Abdul Carter Taking 'Half-Full' View of First Giants Season

If you build pressure, sacks will come.

That's been the apparent mantra and refrain for New York Giants rookie linebacker Abdul Carter, who continues to build momentum in advanced defensive categories.

At the same time, his sack rates remain relatively paltry. The foundational work and knowledge built under veteran Giant defenders allowed Carter to take a "cup half-full" view of his freshman season to date.

"I feel like it's a lot more out there that I can do," Carter said this week. "I can be a lot more ferocious in everything that I do. Just keep being better week in, week out ... I've had four sacks already taken away by penalty, so that hurt a little bit.

"But, at the same time, I can't make excuses for myself. I've just got to keep working. The sacks are going to come."

Entering Week 11, Carter continues to pace the pressure leaderboard among rookies with Dallas' Donovan Ezeiruaku, credited with 11 as one of three in double-figures (Carolina's Nic Scourton is the other).

Carter is also behind only Ezeiruaku in hurries at four and has been credited with 21 blitzes, also in the top 10 among first-years.

But Carter has yet to muster a full sack to his name, credited with a half-sack garnered in the Week 1 loss in Washington.

The efforts and mentorship of Brian Burns have bought a little time in terms of conventional progress, as he's tied with Myles Garrett for the NFL sack lead (11) while taking Carter under his wing.

Carter, however, politely said that Burns' words have taken him as far as they can as he seeks to make headway in the most hallowed edge metric.

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (51) reacts after a play during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

"At this point, ain't really much that he can say to me now," Carter said of Burns. "Just keep putting the work in, keep being consistent. Eventually, hopefully, I'll make some plays."

Just past the midway point of his rookie year, Carter has already become a bit of an elder statesman in the Giants' locker room in bittersweet fashion: New York's defensive minds have admired his progress despite the lack of tangible outputs.

However, he moved up the experience totem pole through the firing of head coach Brian Daboll, his first professional coach.

While the end of the Daboll era has caused some Giants to look back on missed opportunities, Carter isn't among them, perhaps showcasing a buried, if not effective, trait of rookie maturity.

"This is my first year with him being here, involved with drafting me. It's a shock, but at the end of the day, we've got to move on from it. We've got to focus on [this week's opponent] Green Bay," Carter commented.

"I would say [we] just [have to] stay together through controversy. Everybody's going to try to split up and divide. We've just got to stay together as a team."

Carter won't be able to fully run from his past this week, as the Giants (2-8) host Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

Though they never shared the Beaver Stadium turf, Carter and Parsons each earned an education at "Linebacker U," repping Penn State at various points of this half-decade.

Parsons served as a mentor to his fellow Nittany Lion Carter before the Giants drafted the latter third overall at last spring's draft.

Carter was also the first to wear the No. 11 at Penn State after Parsons, obtaining the iconic digits also worn by fellow Happy Valley legends-turned-NFL threats LaVar Arrington and NaVorro Bowman.

Carter is still young enough in his NFL career to carve out a path similar to that of the great Nittany Lions during their respective stints in the league.

What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.

More New York Giants Coverage