Abdul Carter’s Rough Sunday with the Giants
Abdul Carter had quite the surprise on Sunday when he found himself sidelined during the New York Giants’ first defensive series against the Green Bay Packers.
Interim head coach Mike Kafka explained that the decision was made by the coaching staff, which sparked some chatter about the possibility of a suspension. He mentioned, “I’d like to keep the rest in-house,” and Carter later admitted to reporters that he had made a mistake in the days leading up to the game.
As it turned out, multiple sources confirmed that the action was a punishment for oversleeping during a team walkthrough.
Additionally, reports indicated that Carter was tardy for meetings, with former coach Brian Daboll labeling him as “lazy.” Daboll was let go last week after the Giants fell behind by double digits in the fourth quarter for the third time this season.
However, on Tuesday, Carter pushed back against those claims, asserting it was an “honest mistake.” He mentioned he hadn’t really registered the changes in practice times since Kafka took over and insisted he was actually undergoing treatment at the time, not asleep. “I know for a fact that it was an honest mistake,” Carter said. “I informed Coach Kafka about it. But it’s not true that I was sleeping then. This is the first time anything like this has happened.”
Carter was selected third overall from Penn State in April and faced some backlash from fans after he sought permission from Lawrence Taylor to wear his iconic number 56, which Taylor declined.
He then approached Phil Simms about donning number 11, which he wore in college and has significant meaning, but the request was ultimately turned down by Simms’ family. In the end, Carter settled for number 51.
To exacerbate the situation, Carter has only recorded one half-sack over 11 games. Still, his 17% pass rush win percentage ranks him 16th in the league, just behind teammate Brian Burns, who has tallied 13 of the Giants’ 22 sacks. This somewhat reflects Carter’s potential, but it’s clear he’ll need to boost his stats soon to win over the fans.
As for the Giants, they suffered a 27-20 loss to the Packers, now sitting at 2-9 for the season, primarily led by Jameis Winston due to Jackson Dart’s concussion.
