LB Bobby Carpenter (All B1G, National Champion)

[JohnnyCockfight]

Can't blame Bobby for preparing for life after football b/c by the looks of things, "later" make come quite soon.

Freudian slip there, Thump?

 

[Buckskin86]

OTA observation deck
Tue, May 26, 2009

*Bobby Carpenter worked next to Bradie James with the first-team nickel defense. Carpenter made a diving interception of a Romo pass intended for WR Travis Wilson across the middle.

Dallas Cowboys Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

 

[Buckskin86]

*Bobby Carpenter took some first-team nickel reps last week, and remember, at the draft Phillips indicated he wants to give Carpenter a legit chance to win Kevin Burnett's old job. Problem is, third-round pick Jason Williams and even sixth-rounder Stephen Hodge are competing for time, too. Who knows, maybe Carpenter gets some outside linebacker reps yet again with Greg Ellis on his way out.

True Blue - Writer's Block

 

[Buckskin86]

Carpenter working hard to earn starting spot on Dallas Cowboys defense
By CLARENCE E. HILL [email protected]
Star-Telegram/Ron Jenkins

The time is now for Bobby Carpenter to make an impact as a nickel linebacker with the Cowboys. Star-Telegram/Ron Jenkins

CARROLLTON ? Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bobby Carpenter will probably forever go down as a draft bust.

He has accepted as much.

And yes, the world knows, thanks to HBO?s Hard Knocks television series, that his teammates kiddingly call him "Barbie" Carpenter.

He knows he can?t win the image game at this point.

He just doesn?t care about what people think or say, at least not anymore.

Not now.

Not after failing to earn a regular role in the Cowboys defense since being handpicked by then-coach Bill Parcells in the first round of the 2006 draft. He has one career start, none since his rookie year. He also has been the subject of trade talks the past two off-seasons.

"Everybody thinks I?m a bust already," Carpenter said. "So [the pressure to live up to the status of the No. 1 pick] is gone, at least in my mind it is. I don?t think there are any expectations on me to succeed. I?m just going out there and playing the best I can. I?m not worried about anybody or anything else."

But don?t mistake Carpenter?s resignation to his lot in Cowboys history as any sort of concession about him giving up or giving in.

Faced with his best and final shot to finally make an impact with the Cowboys, the time is now for Carpenter.

With Kevin Burnett gone to San Diego, the Cowboys are giving Carpenter every opportunity to win the starting job as the nickel linebacker. So if Carpenter is ever going to make an impact with the Cowboys, it will be this season.

"He knows and we know it?s the time now for him to come through," coach Wade Phillips said. "Whether it?s us giving him more opportunity or not, the past is the past and we are going forward. I think Bobby is looking forward to this season and we are too as far as him being able to play and contribute a lot more."

Carpenter admits he has not been this excited heading into a season since his days at Ohio State.

"For sure," Carpenter said. "This is the first time I have been able to go out with the first team. I don?t see myself losing it. I?m playing pretty well. I?m excited about it."

Carpenter working hard to earn starting spot on Dallas Cowboys defense | Dallas Cowboys | Star-Telegram.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Cowboys are counting on Bobby Carpenter
Thu, Jun 18, 2009
Tim MacMahon/Blogger

It's easy to make wisecracks about Bobby Carpenter. He's a first-round pick who hasn't panned out. He wears his blond hair in a pony tail and has been tagged with the mocking nickame of "Barbie" by his teammates. And his ESPN appearances-to-NFL production ratio is ridiculously out of whack.

Carpenter probably will never silence his sarcastic critics around these parts. But, for the first time under Wade Phillips, he has a legitimate chance to contribute to the Cowboys' defense.

With Kevin Burnett gone to San Diego, the nickel linebacker job is Carpenter's to lose. The fact that the Cowboys didn't make much effort to re-sign Burnett can be taken as a vote of confidence in Carpenter.

His primary competition is third-round pick Jason Williams, an amazing athlete who has miles to go mentally before the coaches could feel comfortable putting him on the field for third downs. Sixth-rounder Stephen Hodge is a darkhorse, but his development was slowed by an injury that kept him off the field for most of the off-season practices. Keith Brooking wants a chance to compete, but he's better suited to be a two-down player at this point of his career.

Carpenter is considered a finesee player, but that's fine for a linebacker who will spend most of his time in pass coverage. He held his own against arguably the league's best tight end tandem during OTAs and minicamp. Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett got open occasionally against Carpenter, but he at least looked like he belonged on the field against them.

