Abdul Carter has been benched more times for violating team rules than he has sacks in his rookie season with the New York Giants.
That’s not exactly how this whole thing was supposed to go when Big Blue drafted the feared Penn State edge rusher No. 3 overall back in April.
But there was Carter, rooted to the sideline for the first quarter of the Giants’ embarrassing 33-15 Monday-night loss to the New England Patriots. Reports indicated that he missed a “team responsibility” during the week leading up to their trip to Foxborough.
It was the second time in three weeks that he was benched — forced to sit out the opening defensive series against the Green Bay Packers for missing a walk-through. Carter said he was receiving treatment during that session.
Head coach Mike Kafka continued to defend his player despite the benching, stating that it was his decision, without delving further into the reasons behind it.
“We have great communication, and he’s one of my favorite players on the team, and that was one thing that we talked about,” Kafka said on Monday night. “And it was my decision to not play him.”
Carter, at least, attempted to take more accountability.
“I have to be better,” he said. “I have to take pride in what I do, be where I have to be. Simple as that.”
But the schtick is growing old quickly. Mixed messages have been coming out of the Giants’ team building about his tardiness being a regular occurrence. Previous head coach Brian Daboll appeared more inclined to let it slide; perhaps because his job was on thin ice and he could ill-afford to bench a potential gamebreaker for even a series. Perhaps it was to convey that all was well, though everything else clearly indicated that it was not.
After going 3-14 last season, the Giants are now 2-11 with the results yet to come with Kafka at the helm. Carter has just 1.5 sacks across his first 13 NFL games, which might be a disservice to the kind of pressure he has been able to generate.
Still, the growing headache he is providing is outweighing any of that on-field production right now.
“Just grow up, really,” veteran defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said of his young teammate. “I think he loves football. He takes it seriously, and his approach to the game is really good. Just young stuff that can’t happen.”
