Carr on Smith’s booing: ‘It was pretty hostile’

David Carr has plenty in common with Alex Smith.

He was also a No. 1 overall pick who was thrown to the wolves
as a rookie and, after failing to meet expectations for several seasons, was treated
harshly by the hometown fans in Houston.

Still, Carr, for all his battle scars, says he’s never
been subjected to anything like the treatment Smith received at Candlestick Park
on Sunday night.

“It was pretty hostile,” Carr said. “I would say that
that was the first time I’ve seen something like that.”

Carr laughed when asked if the
booing he’s received during his career has been more, uh, friendly, “If there’s
mild booing,” he said. “Sure.”

In his ninth season, Carr has been in Smith’s place — the
once-heralded starting quarterback a segment of the faithful has soured on. And he’s
said all the right things since Sunday night.

He hasn’t subtly politicked for Smith’s job to the media
and he seemed to feel genuinely badly for Smith in the aftermath of the Eagles
game.

“He’s my teammate, absolutely,” Carr said. “He’s a guy
that sits in the room with me every day. We share lockers, we go on road trips,
we’ve been through some of the same things. Absolutely I feel for him. It’s a
tough situation.”

Due to their similar experiences, the two quarterbacks
seem to share a bond. Smith smiled when he said they both have “interesting
perspectives on how to treat young quarterbacks in this league.” Carr was
sacked 76 times as a rookie in 2002. Smith threw one touchdown and 11
interceptions in his first season.

“David’s been great, been really great, throughout the
whole thing,” Smith said. “Since the day he got here. I think he and I have
both been through enough to understand that. He continues to work hard and
there hasn’t been any of that, behind the door, behind your back type stuff.”

• Carr said he can handle booing. The hard part, he said,
is when his relatives get in the crossfire.

Carr said his brother-in-law has gotten in some fights
during his NFL career, presumably in response to fans yelling at Carr.

“I can handle anything that happens to me, but you’re
talking about your family sometimes,” Carr said. “We’re not just entertainers, we
also have families. I think that’s the biggest thing I know guys worry about.”

• Smith was asked if he took team president Jed York’s
division title-guarantee as a win-or-else mandate.

“I didn’t take it as that,” Smith said. “I don’t know. I
mean, probably, obviously a better question for him. I kind of took it as some
swagger. I don’t know if he’s trying to send a message or what.”

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