"Bobby Carpenter has done really well in this camp," said Phillips, who made similar comments last summer in Oxnard. "He's done everything we've asked and more. He's looked really good when he's gone in there and done things. I think for Bobby, he's just got to do it in ballgames for us.

"We'll see what happens, but I have a good feeling about it."

Dallas Cowboys Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

 

[Buckskin86]

A pro's workout
Planned sports training center unites 3 past OSU stars, former Blue Jacket as investors
Thursday, July 2, 2009
By Steve Wartenberg
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

FRED SQUILLANTE | Dispatch
Investors in the D1 Sports Training facility being built on the Far North Side are, from left, Bobby Carpenter, Mike Vrabel, Jody Shelley and A.J. Hawk. Instead of a membership, clients -- from junior-high to pro -- buy an eight-week series of small-group sessions with a personal trainer.

The idea came to Bobby Carpenter as he worked out at the D1 Sports Training center in Nashville, Tenn., preparing for the 2006 NFL scouting combine and draft.

"I just loved the concept," the former Ohio State University and current Dallas Cowboys linebacker said of the large, state-of-the-art gym co-owned by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

D1 Sports is a chain created by former University of Tennessee fullback Will Bartholomew, and Carpenter, 25, wanted to bring one to central Ohio.

He called his best friend and former Buckeyes teammate, A.J. Hawk, 25, who immediately wanted in.

"I thought a D1 would be huge in Columbus," said Hawk, a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. "Athletes here need a place like this."

The D1 Sports concept is simple: It's a place for serious athletes -- from junior high to the professional level in a wide range of sports -- to train with other serious athletes.

"Iron sharpens iron" is Bartholomew's motto.

Another former OSU football player, Mike Vrabel, 33, had been thinking about building a gym near his central Ohio home and also became intrigued with D1 Sports. He joined Carpenter and Hawk in the business venture.

"I live in Powell and had been looking into doing something like this there," said the former New England Patriots star, who recently was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Carpenter is optimistic that Buckeyes football players preparing for the combine and draft will flock to D1 Sports.

"It will be a huge advantage for them," he said. "Being so close, they can finish classes and train here. And Butch Reynolds is here."

Including three former Buckeyes greats in the local D1 Sports franchise seems to be a shrewd marketing move.

"They're well-loved here," Cortney Carpenter said of her husband and his two football buddies, each of whom grew up in Ohio, where star players become icons. "You couldn't go to another town and be as loved as you are here as a Buckeye," she said.

The Columbus Dispatch : A pro's workout

 

[matcar]

The Columbus Dispatch : A pro's workout

We've been to some D1 things at the center here in Little Rock. It's a nice concept.

 

[Buckskin86]

Can Cowboys Carpenter remove bust tag?
Posted July 10, 2009
By Eric Edholm

Cowboys LB Bobby Carpenter

Bobby Carpenter is on the clock and already is considered a bust. He was drafted in the first round of 2006 and has only one career start, none since his rookie season. He is not projected to start this season with the addition of Keith Brooking but could get a chance to compete more on defense than he has since he joined the Cowboys.

Carpenter is slated to fill the spot vacated by Kevin Burnett, who left Dallas for the Chargers. Burnett was the Cowboys? nickel linebacker last season and was considered by some to be the team?s 12th starter. The fact that the Cowboys let Burnett walk without too big a fight could be construed by some as a vote of confidence for Carpenter, but the flip side is that the team spent two draft picks on linebackers who will be trying to wrestle that nickel job away from Carpenter.

Third-rounder Jason Williams, the team?s top draft pick, is an athletic freak who runs the 40-yard dash in the 4.4-second range. But he also is not expected to jump right in and make a huge impact on defense after playing his college career at Western Illinois. The other rookie option would be Stephen Hodge, who is converting from college safety. He?s big and can hit but might not be ready to make the adjustment this season.

Carpenter has worked hard this offseason to get leaner, losing five pounds, with the idea that he would have to turn and run with a lot of tight ends in this projected role. In fact, Carpenter said he has worked out with Tony Romo and Jason Witten ? a player he often goes up against in practice ? this offseason to work on his footwork and change-of-direction skills.

In college, he was a pass rusher who did his best work going forward, but he hasn?t shown the ability to take on fullbacks, tackles and guards in the hole in the pros. And unless that changes, he probably won?t kick Brooking out of a starting role.

