Tweet
Decision to cut Carroll was definitely premature
Posted: Oct. 7, 2006
Bob McGinn
Green Bay - From Hudson on the Minnesota border, where a restaurant owner put up a billboard reading "Ahmad Carroll Unemployment Benefit Tonight," to the contemptuous comments on talk radio and in chat rooms, thousands of Packers fans bid a not-so-fond farewell last week to the defrocked cornerback in their own special way.
The world is well. Carroll is gone. Another unworthy first-round draft choice bites the dust.
Fun while it lasted, wasn't it? But starting this afternoon, you get to watch somebody named Patrick Dendy and maybe somebody else named Jarrett Bush fill Carroll's old job as the No. 3 cornerback. General manager Ted Thompson will be watching right along with you today and for the final 11 games.
When you throw someone under the bus, which Thompson did when he cut Carroll on Tuesday, you better have somebody in mind that can do the job as well if not better. Otherwise, you're not acting in the best interests of the organization, as decision-makers in the National Football League like to put it.
Personally, I'd take my chances with Carroll over what Thompson has scrounged up to take his place.
I know, I know. Carroll played just about the worst second half a cornerback could play Monday night in Philadelphia. He allowed three plays of 20 yards or more and was penalized twice. The key to the Eagles' comeback came when Andy Reid targeted Carroll.
Then the ax fell about 12 hours later.
"Well, we just felt it was time for a change," Thompson said Friday. "I think he busted his tail. I like the kid. I wanted to make a player out of him. I felt like maybe give these other guys a shot and see if they can do it."
Football is no different than life. Final impressions leave an indelible mark. But to suggest that the second half in Philly was an accurate measure of Carroll is ridiculous.
Carroll played 35 games in Green Bay, counting playoffs, and started 28. This was the only game in which he allowed three 20-plus plays. In three other games, he gave up two. In the other 31 games, he yielded one or fewer.
He played better than any of the defensive backs the week before in Detroit. He did some very good things against New Orleans with the glaring exception of biting on a double-move for a touchdown. And one coach for a recent Packers' opponent had him ranked as an above-average core player on special teams.
Moreover, if you take the time to break it down, he played better in 2005 than he did this season.
So, no, it wasn't time to give up on a player who just turned 23 in August. A three-year veteran, Carroll still was younger than 43 players on the current roster that constitutes the youngest team in the National Football League.
No matter what they say, it wasn't hard for Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy to dump Carroll. He wasn't their guy. He had a horrible game. The defense has been awful. The club probably isn't going anywhere.
Plus, they knew the transaction would be well-received by most fans and reporters. Carroll always had been a lightning rod for criticism, much of which he brought upon himself by his shameless on-field strutting.
But pandering to the public doesn't carry long-term gains. It was unfair to Carroll to be cast as responsible when he was doing his job better than perhaps half of his teammates.
Carroll didn't make himself available for interviews last week. He didn't pop off. He never ripped his coaches. He didn't blame teammates.
After a rocky first year when he had no clue about what it took to be a professional, Carroll started to see the light. He didn't talk quite as much and began practicing harder.
He stopped attempting those feeble block-down tackles and began to wrap up. He wasn't a good kickoff returner but he ran it up inside harder than many others. He was not afraid.
His level of enthusiasm was rare. During the dog days of August, he'd be the only player sprinting from drill to drill. Sure, he tended to be a little over the top, but coaches had nothing but good things to say about his work habits in the last 1 1/2 years.
Unfortunately for Carroll, he never should have been a first-round pick. When Mike Sherman used the 25th choice in 2004 to select Carroll, he was banking that 4.35-second speed in the 40-yard dash, a 41-inch vertical jump and very good upper-body strength could be turned into a far better player than he had for three years at Arkansas.
"He was horrific in college," one personnel director said at mid-week. "He had so many interference calls. You wanted to say he was overaggressive. Because he came out early, you said in time you'd be able to hone that down a little bit. Refine his technique. He was very, very, very raw."
