Now boarding.... the A Car

[MadtownPacker]

All aboard!!!!!!!

Carroll is gonna take either Harris' spot or Woodson's but he is gonna start at some point this season and it aint gonna be cuz someone gets hurts. It is going to be because he is blazing fast, likes to hit, and takes a great mug shot. I know many are turned off by his cockiness but what is wrong with it? As long as he backs it up I dont care.

[Joemailman]

I voted no, but that's not really negative. Barring injury, I don't see Carroll starting this year. However, as nickel back, I think he will be a part of one of the best defensive backfields in the league. As a nickel back, he will be on the field about half the time, so people will see a lot of him. I see 2007 as his likely break-out year.

[Bretsky]

Re: Now boarding.... the A Car

All aboard!!!!!!!

Carroll is gonna take either Harris' spot or Woodson's but he is gonna start at some point this season and it aint gonna be cuz someone gets hurts. It is going to be because he is blazing fast, likes to hit, and takes a great mug shot. I know many are turned off by his cockiness but what is wrong with it? As long as he backs it up I dont care.

The Carroll fan club needs some recruits. The problem with Carroll is twofold

1. He hasn't proven he's mature over the course of the season
2. He doesn't have instincts to play the ball


And I'm worried #1 makes him tough to coach and that he will never get the skills for #2 because he doesn't have the natural ball hawking ability.

I'm not completely down on him; I just think he belongs in the nickel back position, which he can handle fine. I don't want to see him covering a teams best or 2nd best WR.


B

[Deputy Nutz]

This is from our favorite reporter Jason Wilde,

Granted these are just words from Carrroll, but at least he is projecting maturity.


Packers: Carroll sees bright future
JASON WILDE
608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - As Ahmad Carroll stood in front of his locker Thursday, you almost wondered who it really was behind the pricey Chanel sunglasses he was wearing.

(Why the Green Bay Packers' third-year cornerback felt the need to wear them indoors is another question for another day.)

For while it looked like Carroll (with his 5-foot-10, 190-pound muscular frame) and sounded like Carroll (with his high-pitched, hard-to-understand Southern drawl), what he was saying was nothing like the stuff you've heard from the selfish, penalty-prone player during his first two NFL seasons.

He admitted he played poorly last season, when he led the defense in penalties for the second straight year with nine, had only two interceptions and was beaten routinely on key plays.

He took responsibility for the team having to sign four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson in free agency to take his starting spot opposite Al Harris.

And he confessed to being "hard-headed" and "not listening" and being "immature" in the past.

"You have to be realistic," said Carroll, who practiced Thursday after missing the Packers' first day of organized team activity workouts Wednesday for what he called "family" reasons. "In the offseason, my agent asked me, 'Do you honestly think you had a great year?' I said, 'No, I don't think I had a great year.' I hurt the team. We finished No. 1 (in passing defense), but individually, I didn't do very good."

As a result, the Packers are paying Woodson about $10 million this season, while Carroll has been demoted to nickel back. With Woodson and Harris skipping the last minicamp and not taking part Wednesday, Carroll is the most experienced cornerback in camp and team officials have been pleasantly surprised by how he's responded to Woodson's signing.

"There's certain challenges in one's life, and he seems to be taking this as a challenge," general manager Ted Thompson said.

"He's been very, very professional with ownership of his play, and that's what you look for," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "He's taking advantage of every opportunity he can to be as good as he can be, and we need him to do that. This is a year he should mature."

The Packers' first-round pick in 2004, Carroll doesn't turn 23 until August. And although he hasn't lived up to his draft status, he has shown glimpses of toughness and athleticism. Talk may be cheap, but Carroll's words indicate an improved attitude, which could mean there's hope for him yet.

"Look, if I'd have done a better job, (Woodson) wouldn't be here," Carroll said. "But that doesn't mean I'm never going to be a starter again. I don't want to mope around, I don't want to (complain) about it and then go out there and (be) making the same mistakes I did last year.

"You never know what might happen. I might have to get back out there and be a starter. So I have to be ready. I have to get to where the coaches are looking at me (saying), 'Ahmad is doing such a great job coming in on third down that we have confidence in him.' But you can't take it and mope around about it. Then, I won't learn anything at all. And I've got (a lot) to learn."

[chain_gang]

I'll board. I think he'll take over for Harris at some point this year. I think Carroll will really step it up this year, mainly because of the experience he has. He has more athletic ability as Harris and now I think he's getting the mental aspect down, he'll be a quality starter for years. I really think last year he showed loads of improvement, and it'll carry over to this year.