?[Carpenter] knows, and we know, it?s the time now for him to come through,? head coach Wade Phillips said in June. ?Whether it?s us giving him more opportunity or not, the past is the past and we are going forward. I think Bobby is looking forward to this season, and we are, too, as far as him being able to play and contribute a lot more.?

ProFootballWeekly.com - Can Cowboys?€™ Carpenter remove bust tag?

 

[cincibuck]

Damn, I wish he'd end up some place where I could root for him, but I'll root for the Cowboys right after I root for the Yankees and just before I root for Notre Dame... nah, I'd have to root for the Buchenwald Death Camp Guards and Influenza before I'd root for Notre Dame.

 

[Merih]

I'd have to root for the Buchenwald Death Camp Guards and Influenza before I'd root for Notre Dame.

Dear God.

 

[Buckskin86]

Dallas Cowboys' Carpenter sees big chance ahead
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Column by DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News | [email protected]

It's human nature to focus on what Bobby Carpenter hasn't done.

He will share his thoughts on that topic in a moment.

But if you can, put away the knives. The start of training camp is time to project what a player can be, not dwell on promise that has yet to be fulfilled.

Carpenter hasn't lived up to his expectations or yours in three seasons with the Cowboys. That doesn't mean he's stopped trying. When camp opens in San Antonio next week, Carpenter will report in a good frame of mind with the belief that the coaching staff has finally carved a niche that will allow him to contribute.

"I'm excited at this point," Carpenter said during the team's last minicamp. "If you're a little kid and you go to Six Flags for the first time, do you worry about having a good time or do you go out there and have good time? That's the way I'm looking at it.

"There are a lot of players in various sports that, for some reason or another, didn't have success early. Then they are granted an opportunity to be able to get better, and come in and play well again. Was it that they were a good player at one point and a bad player the next, or that they didn't have the opportunity?"

It's a metaphysical quandary. Here's another: If a first-round pick falls in the forest and no one is there to hear him, does he make a sound?

Carpenter has started only one regular-season game since being taken with the 18th pick of the 2006 draft. He has 35 solo tackles in 42 games from the linebacker position.

The former Ohio State star has yet to force a fumble or pick off a pass and hasn't recorded a sack since his rookie season. Other than a strong playoff game against Seattle two-and-a-half years ago, Carpenter's credentials are sparse.

He knows what people say. He's a bust.

"It's something that has been brought up a lot the past couple of years, and probably deservedly so," Carpenter said. "But no one is tougher on me than myself. I come out every day with the desire and motivation to get better so that I can prove I'm a good player, because I know I am."

The knock is that Carpenter lacks the physical ability to take on an offensive lineman and shed him to make the tackle. Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart was never a big fan of Carpenter's work.

He's gone. So is Kevin Burnett, who was ahead of Carpenter on the depth chart.

Now, Carpenter is part of the team's third-down packages. He enters camp as one of the inside linebackers in nickel and dime situations, a role that could put him on the field up to 40 percent of the game.

This is the opportunity he didn't receive his first three seasons. It's his responsibility to hold off third-round pick Jason Williams and do something with it.

"You're always fighting for your spot," said Carpenter, who began his Cowboys career as an outside linebacker. "But I think the position is mine to lose.

"I'm not trying to lose it. I'm trying to advance it and hopefully make our team better."

Dallas Cowboys' Carpenter sees big chance ahead | Dallas Cowboys News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

 

[Buckskin86]

Keith Brooking isn't conceding third-down job
Aug 03, 2009
Tim MacMahon/Blogger

Bobby Carpenter seems to have a firm grasp on the nickel and dime role filled by Kevin Burnett the last couple of seasons. That doesn't mean Keith Brooking has given up the fight.

Brooking, who takes over for Zach Thomas as the weakside ILB, rarely missed a defensive snap during his 11 seasons in Atlanta. He isn't ready to accept that he'll be a two-down player in Dallas.

"I feel I can contribute to this team on third down in some capacity," Brooking said. "I'll just keep competing every day out here. The eye in the sky doesn't lie. We'll see how it plays out.

"But regardless of how it plays out, I'm a team player. I'm here to win ballgames, number one. When we have the best linebackers on the field on third down, I'll accept that and move on and help this team any way I can."

