When Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr stepped in front of a Ben Roethlisberger pass early in overtime on Sunday night, it set the Cowboys up for a win that vaulted them into a three-way scrum for the NFC East title.
It also might have been a message to Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley that it is time to change up some of the plays in the playbook he’s compiled over the years. Carr said after the game that he came up with the interception because of his familiarity with Haley’s tendencies while playing with the Chiefs while Haley was their head coach.
“I just stayed in my zone and I trusted myself this time. He made a throw behind, so I went and got the ball. I’ve been dealing with coach Haley for three years, so I finally got a chance to play against him. It worked out that some of his tendencies held true,” Carr said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “It helped a lot just to know how a person thinks on the field. I had a chance to figure out how he thinks and how he’s going to attack me -- know how he coached me up in Kansas City. Basically, it helped me play to my weaknesses and make them my strengths.”
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was critical of Haley’s play calling after the game, although he didn’t mention that particular call. It wasn’t the best throw in the world, but it probably would have been caught if Carr had stuck with the Cowboys’ intent to take away the deep ball. Carr made an educated guess on what Haley would call, though, and the Cowboys reaped the benefits.