LB Bobby Carpenter (All B1G, National Champion)

[Ballard4Heisman]

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm probably going to watch every Rams game on TV next year.

 

[Bucklion]

So what's the LB depth chart for the Rams? Any chance that all 3 (4?) Buckeyes will be on the field at the same time?​

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm probably going to watch every Rams game on TV next year.

Masochist

As far as the depth chart goes, Vobora had 46 tackles on the right side last year...doesn't exactly scream keep me on the field all game if Bobby shows up and impresses.

 

[Buckskin86]

Starting over: Trade offers Carpenter fresh start in St. Louis
BY JOE ARNOLD ? The Eagle-Gazette Staff ? May 13, 2010

After four seasons of playing in the shadows of veteran linebackers, Bobby Carpenter was hungry for a chance to make his mark as an NFL starter.

A trade that sent the Lancaster native from the Dallas Cowboys to St. Louis on Monday could give Carpenter that chance.

He spoke Wednesday to the Eagle-Gazette about the trade, the perception he has underachieved as a pro and his future with the Rams.

Question: What was your reaction to the building speculation that you would be traded? What was it when the trade actually happened?

Answer: I was excited to have a chance to play for a team in the great sports town. (Head coach) Steve Spagnuolo is a fantastic defensive mind. His teams have been very aggressive. I got to see them play in New York and Philadelphia and was impressed.

Starting over: Trade offers Carpenter fresh start in St. Louis | lancastereaglegazette.com | Lancaster Eagle Gazette

 

[Buckskin86]

Is scheme the difference for LB Bobby Carpenter?
by VanRam on May 17, 2010

Not every one liked the St. Louis Rams decision to trade oft-penalized OT Alex Barron to Dallas for LB Bobby Carpenter, with many of the national pundits having already written off Carpenter as a bust.

However, there were a few that felt like he'd be a better fit in the Rams' 4-3 system, at the very least giving the Rams a role player in the nickel package. Jeremy Green at Scouts Inc. agrees with that assessment. His thoughts on why Carpenter will be better off playing in St. Louis after the jump.

He was not a true outside linebacker who could get after the quarterback, and he struggled to adapt to reading and reacting when playing inside in the 3-4 scheme. Getting him back to a traditional 4-3 defense where he can just read and react on the weak side will be a huge help. Carpenter is player who needs to be covered up and allowed to run, and the Rams' defensive front can do that. He will be playing next to second-year MLB (and former Ohio State teammate) James Laurinaitis, who did a nice job taking on blocks last season. That will keep Carpenter free to flow to the ball. He was not asked to cover much as an inside linebacker in the 3-4 defense and this is an area he is going to have to improve in quickly if he is going to be an every-down player. This defense will allow him to run and hit, and that is what he was asked to do in college.

Is scheme the difference for LB Bobby Carpenter? - Turf Show Times

 

[Buckskin86]

Silver bullet reunion: Rams feature quartet of former Buckeye linebackers
By Robert Gartrell
[email protected]
Published: Tuesday, May 18, 2010

After failing to live up to high expectations with the Dallas Cowboys, former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter will now get a chance to salvage his career with the St. Louis Rams. There, he will compete for a starting job, and he?ll do so with three other former Buckeyes who are also looking to prove their worth in the NFL.

As part of a trade that sent him from the Cowboys to the Rams in exchange for offensive lineman Alex Barron, Carpenter joins former Buckeye linebackers James Laurinaitis, Na?il Diggs and Larry Grant for a silver bullets reunion in St. Louis. The Rams are counting on Carpenter to help solidify their defense, while he hopes the change of scenery can save what has been a disappointing start to his NFL career.

?It?s more refreshing to be in a new spot,? Carpenter said. ?Sometimes change is good. To be in a useful place like St. Louis with all the young guys they have here, and just add to that with guys I?ve played with in college and that makes it even more special to me.?

Selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, Carpenter struggled mightily during his stint in Dallas to get playing time in the team?s 3-4 defensive alignment.

Although he had his most productive season in 2009, recording 46 tackles and two sacks, his numbers were far lower than what the Cowboys had hoped for when he was drafted.

Carpenter rarely started for the Cowboys, and after being reduced to playing exclusively on special teams and defensive nickel packages, was seen as expendable and subsequently traded to the Rams.

Now, Carpenter will play as a weakside linebacker in the Rams 4-3 defense, similar to the position he played at OSU. With a new team and a new defense, he hopes to emerge from early disappointment the way another former buckeye linebacker, Mike Vrabel, did when he left the Pittsburgh Steelers for the New England Patriots.

?All that stuff happens for a reason,? Carpenter said. ?I was able to work through it and get an opportunity in St. Louis, which I know I?ll be able to make the most of.?

Like Carpenter, the other Buckeyes in St. Louis are fighting for respect.

