See video of Mike Kafka as takes over as NY Giants interim head coach
New York Giants interim coach Mike Kafka discusses the qualities it takes to be a great head coach.
Giants rookie Abdul Carter was benched for the first series against the Packers for missing a walkthrough practice.Carter said he missed the practice because he was in a red light therapy bed and was unaware of a schedule change.Despite the benching, Carter is likely to start in the upcoming game against the Lions.
EAST RUTHERFORD – Abdul Carter would have preferred the crowd around his locker for something he had done to lead the New York Giants to victory. Maybe a game-winning sack or a forced fumble, an interception or a fumble recovery to secure a win that ended the recent losing streak.
That was not this, of course, and Carter was ready to accept the attention – albeit unwanted – that he knew he had earned for missing a walkthrough practice last Friday, leading to a six-play benching in the Giants’ 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers two days later.
“Might as well get this over with,” Carter said as a group of reporters and cameras gathered around. “I took ownership for it. We’ve moved on from it. We’re focused on this week, so that’s what I’m trying to focus on.”
In addressing the situation some teammates acknowledged as “an honest mistake,” Carter said he was in the red light therapy bed in the team’s recovery room last Friday morning because he had missed the announcement that Giants interim coach Mike Kafka changed the practice schedule.
The Giants inserted a 15-minute walkthrough session prior to practice – and Carter said he was unaware he was supposed to be on the field at that time, saying it was “on me” for not being there.
Carter was in line to make the second start of his rookie season against the Packers with Kayvon Thibodeaux out with a shoulder injury. But when the starting defense took the field against the Packers, practice squad elevation Tomon Fox was at outside linebacker opposite star Brian Burns and Carter remained on the sideline.
Kafka benched Carter for the first series, and not only did the No. 3 overall pick head out onto the field for the punt block team on fourth down, the former Penn State star wound up playing the final 49 snaps on defense.
“Well, I’d say the first thing is, Abdul, he’s got my full support,’’ Kafka said. “We’re all here for him, our coaches, the players, the leadership group. So, I’d expect him to approach it like he does every day. He practices his tail off, he plays his tail off, he’s continuing to learn and grow as a young player, and I’m proud of him for how he’s handled these things. 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.”
Thibodeaux did not practice Wednesday and there is a strong likelihood that Carter will start Sunday against the Lions in Detroit.
Burns, who is second in the NFL behind sack leader Myles Garrett with 13 of his own, said the situation with Carter was a “one-off.”
“He’s a grown man,’’ Burns said. “I kinda just told him, ‘Look, it happened, it got out, it’s over, let’s move on, let’s focus on bigger and better things, which is our opponent this week.’ He works hard, that never slacks, so we didn’t have to talk about it after that.”
Carter is fighting the urge to feel like he’s just been unlucky. He’s racked up a ton of quarterback pressures – 35 in 11 games, including 20 quick pressures, which rank third in the NFL – but has been stuck on a half of a sack for a while. Carter had a sack taken off the board against the Broncos when the Giants accepted a penalty on Denver. Then he lost a sack and a half against Chicago – one he would have shared with Dexter Lawrence – because of defensive penalties against Cor’Dale Flott and Tae Banks.
“There’s pressure on everybody, everybody has expectations,” Carter added. “Everybody has a job to do. I’ve just got to do mine.”
The Giants (2-9) have lost five games in a row and Carter acknowledges the urgency is there to stop the slide. That won’t be easy against the Lions, one of the heavyweights in the NFC.
“Obviously, nobody likes to lose,” Carter said. “But I feel like you’ve got to learn from losing so you can win. Losses are lessons.”