Besides standing just 5 feet 9 5/8 inches tall, Carroll also wasn't an instinctive player at Arkansas. But because Carroll had skipped spring football to run track, the Packers were among the teams that hoped his special gifts might blossom given special coaching.
Much of Carroll's time in his rookie year was spent with assistant secondary coach Lionel Washington, who played cornerback for 15 years in the NFL. His players have praised Washington for his ability to teach technique and to serve as a liaison between them and the head coach, the defensive coordinator and the secondary coach. And Carroll learned a lot from Washington.
Still, it isn't Washington's nature to get up in a player's face and demand that it be done right. Dick Jauron did that, at least behind closed doors. Ray Rhodes did that. Bob Valesente did that. Fritz Shurmur did that. Tough coaching never is out of style, perhaps surprisingly in the NFL.
Sherman's choice of Kurt Schottenheimer to serve as secondary coach during Carroll's rookie year was a mistake. A staunch advocate for choosing Carroll, Schottenheimer didn't have the level of expertise or the force of personality to blend well with Washington.
Carroll improved under hard-charging defensive coordinator Jim Bates, secondary coach Joe Baker and Washington last season. When McCarthy replaced Sherman, and subsequently selected the mild-mannered Bob Sanders as coordinator, his first thought for the secondary job should have been landing a hard-nosed taskmaster to make sure Carroll's improvement continued.
In an inexplicable decision, McCarthy decided to bring back Schottenheimer and Washington, the precise pairing that had done the coaching when Carroll flopped so badly as a rookie.
It was a classic illustration of a player being set up for failure.
If Carroll finds better coaching with his next team, could he become a solid starter?
No. He will never play to the ceiling as indicated by his speed and athleticism because his instincts are almost nil. He can't track the deep ball. He has inherent problems against big wide receivers. He's highly susceptible to double-moves. He can't keep his hands off receivers. He struggles to flip his hips and adjust to routes. He comes across as cocky but his play suggests lack of confidence. He neither trusts his speed nor plays to it.
But as Carroll ages, he likely will come to grips with his shortcomings and find ways to survive. He has a good enough floor. He isn't a bust.
Carroll and Terrell Buckley are much alike in that both thought they were better than they were.
Buckley wasn't nearly as tough as Carroll but did have far better ball skills, which enabled him to intercept 40 passes for five different teams from 1995-2005 after being dumped by the Packers after three seasons. But Buckley didn't have great instincts, either. He was just a guesser.
Carroll really does want to succeed, and my guess is he will play for many more years. Maybe, like Buckley, he'll never be more than a part-time starter and nickel back. But he can be competent in that role, just as the numbers suggest he was in Green Bay.
In 2 1/4 seasons, Carroll allowed 20 1/2 plays of 20-plus yards, 11 1/2 touchdown passes, had 20 defensive penalties against him accepted and missed 17 tackles. In that same period, Al Harris allowed 26 plays of 20-plus yards, 10 1/2 TD passes, had 19 accepted defensive penalties and missed 18 tackles. Harris made six turnover-producing plays compared to Carroll's five.
From 2004-'05, Harris played more snaps (1,998) than Carroll (1,701); snap totals weren't available for '06. But their playing time is close enough that it's mildly meaningful to see Harris with a higher total (73 1/2) in the above four negative categories than Carroll (69).
In Carroll's one full season as a starter, he allowed three TD passes. In their full seasons as starters, Craig Newsome averaged 6.2, Harris has averaged 4.5, Mike McKenzie averaged 3.6 and Tyrone Williams averaged 3.1.
Also in 2005, Carroll allowed nine 20-plus plays. In their full seasons as starters, Harris has averaged 12, Newsome averaged 10, Williams averaged 8.8 and McKenzie averaged 6.2.
This isn't to suggest that Carroll is anywhere near as good as Harris or those other cornerbacks of recent Packers' vintage. But it is to suggest that the last place he should be is on the street.
Carroll failed in Green Bay, just as the Packers failed him. His best, modest though it might be, is yet to come. It just should have taken place for the Packers.
