Baker finds himself in rare position

Could Matt Baker become the exception? That is, could he become just the second former North Carolina Tar Heel to play quarterback in a regular-season NFL game.

"Don't bet against him," said Gary Tranquill, who coached Baker at Carolina last season. "Matt sounds like a long shot, and maybe he looks like a long shot. But that's one tough kid, and he's got plenty of talent. He's always had more talent than most people had any way of knowing."

After 44 years of coaching, the former offensive coordinator retired after the Tar Heels' 5-6 season in 2005.

These days, the 67-year-old Tranquill spends a lot of his time fishing -- for small-mouth bass and for information about Baker's fate in the Dallas Cowboys' preseason camp.

"I'm probably more nervous than Matt. I talk to him as often as I can, and I guess the best way to put it is that we're both cautiously optimistic," Tranquill said.

Baker's hopes got a big lift Thursday when the Cowboys released Drew Henson. Only three quarterbacks -- Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo and Baker -- are on the roster as the Cowboys prepare for tonight's preseason game against San Francisco. Most NFL teams keep three quarterbacks, although one often is on the game-day inactive list during the regular season.

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells has named Bledsoe the starter. Beyond that, Parcells and quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer have said little about their long-term plans. Romo, who played college ball at Eastern Illinois, has been on the roster for the past three seasons but has never thrown a pass in a regular-season game.

Baker was not drafted out of UNC. He signed with Houston on May 4 and the Texans released him July 28.

At Carolina, he spent most of his career as Darian Durant's understudy. When he finally got his chance in 2005, Baker responded with 2,345 yards passing and nine touchdowns. Those numbers would have been even better if his receiving corps hadn't been so butterfingered.

Tranquill is hardly exaggerating when he gushes about Baker's toughness. The punishment the quarterback absorbed during a 34-16 loss at Miami was downright cruel and unusual. That Baker was capable of walking -- well, limping -- off the field that afternoon was a borderline miracle.

"I was concerned for him in that game; we all were," Tranquill said. "But by the next day, he was ready to go. No matter what happens with him or how it goes with the Cowboys, I'll never forget how determined Matt was to make the most of his one chance last season. It would have taken a lot of pain for him to have gone to the bench for a long time. You don't see that kind of determination much. He'd waited and waited."

Carolina has waited and waited, too.

The school began playing football in 1888 -- Arizona was not yet a state -- and has yet to produce an NFL starting quarterback. The only ex-Tar Heel to appear at quarterback in an NFL regular-season game was Scott Stankavage, who played briefly for Denver and Miami in the mid-1980s. He played in four games, completing eight passes for 66 yards.

Two other former Carolina quarterbacks -- Deems May and Ronald Curry -- made it in the NFL but at other positions.

Tranquill says Durant would have made it with the Baltimore Ravens last season had he been just a little taller. At 5 feet 11, Durant had the arm but not the size most NFL teams are looking for. Baker, listed at 6-2 and 212 by the Cowboys, is big enough. But is he good enough?

"It's too early to know," Tranquill said. "The toughest part is what Matt's going through right now -- trying to find a spot on a roster when you're not a high-round draft pick. If he can hang on, make the roster and start learning, his chances get a lot better as time goes along. Some of it comes down to luck and timing. There are lots of examples of NFL quarterbacks who hung on and hung on until they got a chance and then made the most of that chance."

That's Baker's specialty, and his first decent chance could come tonight against the 49ers. Romo and Bledsoe are expected to get the bulk of the playing time. But with Henson out of the picture, Baker's hopes of getting in a game for a few snaps have improved. The team's final preseason game will be Aug. 31 against Minnesota.

To date, Baker has done nothing more than tote a clipboard during games.

"It's just a hunch, but I think they'll give him a series or two," Tranquill said. "If nothing else, that would be a good sign."

Even if it's just for a snap or two in a preseason game, that would put Baker far ahead of most former Carolina quarterbacks.