The New York Giants thought they landed a star in Abdul Carter, but his dominant college impact has yet to truly translate to the pros. To make matters worse, the No. 3 pick in April's draft was selected to revolutionize Big Blue's pass-rush, but instead was benched for the opening series in Week 11.
Carter's lack of effort saw him sleep through a walkthrough practice, but his efforts in this game left much to be desired. And the lack of immediate impact from the New York's highly-touted rookie saw Giants legend Tiki Barber sound off on the 21-year-old when discussing Carter's impact on WFAN.
The three-time Pro Bowler was quick to admit he "hates rookies" before calling the ex-Penn State standout a one-trick pony:
“Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. And with Abdul Carter — what I saw a lot in this game — is that he thinks it’s patented, but it’s not: this deke out, let me come underneath, and try to get inside of the tackle and get to the quarterback. But everybody knows you’re going to do that. And so, he’s a one-trick pony at this point.”
It's only 11 games into his career, so those sack numbers will certainly improve, but the lack of effort is a cause for true concern if an ex-fan favorite is weighing in.
Tiki Barber calls Abdul Carter a "one-trick pony" after Week 11 loss
New York's 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers saw Carter log just one combined tackle and one quarterback hit as the team fell to a dismal 2-9. Then again, it's hard to blame the young pass-rusher, as defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has absolutely no idea how to use him, but that's no excuse for this.
After fighting so hard to make the NFL, squandering your shot by not making the most of your opportunity is textbook rookie behavior. As talented as the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year might be, it's becoming clear that he still has a lot of growing up left to do.
So many players would kill to be in Carter's shoes right now, as making millions while playing for one of the league's premier franchises is what most young football players only dream of. But he'll only become a superstar if he's willing to put in the work to be on the level of someone like Micah Parsons.
Part of this saga could be chalked up to the ineptitude of both Bowen and Brian Daboll, but this isn't something you ever want to see from a top-five pick. The G-Men had high expectations for him, so Mike Kafka actually holding him accountable in his first game as interim coach is a promising sign.
The youngster is just 11 games into his career, but there were some character concerns that surrounded him in college, which the Giants ignored. And for a player who wanted to un-retire Lawrence Taylor's jersey number this offseason, Barber's assessment is incredibly disappointing.