Dallas Cowboys Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

Third-rounder and Cowboys? top pick in the 2009 NFL Draft Brandon Williams is very athletic, but didn?t have to drop into coverage much in college. That could mean that Bobby Carpenter gets another year in Dallas.

http://thelandryhat.com/2009/08/03/cowboys-training-camp-week-one/

 

[Buckskin86]

Cowboys' Carpenter finds niche on defense
By Tom Orsborn - Express-News

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bobby Carpenter wants to dive into best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, but training camp keeps getting in the way.

?I'm so tired at night, I look at it, and then it looks back at me, and then I put my head back down on the pillow,? Carpenter said Monday of ?Outliers: The Story of Success.?

Carpenter is a big fan of Gladwell's books. His favorite is ?Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.?

?It's an internal look at yourself to see how things subconsciously affect you,? Carpenter said. ?You have to believe what you see ... You know what to do most of the time, you just have to trust yourself.?

As a pro, Carpenter's challenge has been to gain his coaches' trust. Labeled a first-round bust after three lackluster seasons, he appears to finally be succeeding.

With Kevin Burnett gone, Carpenter seems poised for a breakthrough season as the inside linebacker in nickel and dime situations.

?Bobby Carpenter's done well,? coach Wade Phillips said. ?(His) pass coverage looks good. We put him in one position for a while. He's been physical, athletic, all the things you're looking for in a linebacker, so I look for Bobby to have a good year.?

Said linebackers coach Reggie Herring, ?Bobby is having his best camp.?

Since being selected 18th overall by Bill Parcells in 2006, Carpenter has only one career start and none since his rookie season. Over the past two seasons, he's notched only seven tackles and has been the subject of trade rumors.

But when Burnett signed with San Diego in free agency, Phillips told Carpenter the third-down job was his to lose. It's a role he's embraced, hoping it will lead to being an every-down player.

?You've got to start somewhere,? the Ohio State alumnus said. ?They won't let you play three (downs) until you can show you can play at least one. I'm going to make plays and, as the season goes on, hopefully get more time.?

Cowboys' Carpenter finds niche on defense

 

[Buckskin86]

Dallas Cowboys need Carpenter, Spencer, Spears to bust out
Friday, August 7, 2009
Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | [email protected]

SAN ANTONIO ? Jerry Jones drafts players in the first round and gives them seven-digit signing bonuses because he expects them to be difference-makers.

Jerry expects a significant return on his investment, though we all know half the players selected in the first round don't play to their pedigree.

When that happens, the players get labeled busts. Or disappointments.

For now, former first-round picks Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Spencer and Marcus Spears fall into one of those two categories.

There are a thousand reasons. Some valid; some not.

But when it's all said and done in the bottom-line business that is the NFL, reasons are synonymous with excuses.

This season, however, won't be about excuses.

Each of those three players has been given a significant role in Wade Phillips' defense. Each enters training camp with more opportunity than ever to contribute.

When this season ends, we'll know for sure how they should be classified.

Carpenter, Bill Parcells' last first-round draft pick with the Cowboys, has only 50 tackles in his first three seasons. He has been labeled soft because he runs around too many blockers instead of taking them on, shedding them and making the tackle.

Carpenter, who will play linebacker in the nickel defense, has a defined role in training camp for the first time.

He's making the most of it. He's been considerably more physical and aggressive.

In a recent practice, he deflected a pass 10 yards downfield and made a 180-degree turn to locate the ball before intercepting the pass. It provided a glimpse of his athletic ability.

"I'd like to think that I'd be further along in my career, but that's just motivated me even more," Carpenter said. "The coaches are showing some confidence in me, and they're putting me in position to make plays.

"It has been a tough road, but if it gets you where you're going, then it's all worth it. I've always known I had the athletic ability, and I've always put in the work, but it can be a tough transition from college to the NFL. I can attest to that."

Dallas Cowboys need Carpenter, Spencer, Spears to bust out | Jean-Jacques Taylor Columns | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

 

[Buckskin86]

Defensive players to watch in preseason opener
Wed, Aug 12, 2009
Tim MacMahon/Blogger

ILB Bobby Carpenter: He's having a good camp, but that was the case last year, too. It didn't carry over into the preseason games, and Carpenter didn't contribute to the Cowboys' defense last season.The Cowboys are counting on him to replace Kevin Burnett in the nickel and dime packages. He's also been surprisingly physical and active against the run during camp. If that continues, it might not be a catastrophe if one of the starting linebackers gets injured.

Dallas Cowboys Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News