phuck the Cubs Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 HONOLULU -- In a move that could augur the selection of Southern California tailback Reggie Bush as the first overall pick in the 2006 draft, league sources here for the Pro Bowl confirmed late Thursday that the Houston Texans have exercised a "buy back" clause in quarterback David Carr's contract, paying him an $8 million bonus to secure his services for three more seasons. The Texans, who announced the extension Friday in a news release, did not provide details, but called a 2 p.m. news conference to discuss the deal. Retaining the four-year veteran quarterback, who would have become eligible for unrestricted free agency had the Texans not exercised the option, makes it highly unlikely that Houston will choose Texas quarterback Vince Young with the top pick in the draft April 29. Some fans have urged the Texans to choose Young, a Houston native. But Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported weeks ago that Houston officials are locked in on Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner. There is still some chance that Houston could choose Young or perhaps Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart. But doing so would mean keeping a young quarterback on the bench for a few seasons, or trading Carr. The Texans' confidence has wavered only slightly in Carr in four seasons. Every indication in recent weeks was that the Texans would pay the "buy back" bonus to keep Carr. Former NFL head coach Dan Reeves, who served as a consultant to Texans owner Bob McNair, recommended keeping Carr, the top overall choice in the 2002 draft. First-year head coach Gary Kubiak, who has a strong reputation around the league for developing quarterbacks and whose presence could enhance Carr's performance, apparently gave him a strong endorsement, too. Carr, 26, has appeared in 60 games, starting 59. He has completed 941 of 1,628 passes for 10,624 yards, with 48 touchdowns passes, 53 interceptions and a passer rating of 73.7. But the former Fresno State star has suffered from a lack of support, particularly on the offensive line. He has been sacked an amazing 208 times in his career, including a league-record 76 times in 2002 and 68 times during the 2005 campaign. Carr has a 16-43 record as a starter. Under the terms of the complicated seven-year, $46.75 million contract Carr signed as a rookie, the final three seasons of the deal were voidable. Early in his career, Carr reached sufficient performance levels to cancel those three years, and technically, his contract would have expired on March 3, the first day of free agency. But the Texans had the right to "buy back" the voidable years and had two options for doing so. The first would have involved paying Carr a bonus of $5.5 million to buy back two seasons, at base salaries of $5 million for 2006 and $5.25 million for 2007. The second, the deal for which Houston opted, included the $8 million bonus, which bought back three seasons, at base salaries of $5.25 million each in 2006 and 2007 and of $6 million in 2008. At one point during the season, Houston officials considered the possibility of exercising the two-year option. The Texans also reviewed which NFL franchises might need a quarterback of starting caliber in the next few years, in the event they decided to trade Carr. They have never come close, however, to putting Carr on the market. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2325442 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 That poor guy must have nightmares of LBs and DEs coming at him untouched. I think if he ever got a real NFL line he would be something else too. He has had some showings of greatness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoomSlowik Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 (edited) He actually hasn't been all that bad the last two years. If he had a better line, he'd be dangerous. They're in a tough spot because they need a lot of things. It's hard to pass on a guy like Bush, but that's actually one of their stronger positions. They need help on the offensive line, everywhere on defense, and they could use another playmaker at WR or TE. Edited February 10, 2006 by ZoomSlowik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan101 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Well, it's either Reggie Bush or trade the pick. IMO they should trade the pick with all their needs (and the fact Domanick Davis is pretty good), but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 its funny that the Texans first ever move was to try and solidy the O-line by drafting Tony Boselli in the expansion draft, but Tony Boselli never actually played for the Texans because he never recovered from the shoulder injuries that landed him on the expansion draft list in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan101 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Feb 10, 2006 -> 04:36 PM) its funny that the Texans first ever move was to try and solidy the O-line by drafting Tony Boselli in the expansion draft, but Tony Boselli never actually played for the Texans because he never recovered from the shoulder injuries that landed him on the expansion draft list in the first place. Very true. I think Reggie Bush is going to be a GREAT player, but the Texas have so many needs, they could get a ton of value for that pick, and the fact that I keep hearing "Reggie Bush isn't a 25 carry a game tailback" makes me nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Feb 10, 2006 -> 05:37 PM) Very true. I think Reggie Bush is going to be a GREAT player, but the Texas have so many needs, they could get a ton of value for that pick, and the fact that I keep hearing "Reggie Bush isn't a 25 carry a game tailback" makes me nervous. I think Bush is gonna be a stud. Front office guys always try to under-sell draftees before the draft, i think most of the bad things you hear about before April is posturing. The only way you can really tell how they feel about the player is on draft day when someone falls or someone is a surprise pick. Thats the way I look at it. I mean come on, we all watched Reggie Bush all year, no one could touch him in the open field, and even in closed quarters he was tough to pull down. The guy is fast as hell, and he played in a program that has been turning out NFL picks for quite some time now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan101 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Feb 10, 2006 -> 04:43 PM) I think Bush is gonna be a stud. Front office guys always try to under-sell draftees before the draft, i think most of the bad things you hear about before April is posturing. The only way you can really tell how they feel about the player is on draft day when someone falls or someone is a surprise pick. Thats the way I look at it. I mean come on, we all watched Reggie Bush all year, no one could touch him in the open field, and even in closed quarters he was tough to pull down. The guy is fast as hell, and he played in a program that has been turning out NFL picks for quite some time now. Well put, but I point out 2 factors. One is I've heard this about Reggie since he was a star coming out of Helix (and he had LenDale helping him at USC) and the Pac 10 defenses aren't exactly all that good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanOfCorn Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Draft Reggie...Trade Dominick. DO NOT PICK Vince Young. I see another Kordell Stewart in Vince Young. Oh yeah, and FIRE CHARLIE CASSERLY!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamTell Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 This is a good move by the Texans, now we'll see what they do with the first pick, either trade it or draft Bush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Trade down and take Ferguson. Not the sexy pick, but it's the right one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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