Cowboys Stun Camp By Cutting Quincy Carter
The Cowboys made a shocking move here Wednesday morning, cutting starting quarterback Quincy Carter for unspecified reasons. Both Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells would not elaborate why Carter was sent home from Oxnard, Calif. Jones said he was "extremely disappointed" with Parcells adding he could "not risk having him in the plans." The move paves the way for Vinny Testaverde, whom Parcells officially named the team's starting quarterback.
(I will post more when i get it)

Ok here is the full story.

By Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Aug. 4, 2004, 6:25 p.m. (PDT)

OXNARD, Calif. - Three days ago, Quincy Carter had a "leg up" on the rest of the quarterbacks on the Cowboys' roster.

By Wednesday morning, he had his legs cut out from underneath him.

That's right, Quincy Carter, last year's 16-game starter who was expected to be this year's starting quarterback, has been released in what has developed into one of the most shocking stories involving the Cowboys in several years.

Both Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Bill Parcells refused to elaborate on the details of the decision during the daily press conference out here at the team's training camp site.

"We're going in a different direction and there's a lot of details in the process that were involved in this," Jones said. "I will remind you of some things that I've said regarding quarterback and Quincy. I want you to know today, that on my part, this was not a difficult decision at all, though very disappointing. Very disappointing."

Parcells said he was "saddened" by the move, but based on apparent recent revelations, he said the risk of keeping Carter was too great.

"I'm committed to moving forward right now," Parcells said. "I've got 18 months invested in this thing. I just couldn't put the rest of the team at risk. We just couldn't keep him in our plans."

The move opens the door for 40-year-old veteran Vinny Testaverde, who has already been named the starting quarterback. Parcells said he will let youngsters Drew Henson and Tony Romo receive extensive playing time in the preseason, but aims to have Testaverde ready for the season opener in Minnesota on Sept. 12.

"I'm disappointed that Quincy is no longer going to be on this team," Testaverde said after practice. "But at the same time, we have to look at the whole thing and get things done to go out and win ballgames. This isn't an easy situation. I know I have to continue to improve, but now I'm given the opportunity to come in and take over."

While there have been nation-wide reports circulating, including speculation Carter had violated the NFL's substance abuse policy, the Cowboys have not, and will not make an official comment on those reports because of the league's confidentiality rules.

"The bottom line is, we have to respect an individual's rights to have some things about what they're about not made public if there's no need to be," Jones said. "And that's about all I'm going to say on that issue."

But clearly, Carter's release stems further than just on-the-field issues.

Because just Sunday, Parcells said Carter had a "leg up" on the rest of the quarterbacks in reference to the starting job, based on his experience and having started all 16 games last year, leading the Cowboys to a 10-6 record a Wild Card berth in the playoffs.

And it was Carter who not only seemed rather content with his status on the roster, but as the starting quarterback, stating he didn't see much competition from the remaining quarterbacks.

"I wouldn't say it's an open competition," Carter said after Saturday's morning practice. "Matter of fact, I know it's not an open competition. I'm clearly the starter right now. What we've done is bring competition to my position like we've done in other positions. This football team knows who their starter is and I'm going to stand firm on that. I'm their leader and I'll do everything I can to be their best quarterback. So no, it's not an open competition."

Ironically enough, Carter was right about that part, with Parcells already naming Testaverde the starter just eight days into training camp.

As shocking as this move was, it's not the first time the Cowboys have released their starting quarterback in training camp. In fact, the last time the Cowboys trained here at Oxnard River Ridge in 2001, the club waived Tony Banks after two preseason games. The Cowboys then handed the starting reigns over to Carter, just a green rookie who had only played four total quarters in the two exhibition games.

Carter went on to start just eight games as a rookie in 2001, missing the other eight because of two separate injuries. But Carter started the final six games of the season, helping the Cowboys win three games in a dismal 5-11 season and showed enough promise that he would be considered the starter the following year.

And that's how 2002 began for Carter, who remained the starting quarterback for the first seven games of the season (3-4 as a starter), but was benched in favor of rookie Chad Hutchinson for the last nine games.

The arrival of Parcells gave every player a clean slate, and Carter took full advantage, beating out Hutchinson last year in training camp, clearly winning the starting job. While the Cowboys did double their win total from 2002 with 10 wins and a playoff berth, Carter's numbers weren't superb. He threw 21 interceptions to just 17 touchdowns and completed only 57.8 percent of his passes, with a quarterback rating of 71.4

In the off-season, Parcells gave Carter a detailed list of things to work on this summer, including gaining about five pounds of leg muscle, working on his accuracy while on the move, understanding the offense better in order to cut down his interception total and spend more time in the film room, specifically watching some of the Cowboys' unfamiliar opponents of 2004.

And just three days ago, Parcells said Carter not only had done those things, but was in the lead to win the starting job.

All the more reason why Wednesday's news is so shocking.

Of Jones and Parcells, the owner obviously seemed the most disappointed, having been Carter's biggest supporter the past three years. For it was Jones who basically went out on the limb to draft Carter in the second round, likely a round or two higher than projected. But it was also Jones who signed him to a five-year deal, instead of the usual four-year contract for second-round picks. Having that extra year prevented the Cowboys from having to work on a new contract, which they likely would've done with the quarterback heading into the final year of his deal.

Now, by releasing Carter with two years remaining on his contract, his $295,500 prorated signing bonus for this year immediately hits the cap, although the club will save his $418,000 base salary, still giving the Cowboys more than $6 million remaining for this year. Then another $295,500 will roll into next year's salary cap for the final portion of the prorated bonus.

However, if Carter is awarded to another team on a waiver claim Thursday, the remaining portions of his prorated signing bonus will accelerate into this year's cap, totaling $591,000.

But this really has nothing to do about money, but rather philosophy, principle and even respect.

When Jones was asked if Carter had let him down, the owner paused for several seconds before delivering a very passionate and emotional, "Yes!"

But Jones made sure he reiterated his point that this decision was for the greater good of the team and that there is no looking back, despite his obvious affection for Carter.

"Quincy has a lot of good qualities about him," Jones said. "I want to make sure I don't leave here without pointing that out. But this is what we're doing. We're going to move on. And again, this wasn't a tough decision for me."

Only time will tell just how tough a decision it becomes for the entire team, especially for this season.