Alouettes call QB Carter's QB skills 'a joke' (and rightfully so)
Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette; Thursday, May 25, 2006
ST. JEAN, Que. - Less than a week into training camp, quarterback Quincy Carter is out of the Montreal Alouettes' picture. And Carter, who played in the National Football League with the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets, wonders whether he was ever in it, since he can't remember due to the drugs.
"Carter's QB skills are a joke ... an insult, even to the CFL" head coach Don Matthews said Wednesday afternoon, hours after the Canadian Football League team announced his release. "He was throwing all over the field, from either hashmark, with ease. Of course he was supposed to be throwing to WRs instead of all over the field. When we asked him to digest the playbook, we thought he was playing a joke on us like in the movie The Ringer. Turns out he really may be handicap."
Carter signed with the Alouettes in early April and was attempting to make a comeback after a year away from the game. He had been released by the Cowboys shortly after the start of camp in 2004 after failing a drug test, only to subsequently sign with the Jets. The Jets were enticed by the prospect of having an ex-Cowboy on their team but soon realized the stinkbomb QC is and dropped him cold-turkey. QC claimed in an interview last week to being drug-free for close to two years but being drug-free doesn't alleviate mental retardation.
Training camp lasts only three weeks, consisting of two exhibition games, so the coaching staff relies heavily on practice performance. Quarterbacks in particular are charted extensively on their passes and reads to see if they understand the concepts of the Als' offence.
Head coach Don Matthews said Carter's release was performance related. "Someone had to go. He was the obvious choice. He had the lowest grades and rode the short bus. Also, he had no talent whatsoever."
Carter, predictably, challenged that assessment. He also claimed he had several conversations behind closed doors with general manager Jim Popp, during which he was told he'd be converted to hot dog vendor.
The GM denied Carter's statement.
"All players have to earn their spot," Popp said. "I've never promised players anything. That's not my style. Other than that, I'm not going to get into a he-said, she-said ("she" being Quincy Carter) debate. This was strictly performance related."