Posted: Oct. 7, 2006
Bob McGinn
Green Bay - From Hudson on the Minnesota border, where a restaurant owner put up a billboard reading "Ahmad Carroll Unemployment Benefit Tonight," to the contemptuous comments on talk radio and in chat rooms, thousands of Packers fans bid a not-so-fond farewell last week to the defrocked cornerback in their own special way.
The world is well. Carroll is gone. Another unworthy first-round draft choice bites the dust.
Fun while it lasted, wasn't it? But starting this afternoon, you get to watch somebody named Patrick Dendy and maybe somebody else named Jarrett Bush fill Carroll's old job as the No. 3 cornerback. General manager Ted Thompson will be watching right along with you today and for the final 11 games.
When you throw someone under the bus, which Thompson did when he cut Carroll on Tuesday, you better have somebody in mind that can do the job as well if not better. Otherwise, you're not acting in the best interests of the organization, as decision-makers in the National Football League like to put it.
Personally, I'd take my chances with Carroll over what Thompson has scrounged up to take his place.
I know, I know. Carroll played just about the worst second half a cornerback could play Monday night in Philadelphia. He allowed three plays of 20 yards or more and was penalized twice. The key to the Eagles' comeback came when Andy Reid targeted Carroll.
Then the ax fell about 12 hours later.
"Well, we just felt it was time for a change," Thompson said Friday. "I think he busted his tail. I like the kid. I wanted to make a player out of him. I felt like maybe give these other guys a shot and see if they can do it."
Football is no different than life. Final impressions leave an indelible mark. But to suggest that the second half in Philly was an accurate measure of Carroll is ridiculous.
Carroll played 35 games in Green Bay, counting playoffs, and started 28. This was the only game in which he allowed three 20-plus plays. In three other games, he gave up two. In the other 31 games, he yielded one or fewer.
He played better than any of the defensive backs the week before in Detroit. He did some very good things against New Orleans with the glaring exception of biting on a double-move for a touchdown. And one coach for a recent Packers' opponent had him ranked as an above-average core player on special teams.
Moreover, if you take the time to break it down, he played better in 2005 than he did this season.
So, no, it wasn't time to give up on a player who just turned 23 in August. A three-year veteran, Carroll still was younger than 43 players on the current roster that constitutes the youngest team in the National Football League.
No matter what they say, it wasn't hard for Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy to dump Carroll. He wasn't their guy. He had a horrible game. The defense has been awful. The club probably isn't going anywhere.
Plus, they knew the transaction would be well-received by most fans and reporters. Carroll always had been a lightning rod for criticism, much of which he brought upon himself by his shameless on-field strutting.
But pandering to the public doesn't carry long-term gains. It was unfair to Carroll to be cast as responsible when he was doing his job better than perhaps half of his teammates.
Carroll didn't make himself available for interviews last week. He didn't pop off. He never ripped his coaches. He didn't blame teammates.
After a rocky first year when he had no clue about what it took to be a professional, Carroll started to see the light. He didn't talk quite as much and began practicing harder.
He stopped attempting those feeble block-down tackles and began to wrap up. He wasn't a good kickoff returner but he ran it up inside harder than many others. He was not afraid.
His level of enthusiasm was rare. During the dog days of August, he'd be the only player sprinting from drill to drill. Sure, he tended to be a little over the top, but coaches had nothing but good things to say about his work habits in the last 1 1/2 years.
Unfortunately for Carroll, he never should have been a first-round pick. When Mike Sherman used the 25th choice in 2004 to select Carroll, he was banking that 4.35-second speed in the 40-yard dash, a 41-inch vertical jump and very good upper-body strength could be turned into a far better player than he had for three years at Arkansas.
"He was horrific in college," one personnel director said at mid-week. "He had so many interference calls. You wanted to say he was overaggressive. Because he came out early, you said in time you'd be able to hone that down a little bit. Refine his technique. He was very, very, very raw."
