woodbuck27
08-19-2006, 01:00 PM
WED., AUG 16, 2006 - 1:49 AM
Carroll walks fine line
JASON WILDE
608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - There are times when all Al Harris can do is look at Ahmad Carroll and shake his head.
Harris, the Green Bay Packers' veteran cornerback, remembers coming up with the Philadelphia Eagles and having Pro Bowlers Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor and Brian Dawkins teach him how to be a true professional. In turn, Harris has been trying to impart that same knowledge to Carroll, his locker-room next-door neighbor and the team's resident problem child.
And while Harris was a quicker and more willing learner, he's convinced that Carroll will eventually "get it," as he puts it.
"I may be a little biased because I look at him like a little brother, but he's getting there," Harris said between training-camp practices Tuesday. "He's (not even) 23 years old, man. You have to work with him. A lot of guys got drafted this year that are 23. This is his third year in the NFL.
"I think it's night and day from his rookie year. He's more professional. He's getting there. The thing is, we were raised on the field by two different types of people. Troy and Bobby and Dawk, they didn't push their influence on me. He's going to have to pick it up, like I did. It'll happen. It will."
For now, though, the 2004 first-round pick is maddeningly inconsistent with his play, and his on-field behavior in practice and in games - from his trash-talking to his chest-thumping constant noise-making - can be irritating to everyone but Harris, who said Carroll "can't do anything to irritate me anymore. I've seen everything from him."
What the Packers would like to see more of from Carroll is consistency, and less goofiness.
"There's a fine line," coach Mike McCarthy said. "I really like his energy, but also there's a time and place for all that, too. And sometimes he does cross the line. But he does bring an energy to the practice field, to the game field and to our meetings."
Saturday night's preseason-opening loss at San Diego was typical Carroll. He was beaten for a 22-yard touchdown, called for a 15-yard personal foul on a punt when he retaliated for an illegal block by the Chargers' Drayton Florence. Florence already had been flagged for a personal foul, but Carroll's reaction made the penalties offset.
Later in the game, though, Carroll broke up two deep passes, playing near-perfect coverage on each.
"As far as Ahmad's concerned, people always want to label him a lot of different ways," said secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer, who coached Carroll as a rookie in 2004 and is back with the team this year. "I was very optimistic when we drafted him. To throw him into the fire the way we did that first year was a big task for a 20-year-old kid. Again, we wanted him to be better than Mike McKenzie because that was the guy he was replacing, because of all the issues (with McKenzie's unhappiness). So he was put in a hell of a position.
"His personality rubs people the wrong way and so forth, but there's a lot of enthusiasm in that young man."
During the organized team activity camp this spring, Carroll confessed to, among other things, playing poorly last season; being "hard-headed;" "not listening;" and being "immature" last year, when he led the defense in penalties for the second straight year with nine, had only two interceptions and routinely was beaten on key plays.
On Tuesday, he said his hooting-and-hollering antics are him "having fun. A lot of times, we'll be dead out there, I just try to pick up my teammates."
For all his faults, Carroll looks like a sure bet to be the Packers' third corner behind Harris and Charles Woodson, although Carroll admits that "my position is up for grabs." He might be in more danger if 2005 fifth-round pick Mike Hawkins could stay healthy, but he's been in and out of practice with a sore knee and hasn't challenged Carroll's spot.
On Tuesday, general manager Ted Thompson described Carroll as being "a tough guy. He practices every practice, he takes every rep. Those are qualities in a player that are very admirable."
In contrast, Thompson conceded that while Hawkins is "a very talented kid," he hasn't helped himself by being hurt so much, although he did his best not to criticize the player.
"When you're really thinking about your team and how it's going to be made up, you have to think in terms of people you can really count on," Thompson said. "The guys that go out there every day and practice every day, they stay in the coaches' minds. And the guys who aren't practicing, you can kind of forget about them a little bit."
Give Carroll this much: With all his antics, no one will forget about him.