[MadtownPacker]

"He took responsibility for the team having to sign four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson in free agency to take his starting spot opposite Al Harris."

All it takes is a couple of sparks to start a fire. Carroll has taken this like a man. He was the Packs best CB at the end of last season.

[woodbuck27]

Re: Now boarding.... the A Car

All aboard!!!!!!!

Carroll is gonna take either Harris' spot or Woodson's but he is gonna start at some point this season and it aint gonna be cuz someone gets hurts. It is going to be because he is blazing fast, likes to hit, and takes a great mug shot. I know many are turned off by his cockiness but what is wrong with it? As long as he backs it up I dont care.

The usual knock on Ahmad is twofold. Character/attitude and size restriction. Maybe he doesn't know it yet, but this CB has a natural tendency to wanna scrap. He's at that already in the mini camps this Season and being competitive and not being cool are vastly different.

This CB has the speed but he will always be 5' - 11". He has to continue to trust that speed and react better to the ball. Clutching and grabbing penaltys decreased some last season but that has to improve with confidence in the role assigned to him. Starter - no , more likely @ Nickle.

If OUR "O" gets back to speed the Pack will feel more HEAT from the pass and Ahmad Carroll must be ready to step in there and make the big play. It comes down to getting that job done and If he plays it cool, I have hope he will grow more this Season.

He has to knock off 'the punk'.

GO Packers !

[Badgepack]

Good point Mad, unlike the way Roman handled the signing of Manuel. I think he will succeed as a nickle, and be a good starter next year. Alot less pressure on him this year will help Carroll develope.

[woodbuck27]

"He took responsibility for the team having to sign four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson in free agency to take his starting spot opposite Al Harris."

All it takes is a couple of sparks to start a fire. Carroll has taken this like a man. He was the Packs best CB at the end of last season.

Yes I agree, as Al Harris seemed to get tired or rundown as the Season progressed but who didn't on OUR side, LOL ?

What I heard last Season and holdover or put stock in, is Al Harris's vote of confidence in Ahmad Carroll.

AC had to fight hard at every level in his development from a youth, to get the starter role, again that successful prognosis in the NFL will depend . .

100 % on attitude - He has the talent.

[jack's smirking revenge]

Well, I voted "no". In fact, I think Woodson will succumb to injury at some point and Carroll will be asked to step into his place in the starting lineup. At that point, he will be exposed to be the true nickel back that he is. As is typical for Carroll, he will get burned and look lost. He'll look strong in bump and run, but he'll be exposed by the tall trees of the NFC North in coverage.

The Carroll project will be over in 2006 and the team will jettison him in the offsesaon. Are you getting the idea that I'm not a Carroll fan?

tyler

[MJZiggy]

I voted no, not because I don't think Carroll will show the ability, but because he won't be given the opportunity. Woodson has a HUGE chip on his shoulder and wants to prove something to the entire NFL. Barring injury he will perform and if the rumors of Harris' discontent with his contract are true, he will play like a player in a contract year. I think Coach Mac might hesitate to put him in at corner unless there's an injury looking at his play last year. I think Carroll will play like a corner stuck in the nickelback position.

[Joemailman]

This is not a bad situation for Carroll if he handles it right. Al Harris made a name for himself as the league's best nickel back, playing behind Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent, before Sherman traded for him and made him a starter. I could see a situation in a year or two where Woodson is moved to safety and Carroll becomes the starting CB.

[gureski]

How can being demoted to the #3 CB be part of this guys break-out year?

Being demoted would officially signal that this is NOT his break-out year.

Unless there is an injury in the secondary, Carroll wont be starting this year. His role is the Nickel back. Hard to break out when you're in a semi-reserve role.

[Bossman641]

I voted yes

Not sure he will start ths year unless Woodson gets injured or Harris has lost some speed and plays like he did the final 4 games of last season, but I do think Carroll will play very well.

So he's a little cocky? That's what I want in a cornerback

[Badgepack]

How can being demoted to the #3 CB be part of this guys break-out year?

Being demoted would officially signal that this is NOT his break-out year.

Unless there is an injury in the secondary, Carroll wont be starting this year. His role is the Nickel back. Hard to break out when you're in a semi-reserve role.

A couple/few of picks returned for touchdowns would do it, along with solid tackling and passes defensed.