Abdul Carter is learning from his mistakes and putting his best foot forward to end his rookie campaign. After multiple benchings for missing meetings and walkthroughs, Carter is showing up to meetings earlier and doing his best to help the Giants as they prepare for the final weeks of the season.
Carter Showing Up Early For Meetings
The former Penn State edge rusher is attempting to learn from his past tardiness and establish better habits by showing up early to the Giants’ facility. According to head coach Mike Kafka, he has arrived at the facility by 7:30 AM, which is at least an hour before the first meeting was scheduled during each of the first three days of preparation for the Commanders game.
In an interview with the New York Post, he stated, “I’m just trying to be a better teammate. Obviously, I’ve made some mistakes that were critical for the team, but I’m just trying to be a better pro. If I keep doing the same things over and over again, I’m going to get the same results, so I’m just trying to come up with different things to be a better teammate.”
Carter had been benched for the opening drive of the home game against the Green Bay Packers, with the team thinking he was asleep, but he said he was getting treatment. Then he was benched for the entire first quarter of the loss to the Patriots due to missing a special teams meeting.
Carter reported confusion about whether he was on the punt-block unit every week, which could have resulted in the missed meeting, but special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial affirmed that he is on the unit every week; he sometimes just has not gotten into games.
Upon coming into the New England game, the pass rusher had his best game of the season. After the Patriots jumped out to a 17-0 lead on two offensive scores and a punt return touchdown, Carter ended the next New England drive with a sack on Drake Maye, his first full sack of the season. He also had three quarterback hits despite the Giants’ 33-15 loss at Gillette Stadium.
He looks to continue that momentum after the bye, saying, “I want to finish strong,” Carter said. “These last couple games I have an opportunity to make a statement.” Three of New York’s final four opponents rank in the top 14 in sacks allowed, giving him the chance to add to his lackluster sack total, which sits at just 1.5 through 14 games this season.
Giants’ Coaches Are Taking Notice of the Shift
Abdul Carter’s mentality shift is not going unnoticed. Mike Kafka, who took responsibility for his benching, credited the rookie for better figuring out when to schedule his preparation and training around the needs of the team.
“What he’s doing is he’s trying to build some routines for himself,” Kafka said. “I think as a young player, that’s part of the process — figuring out, ‘When do I get this prep in? When do I get this prep in? When do I take care of my body in the training room?’ He’s working through some different things earlier in the day, later in the day.”
Interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen agreed, saying, “I’m sure Abdul wishes they didn’t happen, but they did happen. He’s taken ownership publicly, in the building with his teammates and coaches. And then, honestly, just in terms of pattern behavior, he’s doing more. He’s watching more film. He’s coming in earlier and staying later. … His response to those moments has been pro-like.”
Carter had taken accountability with his words, but doing so with his actions is promising, as that had not been done in the past. He showed a desire to rectify and improve from past mistakes rather than avoiding responsibility or repeating the behavior, which Bullen called “pro-like.”
With Carter determined to avoid further discipline that could keep him off the field, the next order of action could be to add a couple more pass-rushing moves, as his speed alone has not been able to overwhelm NFL tackles as he did at Penn State. His fellow edge Brian Burns’ tape should be something he studies, as Burns has 13 sacks on the season.
But with Carter showing the growth and determination to rebound from past mistakes and show up on time to all his meetings, Giants fans should not worry that their first-round pick will continue to be irresponsible. His actions match his words, and Carter is determined to become a better teammate and finish the season strong on the field.
Abdul Carter Showing Growth with Better Habits for Rest of Season