That Carr enters in the discussion is a sign of what's going to take place inside the Metrodome. The Giants in their final regular season game don't need anything other than a get-healthy playoff tuneup. The Vikings, though, are playing for their postseason lives. If they win, they're the NFC North champions. If they lose and the Bears beat the Texans, the Bears gain the division title and the Vikes are done.

"I'm going to see if I can help my father-in-law out if I get a chance to get in there," Carr said.

Does anyone even remember that Carr is on the team? His signing in early March caused a slight ripple because of his resume: the No. 1 overall pick of the Texans in the 2002 NFL Draft, a hotshot quarterback out of Fresno State selected as the cornerstone of a new franchise. It didn't quite work out.

Carr was sacked an NFL-record 76 times as a rookie and it never got much better. He was sent packing after five miserable seasons in Houston, hooked on as a backup in Carolina last year before the Giants plucked him off the scrap heap to serve as Eli Manning's understudy.

Manning has again been a rock of durability, and Carr has been a bystander. He got in the last minute of the rout in St. Louis and took a knee three times. He got in down the stretch of a rout of the Seahawks and completed his only pass of the season, a five-yard touchdown to Sinorice Moss to put the Giants ahead 44-6.

What on the outside appears to be a wasted year for a 29-year old in the prime of his athletic life has in fact been a period of cleansing. Carr only had known losing in the NFL until he arrived at the doorstep of the Super Bowl champions.

"I think I said it when I got here, just watching them through the playoffs, they were a group of guys I wanted to be around," Carr said. "I didn't know anything about them, but once I got in here it was how it should be. This is winning Football. It takes more than one guy for sure. This is the epitome of a team."

Manning will start against the Vikings, but Carr is expected to finish and he's excited to finally get an opportunity to break a sweat. His role has been to work on the scout team in practice to give the defense an accurate look at the next opponent and to support Manning.

"It's been a good relationship," Carr said. "I'm happy it was like that because you never know when you go into a situation with quarterbacks. Some guys have different egos, I've been around enough of 'em to know that. We get along great."

Manning is a No. 1 overall pick who made it big. Carr is one who did not.

"Jealousy might be a good word," Carr said with a smile. "Just looking around the league at different guys and different situations guys get thrown into, it's the luck of the draw. But Eli's had to work at it, too. This isn't easy for him. It takes a little while to get over the hill and they were fortunate enough to do it here."

Carr was signed to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum $700,000 and he realizes he's probably seen as something of a mystery man, considering his past struggles and that he didn't play at all this season. He'd like to find a starting job but did not rule out a return, either.

"I've really just been enjoying this," Carr said. "People understand how hard it is to win, and even if you're not the starter I still take as much pride and am as happy as these guys were the other day when we beat Carolina. That's a good deal."