The New York Giants' Week 13 loss on Monday Night Football saw rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart's return be overshadowed by Abdul Carter's second benching in the last three games. The first-round rookie was benched for the entire first quarter against the New England Patriots in what interim head coach Mike Kafka called a coach's decision.
Big Blue saw the maturity issues for their prized pass-rusher resurface after it seemed like all of this was in the past. Luckily, he's once again not shying away from taking accountability, but Giants' star pass-rusher Brian Burns made sure to let Carter know that these rookie mistakes don't define him.
Burns chalked his benching up to a "rookie mistake" before reminding everyone that the 21-year-old is human and makes mistakes just like any of us. However, he followed that up by reminding the media that Carter is trying to hold himself accountable before admitting he's trying to help him through this.
Brian Burns makes it clear he's not giving up on Abdul Carter just yet
Burns isn't giving up on his running mate, and nor should he. Despite missing the opening quarter, the Penn State product logged the first full sack in his NFL career after taking down Drake Maye. The season hasn't gone the way many expected for Carter, but the talent is undoubtedly still there.
However, the weird part is that Kafka deemed it a coach's decision, but clarified it wasn't disciplinary. Yet in his opening game as interim head coach, the 38-year-old benched him for the opening drive in Week 11 against the Packers after he was caught sleeping through a meeting in the team facility.
As for Burns, his support holds weight. Only Myles Garrett has more sacks than him this season, so the fact that the No. 3 pick in April's draft has such a willing mentor is invaluable. The 27-year-old has been named to two Pro Bowls, and it's likely he'll be named to a third after another standout season.
Carter's numbers aren't where they want to be, but the potential is still there. It isn't easy being a highly-touted rookie playing in the New York media, as sometimes the scrutiny and unrealistic expectations can be too much for a young player to handle, especially one who lit up the Big Ten.
In spite of a rookie campaign that hasn't always been pretty, the Pennsylvania native is taking the mistakes on the chin in order to rectify them. And knowing that he still has the support of both the locker room and the Giants' fanbase suggests there's no reason to panic over the Carter saga.