Monday, April 23, 2001

Draft pick Carter looking for a bright future as a Cowboy

IRVING, Texas (AP) — New Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter of Georgia has already inherited Troy Aikman's locker at the team's training facility.

He hopes to someday follow in his footsteps on the field.

Carter, the 53rd pick in the NFL draft this weekend, is the first quarterback that the Cowboys have drafted since Bill Musgrave in 1991. Aikman, who was selected in 1989, led Dallas to three Super Bowls in 12 seasons before being waived in March. Two weeks later, veteran Tony Banks signed a one-year, $500,000 deal with no incentives.

Owner Jerry Jones has said Banks will be the starter. Nevertheless, Carter is looking toward what he hopes will be a bright future with the club.

“It's going to be tough coming to Dallas,” Carter said on Sunday. “I'm not looking to replace Troy, I'm looking to be the future quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.”

“As a little kid you always look at the great teams, ” Carter said. “When I was in high school I was trying to be like Troy Aikman. There's great tradition here, and the quarterback has to be aware of that.”

Carter will wear number 17, the number of former Cowboy great Don Meredith. But Carter is taking the number in honor of former Heisman trophy winner Charlie Ward and Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl.

Carter, who will turn 24 in October, played two years in the Chicago Cubs minor league organization as an outfielder before enrolling at Georgia. Carter's best year at Georgia came as a sophomore when he threw 17 touchdown passes. Last year as a junior, he missed five games with a thumb injury and threw six touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“He is going to have to come in and do some learning from Tony Banks,” head coach Dave Campo said. “He has the hungriness to do well, and he's mature because he's been out in the world with baseball.”

Carter said, “It took me one month my freshman year to start at Georgia, but you've got grown men in this league. But I'll hold the clipboard with a nice little fitted hat if I have to.”

Dallas, which was without a first-round draft choice for the second consecutive year because of the Joey Galloway trade last season, also drafted safety Tony Dixon from Alabama in the second round and defensive tackle Willie Blade of Mississippi State in the third round to complete the first day of the draft.

Dixon will be used primarily in nickel situations and on special teams. Blade will help the Cowboys fill a void at defensive tackle created by the free agent loss of Leon Lett and the release of Chad Hennings. Blade and the Cowboys fourth-round selection, linebacker Markus Steele of Southern California, will try and improve a Dallas run defense that ranked last in the league last season.

Steele started eight games last season at USC at outside linebacker and finished third on the team in tackles. Steele was one of six defensive players the Cowboys drafted, four spent on defensive lineman.

Dallas used its fifth-round choice to select guard Matt Lehr of Virginia Tech. Lehr can play both guard and center. The sixth-round pick to select defensive tackle Daleroy Stewart of Southern Mississippi. Stewart played in all 11 games as a senior but started only two. Stewart's teammate, defensive tackle John Nix, was selected by Dallas in the seventh round.

The Cowboys also picked defensive end Colston Weatherington of Central Missouri State and offensive tackle Char-Ron Dorsey of Florida State in the seventh round.