There are few ways in which Monday Night Football could have gone any worse for the New York Giants. It was a lopsided loss that included some brutal hits, injuries and, unfortunately, yet another Abdul Carter benching.
For the second time in three weeks, Carter was benched. This time, it was for the first two drives and, during the live broadcast, we heard that it had nothing to do with injury but that it was a "coach's decision."
Indeed, Carter played the rest of the game after serving his time. After the final whistle, we knew he'd get asked about the issue from Giants media.
"Sh*t happens," Carter told the media.
Thanks for the explanation, sir.
Abdul Carter clearly hasn't learned much yet in his rookie season
When asked to then expound on his answer, Carter insisted that he wasn't going to provide detail and once again repeated his initial 2-word response. That was about it. He wouldn't give any further detail.
What's also interesting is that interim head coach Mike Kafka operated similarly with his postgame presser. He called it "his decision" and wouldn't elaborate further. Despite reporters asking him several times, in different ways, he would not go into detail.
But then, you had veteran Brian Burns telling folks in the locker room that Carter is human and he makes mistakes. So, there was definitely a wrong that needed to be corrected by the coaching staff -- and that's alarming.
This season hasn't been an ideal first year for a high-profile rookie. Understandably, there will be some frustration playing for a 2-win team that's endured a slew of injuries and saw their head coach fired.
But, to not show up on time or act in a manner which is not up to standards during the week? That's different than showing frustration on the field. Simply put, Carter has a lot of growing up to do. The immaturity is blatant at this point.
With the way the Giants played on Monday night, all of the special teams errors and undisciplined moments, accompanied by the Carter saga going on, the Giants are going to need to do much better than Kafka this offseason. There's no chance he earns the permanent job.
At this stage, New York needs a total culture shift. They need someone who prioritizes accountability; see Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson, for example.
Hopefully, Carter gets things turned around with the right leadership in place.