OXNARD, Calif. -- The Dallas Cowboys sped up the start of
the Quincy Carter Era on Tuesday, releasing veteran Tony Banks to
make the rookie their starting quarterback.
|  | | Tony Banks, center, no longer is in the picture for the Cowboys, having been released. That leaves Quincy Carter (17), as the projected starter, and Anthony Wright (2) as a backup.
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Carter was Dallas' top draft pick and immediately was labeled
the long-term replacement to Troy Aikman. Banks had signed a few
weeks earlier with the promise that he was the short-term solution
and would be the starter this season.
But after three weeks of training camp and two preseason games,
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and coach Dave Campo said they've decided
to change their offensive philosophy to a ball-control attack they
feel best suits Carter and the new second-stringer, Anthony Wright.
"It wasn't that Tony Banks went backward, it's that those guys
elevated themselves to the point where we feel for this particular
season and the future this in the best interest of the football
team," Campo said.
As for Banks, he likely will land somewhere. At least two teams -- the Bears and the Redskins -- have expressed interest in the veteran quarterback.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Tuesday night that Banks is expected to have a tryout with the Redskins at their camp in Carlisle, Penn., as early as Wednesday.
The Cowboys were ridiculed by many for making Carter the 53rd
overall pick and for their lofty expectations for him. The
23-year-old former minor leaguer for the Chicago Cubs was 20-9 in
three seasons at Georgia and he was coming off his worst one.
He seemed to be living down to outsiders' expectations early in
camp, then went 9-for-15 for 167 yards and two touchdowns in his
preseason debut against Oakland. He was 6-for-11 for 48 yards
Saturday against Denver, although he did lead Dallas within
field-goal range twice.
"We did not and could not have known the maturity and sharpness
Quincy Carter has exhibited," said Jones, who as general manager
personally selected Carter and anointed him the team's quarterback
of the future.
"I look at Daunte Culpepper, I look at Donovan McNabb -- players
that have played early, albeit their second year, not their first
year -- and it is logical to me that Quincy has the ability to come
in and have that kind of success with this team at this time."
The 6-foot-2, 231-pound Carter fits the NFL's new breed of
strong-armed, mobile quarterbacks, but he's not as strong-armed or
as mobile as Michael Vick, whom Atlanta made the No. 1 overall
draft pick.
Carter, however, will be starting before Vick as the Falcons
have chosen to bring their rookie along slowly.
"Am I ready?" Carter said. "That's a big question mark until
game time comes. No one knows if I'm ready or not, but I will
definitely be prepared."
Carter, Wright and third-stringer Clint Stoerner have a combined
two NFL starts, all by Wright, and a grand total of five
regular-season appearances. Jones said "the odds of us making
another move are nil."
The new offensive approach is based on moving the ball in small
increments to sustain long drives and keep their beleaguered
defense off the field.
The previous plan was to use a quick-strike, deep-ball attack to
take advantage of Banks' strong arm and the fleet feet of receivers
Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail.
How the receivers fit the new scheme remains to be seen. It'll
also be an interesting change for offensive coordinator Jack
Reilly, who was brought in last season to install the other system.
Banks -- who lost starting jobs in St. Louis and Baltimore, but
never in the preseason -- had a one-year, $500,000 non-guaranteed contract with no
signing bonus. It was a huge bargain for a starting quarterback
considering it's just $23,000 above the veteran minimum, but Banks
took it in hopes of proving himself, then cashing in next season.
In two preseason games, Banks was 6-for-14 for 54 yards. He
played only a few series in each game and wasn't surrounded by
Dallas' four best skill-position players: Emmitt Smith, Galloway,
Ismail and Jackie Harris. Even Campo said Banks' 1-for-5 outing
against Denver would've been much better if not for dropped passes.
"I guess I'm not Jerry's guy," Banks said. "You all saw
practice and saw how I was playing. I didn't see this coming.
"I feel like my dad hit me with a baseball bat. It was the last
thing I was expecting. All I know is the offensive coordinator and
the quarterback coach had no idea what was going on. That should
tell you something."
Off-field matters seem to have been a bigger factor. He irked
coaches by missing a few days of a minicamp while moving and he
didn't spend as much time around team headquarters between
minicamps as they would've liked.
Jones said Tuesday he had explained "very carefully and very
painstakingly" to Banks what was expected from the starting
quarterback of the Cowboys, one of the most high-profile roles in
pro sports.
"The perception of leadership, the passion for the
competitiveness for it, we were very clear from the word go,"
Jones said. "We ultimately made the decision because we have that
in Quincy Carter and Anthony Wright.
"They have that, they came here with that. That became a major
plus. Add that to the potential, then add that to what Dave wants
to do with the offense this year and that's how the decision came
down."
Banks was told he'd been released early Tuesday. He saw Smith in
the training room and said, "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to
play with you." He then spent a few minutes on the field before
workouts before leaving.
"I was on the field and saw him walking by," said Wright, who
was Banks' roommate. "I just threw my hands up at him and he threw
me the peace sign. I knew that wasn't good."
The decision was met with a bit of skepticism from Smith and
Darren Woodson, the only players left from Dallas' three-time Super
Bowl champion clubs in the 1990s.
"It's disappointing when you release anybody, more so a guy you
bring in and think he's going to be your quarterback and has the
potential to be your quarterback," Smith said. "There are a lot
of things that go along with making a team that I'm not involved
in. I can't make any decisions. All I can do is encourage guys and
try to encourage myself, work hard and try to move forward."
Woodson said the team has been rebuilding for two years and he's
ready to start winning again.
"We can't say because of the decision made today we're going to
put our hands down and say, `We're not going to be good any
more,"' he said. "They figure they made the best decision for
this team. That's the decision I have to live with."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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