Despite Strong Start, Lorenzo Carter Feels He Can Do More

So far, New York Giants edge rusher Lorenzo Carter 24-year old is off to the best season in his three-year career, having logged 13 tackles (two for a loss), three quarterback hits, and one sack in three games.

But don't tell Carter what he has done because Carter is more concerned with what he has yet to do and finding ways to do it.

“I definitely think there's more that I could be doing, and I already know what stuff I need to do better,” Carter told Giants Country this week.

Such as?

“I think just gaining a better understanding of what other teams want to do,” he said. “We go through the game plan. We watch tape all week and see the things that they like to do.

“But for me, seeing as I rush the passer, play the run, and drop back in the passing game, I really want to get better at understanding what their targets are so I can be better in the passing game and help out the defensive secondary.”

Now playing more of a hunter’s role in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense, Carter concurred that the role has allowed him to contribute more to the defense’s big picture, not just on the stat sheet, but in other plays where his presence is having an adverse effect on the offense.

“That's an emphasis, too,” he said. “As long as you have that motor and you can keep hunting and keep getting after the quarterback, then good things will happen. Either you'll get the sack or your force a bad throw. So I’m just trying to do my part to make sure the team as a whole plays well.

He’s also trying to grow as a pass rusher. Carter has trained with former NFL defensive end Chuck Smith in the off-season.

Smith, who spent eight of his nine years in the NFL with the Falcons between 1992-99 before finishing his career with the Panthers in 2000, finished with 58.5 career sacks, including three seasons where he hit double-digits.

Smith has worked with Carter to develop different moves in different situations and use his hands more effectively. He’s also served as one of Carter’s most prominent supporters who never misses a chance to reaffirm his belief in his pass-rushing protégé.

“We talk a lot about different pass rushers all across the league,” Carter said when asked what Smith has taught him.

“He lets me know that like there aren't too many guys out there that have the same God-given abilities as me, so try and continue to go out there and just put it together and trust the process.”

As he becomes more comfortable with what he’s being asked to do, Carter is also taking on more of a leadership role on the defense.

Although he wasn’t voted a defensive captain by his teammates, he feels he’s grown significantly in finding and using his voice.

“Yeah, I'm trying to become more a vocal leader. At the end of the day, I try to do my part as needed. I try to bring energy and try to bring people along with me.

“A leader also has to know that sometimes, you just have to sit back and let the guys play, too. So it's been a learning process, but I'm definitely coming into that role.”

Carter is also still trying to define himself as a pass rusher. While there are some legacy rushers he admires such as Lawrence Taylor and Demarcus Ware, because the game has changed so much, Carter has been more in tune with the current generation of pass rushers whom he’s studied to find little tricks that he can incorporate into his game.

“Yeah, so you know, pass-rushing isn't pretty all the time. It really isn't,” Carter said. “That's what a lot of people don't realize—guys getting 10 or 15 sacks really have to work for them, and it’s not always a pretty sight.

“I've started watching the guys that are making big plays right now in today's game and I try to take things away from what they do and out my own twist on things.”

Those things, combined with the coaching he’s receiving from the Giants and Smith, are elements that Carter continues to take in reinventing himself every week, every play.

“You can't really be complacent because once you feel like, 'Oh yeah, I'm doing good,' that's when bad things start to happen,” he said.

“I’m probably never going to get to where I want to be, but I’m also never going to stop working to get there.”