GO PACKERS ! FAN FAITH !!
Carroll walks fine line
JASON WILDE
608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - There are times when all Al Harris can do is look at Ahmad Carroll and shake his head.
Harris, the Green Bay Packers' veteran cornerback, remembers coming up with the Philadelphia Eagles and having Pro Bowlers Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor and Brian Dawkins teach him how to be a true professional. In turn, Harris has been trying to impart that same knowledge to Carroll, his locker-room next-door neighbor and the team's resident problem child.
And while Harris was a quicker and more willing learner, he's convinced that Carroll will eventually "get it," as he puts it.
"I may be a little biased because I look at him like a little brother, but he's getting there," Harris said between training-camp practices Tuesday. "He's (not even) 23 years old, man. You have to work with him. A lot of guys got drafted this year that are 23. This is his third year in the NFL.
"I think it's night and day from his rookie year. He's more professional. He's getting there. The thing is, we were raised on the field by two different types of people. Troy and Bobby and Dawk, they didn't push their influence on me. He's going to have to pick it up, like I did. It'll happen. It will."
For now, though, the 2004 first-round pick is maddeningly inconsistent with his play, and his on-field behavior in practice and in games - from his trash-talking to his chest-thumping constant noise-making - can be irritating to everyone but Harris, who said Carroll "can't do anything to irritate me anymore. I've seen everything from him."
What the Packers would like to see more of from Carroll is consistency, and less goofiness.
"There's a fine line," coach Mike McCarthy said. "I really like his energy, but also there's a time and place for all that, too. And sometimes he does cross the line. But he does bring an energy to the practice field, to the game field and to our meetings."
Saturday night's preseason-opening loss at San Diego was typical Carroll. He was beaten for a 22-yard touchdown, called for a 15-yard personal foul on a punt when he retaliated for an illegal block by the Chargers' Drayton Florence. Florence already had been flagged for a personal foul, but Carroll's reaction made the penalties offset.
Later in the game, though, Carroll broke up two deep passes, playing near-perfect coverage on each.
"As far as Ahmad's concerned, people always want to label him a lot of different ways," said secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer, who coached Carroll as a rookie in 2004 and is back with the team this year. "I was very optimistic when we drafted him. To throw him into the fire the way we did that first year was a big task for a 20-year-old kid. Again, we wanted him to be better than Mike McKenzie because that was the guy he was replacing, because of all the issues (with McKenzie's unhappiness). So he was put in a hell of a position.
"His personality rubs people the wrong way and so forth, but there's a lot of enthusiasm in that young man."
During the organized team activity camp this spring, Carroll confessed to, among other things, playing poorly last season; being "hard-headed;" "not listening;" and being "immature" last year, when he led the defense in penalties for the second straight year with nine, had only two interceptions and routinely was beaten on key plays.
On Tuesday, he said his hooting-and-hollering antics are him "having fun. A lot of times, we'll be dead out there, I just try to pick up my teammates."
For all his faults, Carroll looks like a sure bet to be the Packers' third corner behind Harris and Charles Woodson, although Carroll admits that "my position is up for grabs." He might be in more danger if 2005 fifth-round pick Mike Hawkins could stay healthy, but he's been in and out of practice with a sore knee and hasn't challenged Carroll's spot.
On Tuesday, general manager Ted Thompson described Carroll as being "a tough guy. He practices every practice, he takes every rep. Those are qualities in a player that are very admirable."
In contrast, Thompson conceded that while Hawkins is "a very talented kid," he hasn't helped himself by being hurt so much, although he did his best not to criticize the player.
"When you're really thinking about your team and how it's going to be made up, you have to think in terms of people you can really count on," Thompson said. "The guys that go out there every day and practice every day, they stay in the coaches' minds. And the guys who aren't practicing, you can kind of forget about them a little bit."
Give Carroll this much: With all his antics, no one will forget about him.
GO PACKERS ! FAN FAITH !!