David Carr indicated Friday that he would fight the organization tough and nail to try to start Sunday at Tampa Bay. But he also acknowledged that the decision is not his alone.
That decision, according to head coach Dom Capers, will come during pre-game warm-ups at Raymond James Stadium.
"I can give you a definitive word that we'll make a decision on Sunday," Capers joked after practice. "But I can tell you that David took half of the team reps and Dave Ragone took half of the team reps today. We'll go to Sunday, see how David Carr feels and make the decision that's best for the team."
What goes into that decision?
"I want to see how David feels, where he is with his arm and what kind of velocity he has throwing the football," Capers said. "Dave Ragone's had a very good week of practice. To me, it comes down to where David Carr is on Sunday and how he feels."
Both quarterbacks looked solid in team drills Friday. Velocity didn't seem to be an issue with Carr. And Ragone threw some nice deep balls, including a long touchdown toss to wide receiver Andre Johnson in the two-minute drill.
"I think David threw the ball the best today the best that he's thrown, which is what we anticipated," Capers said. "He's taken more throws every day this week and I think I've seen him throw with more velocity."
Whoever lines up under center will face a Bucs defense that is still formidable, despite the defending champs' 6-7 record. The rankings show that Tampa Bay ranks just seventh in total defense. But that's yards -- the Bucs have yielded the fewest points in the league (198) and that stands out to Capers more than anything.
"At the start of the year, that's what everybody shoots for," he said. "In my mind, that's the No. 1 statistic. For the last five years, they've been right there and I don't see any difference."
For his part, Carr would love to test himself against this defense.
"Why not?" he said Friday. "They're the defending champs. We could even up our record with theirs. Sometimes this season things haven't gone their way but they still look the same to me."
Whether Carr views the Bucs from the sideline or across the line of scrimmage remains to be seen.
NOTES:Capers said running back Domanick Davis will start Sunday. Both Steve Foley and Antwan Peek will see action at right outside linebacker. Right guard Zach Wiegert (elbow) missed practice again Friday and will be a game-time decision. Milford Brown would replace Wiegert if the Texans de-activate him.
