It wasn't always pretty, but Abdul Carter had a promising rookie season with the New York Giants. His four sacks all came at the end of the season, his 84.5 pass-rush grade ranked 10th out of 115 qualified pass-rushers, and he recorded 66 pressures. No wonder he's a popular breakout candidate.
Year 2 is where those pressures are expected to turn into sacks, and where he's supposed to join Brian Burns to make one of the most dangerous duos in the NFL.
Analysts are setting high expectations for the former No. 3 pick, but nobody has loftier goals in mind for him than himself. In a column from The Athletic's Ian O'Connor, Carter said he wants to be the greatest of all time. Not the greatest Giant of all time. The greatest football player of all time.
“When (John) Harbaugh first got here, everybody had to go in front of the room and speak, and I told everybody that I want to be the greatest of all time,” Carter told The Athletic. “And I can’t just say that. I’ve got to come out here and work and prove it during games this season. I’ve got to be that player.”
Abdul Carter wants to be the greatest football player of all-time
Yes, you read that right, but it's not out of character for him. Abdul Carter has always been pretty ambitious in his goals. After all, this was the same guy who wanted to un-retire Lawrence Taylor's iconic No. 56 as a rookie. You can't really say he's lacking in the confidence department.
It's one thing to say all of this, but we all know that actions speak louder than words. And even though the 22-year-old has fans ready to run through a brick wall, we want to see him prove it on Sundays before we take this as gospel. Wanting to be the best and actually being the best comes down to mentality.
Last season, the Penn State product was plagued by some immaturity issues, but it seems like he's figured those out. O'Connor mentioned that everyone in Big Blue's facility has sung Carter's praises about his professionalism in every area of the game, and one said he looks like "a man on a mission".
John Harbaugh made it clear when he was hired that he wants players who love football, and he's going to push this Giants roster to his limits. So if he wants to be the best, it's time to put his money where his mouth is and dedicate everything to the craft.
And it sounds premature to say, but he's a legit DPOY candidate if this leap comes to fruition.
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