Besides standing just 5 feet 9 5/8 inches tall, Carroll also wasn't an instinctive player at Arkansas. But because Carroll had skipped spring football to run track, the Packers were among the teams that hoped his special gifts might blossom given special coaching.
Much of Carroll's time in his rookie year was spent with assistant secondary coach Lionel Washington, who played cornerback for 15 years in the NFL. His players have praised Washington for his ability to teach technique and to serve as a liaison between them and the head coach, the defensive coordinator and the secondary coach. And Carroll learned a lot from Washington.
Still, it isn't Washington's nature to get up in a player's face and demand that it be done right. Dick Jauron did that, at least behind closed doors. Ray Rhodes did that. Bob Valesente did that. Fritz Shurmur did that. Tough coaching never is out of style, perhaps surprisingly in the NFL.
Sherman's choice of Kurt Schottenheimer to serve as secondary coach during Carroll's rookie year was a mistake. A staunch advocate for choosing Carroll, Schottenheimer didn't have the level of expertise or the force of personality to blend well with Washington.
Carroll improved under hard-charging defensive coordinator Jim Bates, secondary coach Joe Baker and Washington last season. When McCarthy replaced Sherman, and subsequently selected the mild-mannered Bob Sanders as coordinator, his first thought for the secondary job should have been landing a hard-nosed taskmaster to make sure Carroll's improvement continued.
In an inexplicable decision, McCarthy decided to bring back Schottenheimer and Washington, the precise pairing that had done the coaching when Carroll flopped so badly as a rookie.
It was a classic illustration of a player being set up for failure.
If Carroll finds better coaching with his next team, could he become a solid starter?
No. He will never play to the ceiling as indicated by his speed and athleticism because his instincts are almost nil. He can't track the deep ball. He has inherent problems against big wide receivers. He's highly susceptible to double-moves. He can't keep his hands off receivers. He struggles to flip his hips and adjust to routes. He comes across as cocky but his play suggests lack of confidence. He neither trusts his speed nor plays to it.
But as Carroll ages, he likely will come to grips with his shortcomings and find ways to survive. He has a good enough floor. He isn't a bust.
Carroll and Terrell Buckley are much alike in that both thought they were better than they were.
Buckley wasn't nearly as tough as Carroll but did have far better ball skills, which enabled him to intercept 40 passes for five different teams from 1995-2005 after being dumped by the Packers after three seasons. But Buckley didn't have great instincts, either. He was just a guesser.
Carroll really does want to succeed, and my guess is he will play for many more years. Maybe, like Buckley, he'll never be more than a part-time starter and nickel back. But he can be competent in that role, just as the numbers suggest he was in Green Bay.
In 2 1/4 seasons, Carroll allowed 20 1/2 plays of 20-plus yards, 11 1/2 touchdown passes, had 20 defensive penalties against him accepted and missed 17 tackles. In that same period, Al Harris allowed 26 plays of 20-plus yards, 10 1/2 TD passes, had 19 accepted defensive penalties and missed 18 tackles. Harris made six turnover-producing plays compared to Carroll's five.
From 2004-'05, Harris played more snaps (1,998) than Carroll (1,701); snap totals weren't available for '06. But their playing time is close enough that it's mildly meaningful to see Harris with a higher total (73 1/2) in the above four negative categories than Carroll (69).
In Carroll's one full season as a starter, he allowed three TD passes. In their full seasons as starters, Craig Newsome averaged 6.2, Harris has averaged 4.5, Mike McKenzie averaged 3.6 and Tyrone Williams averaged 3.1.
Also in 2005, Carroll allowed nine 20-plus plays. In their full seasons as starters, Harris has averaged 12, Newsome averaged 10, Williams averaged 8.8 and McKenzie averaged 6.2.
This isn't to suggest that Carroll is anywhere near as good as Harris or those other cornerbacks of recent Packers' vintage. But it is to suggest that the last place he should be is on the street.
Carroll failed in Green Bay, just as the Packers failed him. His best, modest though it might be, is yet to come. It just should have taken place for the Packers.
Comment