By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

David Carr, the Houston Texans' rookie quarterback, hasn't completely adjusted to life in the NFL.

For example, he has almost as many interceptions (six) as he does touchdown passes (seven).

"Guys aren't as wide-open as they were in college," Carr said.

He also has been sacked 44 times and hasn't played a game without being sacked at least four times.

"I got sacked 15 times all of last year (at Fresno State)," he said. "It's a new thing for me."

But Houston's coaching staff has no reservations about proclaiming Carr as a franchise quarterback. For one, Texans coach Dom Capers says Carr, who is married with one child and another on the way, is more mature than his 23 years would indicate, allowing Carr to act as a leader even as one of the youngest players in the huddle.

"In the year that we studied David (at Fresno State), we liked not only his physical tools on the field, we liked what we thought would be his ability to handle being the first pick and all the peripheral things that come along with that," Capers said. "He doesn't get too high or too low. He comes to work with a blue-collar work ethic."

That's why Capers and his staff made Carr the first pick of this year's draft after he led Fresno State to an 11-2 record during his senior year. Carr won over Houston fans right away by guiding the Texans to a 19-10 upset of the Dallas Cowboys in the first game of the season. It marked the first time since the 1961 Minnesota Vikings that an expansion team began the season 1-0.

Like a true expansion team, Houston lost its next five games before beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-19 last week. Despite the ups and downs, Carr says it's just a matter of time before everyone feels comfortable with each other and the Texans show some consistency.

"I knew it would be tough getting started and getting on the same page with the guys," Carr said. "But we're taking small steps and headed in the right direction. The lowlight was losing five in a row. That's tough to deal with. The road is looking up. We're on our way. I know my guys are going to get better. They're going to figure it out eventually. "

Just like Carr eventually will figure out how to combat a blitz. If not, all the sacks he takes could make for a short career.

"Our No.1 goal is to cut back on (the sacks)," Capers said. "David has handled it, though. He's really shown physical toughness and mental toughness, and I think he's really won the respect of the guys in the locker room because of his approach."

NFL teams' pass-rush schemes are nothing like what Carr saw at Fresno State. But the more he sees them, the easier it gets.

"The first time you see a blitz, it's difficult, and it gets you," Carr said. "The second time you see it, you know what to do with the ball. And the third and fourth time, it starts slowing down."

From picking up a blitz to turning the Texans into a winner, Carr has a lot to think about these days.

"There's a certain amount of pressure that comes whenever you're the No.1 pick in the draft with the first pick of the franchise's history," Capers said. "I think David's makeup is such and his disposition is such which enables him to handle that."

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

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