Abilene Welcomes Quincy Carter ((????))

Greg Jaklewicz of the Abilene Reporter-News has tracked down Quincy Carter...
Abilene, Texas and the Intense Football League

Abilene Ruff Riders coach Gerald Dockery said he hopes the only thing that keeps his new quarterback, Quincy Carter, down this season is a cold.

Carter was a no-show to his tent party Friday outside a local bank, missing the Intense Football League team's announcement that it had signed the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback. The spotlight fell on former Hardin-Simmons receiver Mychal Carrillo, who has signed with the team in hopes of making the final 25-player roster.

You can bet that list will include Carter, which gives the team a marquee player.

"You see Quincy on TV and you see Quincy up close and there's no comparison," coach Gerald Dockery said. "He can throw the ball with amazing accuracy and has a strong NFL arm. With the right season, he has the opportunity to be right back up there."
That could happen during the Ruff Riders' inaugural season, which begins April 6 at home against Odessa.

"At this level, we expect that to happen. That's what we want and we encourage it," Ruff Riders general manager Barney Welch said. "This league allows player to move up. We don't want to encourage lateral moves. But we want them to know that if they play for the Abilene Ruff Riders, maybe they can be the next guy who plays for the Dallas Cowboys."
Carter's been there. He was named starting quarterback for the Cowboys after the retirement of Troy Aikman and played three seasons in Dallas before going to the New York Jets. He also has played one season in the Canadian Football League, Bossier-Shreveport in AF2, another arena league and started the final three games last summer for the Arena Football League's Kansas City Brigade.

Besides his equipment and workout clothes -- Carter already has been in town to work with rookies such as Carrillo at the team's minicamp, Carter also brought personal baggage to Abilene.

On Feb. 27, he was arrested in the Rio Grande Valley for DWI. In the past, he also was in drug rehabilitation.

"We've had conversations about that the past couple of weeks," Welch said. "He told us, 'Yes, I want to be here.' His focus is being a leader of this team. Everyone deserves a second chance. He is grateful and he wants to prove he can move forward."

What got the team and Carter over the hump in negotiations?

"His commitment," Welch said. "He wants to show fans that he is a better person and a better player. So far, he has shown us that."

As for pay, Carter will get the league standard of $200 per game, plus $50 bonus given players on the winning team.

Like other players, he'll also have a weekday job. Welch said businesses have stepped forward with day jobs for players, who then will practice after work and play games on weekends.

Carter will have a job with the Ruff Riders front office, "selling tickets and sponsorships," Welch said. "He's got a history with other teams of doing that and we think he can build relationships in the community."

As for the team's other quarterbacks, Damone Scott and Orrick Watkins, Dockery said they still will be competitive in their workouts.

"If you had Jerry Rice and T.O. in camp, that wouldn't affect Carrillo," Dockery said. "They're not going to let that discourage them. Someone has to be ready to step in, an inexperienced quarterback who understands the game."

Carrillo already has been on the receiving end of Carter passes.

"You hear a lot about guys getting into the league and their work ethic, not working as hard. (Quincy) demands respect in the huddle but he's a down-to-earth guy," said Carrillo, who played at HSU from 2005-2008 after graduating from Sweetwater High. "The quarterback-receiver relationships is a key to a team's success."
Carrillo said Carter anticipates where and when a receiver will be open.

"You'd better get your head around and your hands up or he'll hit you (with the football) in the chest," Carrillo said. "He can put it on the spot or hit you in stride."
Dockery said Carter's arena football experience is limited "but he's picking it up. He knows how to make throws. It's not hard to pick up the concept."

Will Carter be given a chance to run the football?

"We want to use his arm, definitely, but we also want to use his feet," Dockery said. "He said he's 31 years old but has the legs of a 25-year-old. I'll see about that.

"He has been working out at the gym. He said he needed to lose a few pounds but he's ready. I told him what I wanted from him is to dominate, whatever the level."

Carter passed for 6,337 yards in four NFL seasons and rushed for 518 yards. He threw for 32 touchdowns with 37 interceptions.

For Kansas City last year, Carter was 51-of-89 for 575 yards and eight TDs. He had four interceptions.