11/20/25 11:30:00
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11/20 05:00 CST Giants' Abdul Carter is rushing to get past his public
punishment
Giants' Abdul Carter is rushing to get past his public punishment
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) --- Abdul Carter is eager to move past his public
punishment.
The New York Giants' rookie edge rusher got benched by interim coach Mike Kafka
for the first defensive series against Green Bay for missing a walk-through
last week. Carter disputed that he was asleep inside the team facility, arguing
he was doing recovery instead.
"I took ownership for it," Carter said Wednesday. "We've moved on from it.
We're focused on this week, so that's what I'm trying to focus on."
The No. 3 pick in the draft is expected to be back in the starting lineup
Sunday at Detroit, still looking for his first full sack in the NFL. After
being a preseason favorite for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, he has
just a half-sack to show for his first 11 professional games.
"The season's not over yet," Carter said. "I feel like it's not about how you
start, it's about how you finish, so, I'm going to finish strong."
Carter has shown flashes of the talent that had him among the NCAA's sack
leaders in his final season at Penn State. The lack of production probably
understates his impact, though he has not been as dominant as some expected
right away.
"I feel like I'm learning as I go," Carter said. "It's my first year.
Obviously, there's going to be new things that I have to learn and come through
and approach and learn from, so that's what I'm doing."
Kafka, who took over when Brian Daboll was fired on Nov. 10, thinks this has
been another lesson for Carter.
"He practices his tail off, he plays his tail off (and) he's continuing to
learn and grow as a young player and I'm proud of him for how he's handled
these things," Kafka said. "It hasn't been an easy couple days, but I'm proud
of him, and I think he's earned a lot of respect in the locker room and will
continue to grow and be a great teammate and learn from the things that he's
done."
Carter brushed off how tough the past few days have been, saying he's "a very
privileged person, a very blessed person," who's just trying to take advantage
of his opportunities.
He also shrugged off the notion of numbers, with an eye toward winning is the
most important thing. The Giants being 2-9 has not made this any easier on him
at the start of this journey.
"Nobody likes to lose, but I feel like you've got to learn from losing so you
can win," Carter said. "Nothing good comes easily. I like a challenge. I accept
the challenge. Keep learning, keep getting better, and move forward."
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