The Lantern - Silver bullet reunion: Rams feature quartet of former Buckeye linebackers

 

[Buckskin86]

New Ram Bobby Carpenter comfortable with teammates

KSDK -- Being the new guy is not easy, but St. Louis' newest Ram, Bobby Carpenter, has a few friends to ease his transition. They're expecting him to be a solid addition to the linebackers.

In a sea of faces Bobby Carpenter recognizes a few.

"Playing with guys you played with in college even before makes you familiar comfortable with who you're around, the scheme so if you don't know something, don't hesitate to ask," Carpenter said.

James Laurinaitis and Larry Grant may be former Buckeyes, but Carpenter was attracted to Steve Spagnuolo's scheme long before he had a chance to reunite with a few buddies.

"Watching from a far I thought how this is great, always so much pressure coming form every where everybody's making plays to be able to get into it," Carpenter said.

This isn't the first time Steve Spagunolo and Bobby Carpenter have worked together. The two had a memorable encounter years ago.

"Coach Spags is a great guy but he might have mislabeled the workout. He said 45 minutes all together 20 people on the field, more like an hour and half, 45-55 being on the field; pretty intense, definitely tough," Carpenter said.

Spagnuolo saw something from Carpenter in a Buckeyes uniform. Now that he's wearing blue and gold, he's still impressive.

"He did something today as the nickel linebacker I thought kind of stuck out," said Spagnuolo.

Carpenter was a first round pick coming out of college, but there's no ego on the field.

"I'm going to have to earn a spot I don't deserve anything coming in here come here to work prove that I can play to the other players and coaches," said Carpenter.

ksdk.com | St. Louis, MO | New Ram Bobby Carpenter comfortable with teammates

 

[Buckskin86]

The Rams added two more Ohio State linebackers in the offseason, with Na?il Diggs and Bobby Carpenter joining Laurinaitis and Larry Grant. Spagnuolo said he was impressed with the size of the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Diggs and how easily Carpenter transitioned from the 3-4 system in Dallas to Spagnuolo?s 4-3.

"The thing that?s helped him is the fact that he?s familiar with some of the guys already," Spagnuolo said of Carpenter, whose career at Ohio State overlapped those of Laurinaitis and Grant. "They bonded right away. They?ve got that Buckeye thing going on."

NFL: Spagnuolo pleased with progress of defense | spagnuolo, defense, louis - Sports - The Telegraph

 

[Buckskin86]

Carpenter offers athletic tools to Rams
Posted May 28, 2010
By Dan Arkush

Both the Rams and Cowboys are banking on changes of scenery being just what the doctor ordered for OLB Bobby Carpenter and OT Alex Barron, respectively, after being traded for one another in a deal involving two former first-round picks who never were able to fully live up to their first-round billing. While Barron, who had been on the trading block for some time in St. Louis, is expected to have to fight for a starting job on the Cowboys' O-line, we hear it's very likely Carpenter will assume the Rams' starting WLB job right away, despite starting only three games in four seasons with the Cowboys. "He's more athletic than I thought," Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo said of Carpenter, who the team believes will be a much better fit in the Rams' 4-3 scheme. "That's something coach Spags loves," Carpenter said of his athletic ability, "A linebacker should be able to run, play downhill and at the same time be versatile. ? I think I kind of fit that mold."

ProFootballWeekly.com - Carpenter offers athletic tools to Rams

 

[Buckskin86]

Carpenter Likes Opportunity Presented in Trade to St. Louis

 

[Buckskin86]

From left, St. Louis Rams linebackers James Laurinaitis, Na'il Diggs, Larry Grant and Bobby Carpenter at the Rams training facility. They all played college football at Ohio State University.
The Telegraph/JIM BOWLING

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said he didn?t think about having four linebackers from the same school until after the trade for Carpenter was made.

?I?ve never been a part of it and I don?t know that I?ve heard it,? Spagnuolo said. ?Does that mean we?ve got to go out and get those little round things that you put on your helmet? The Buckeye leaf? It?s a unique thing. It?s probably a good thing. That?s a credit to Ohio State.

?There?s a little pride there, and they do all work together well. Bobby has fit right in, and Na?il Diggs, he?s a true pro the way he handles himself and the way he plays.?

Calling Carpenter ?an extremely smart player? with a great work ethic, Laurinaitis said he learned a lot from Carpenter when their careers overlapped in Columbus. As a true freshman Laurinaitis replaced an injured Carpenter, who was in his senior season.

?I remember it like it was yesterday,? Laurinaitis recalled. ?Bobby got hurt on the first play and they were screaming for me. I thought they were joking. But I go on the field and I remember thinking, ?Just don?t make mistakes. Just do your job.??

Now it?s Laurinaitis who is showing Carpenter the ropes in St. Louis as the former Cowboy learns the defense of Spagnuolo and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole.

?I?ve got a special relationship with James,? Carpenter said. ?It?s a real treat to watch him become a great player.?

There is even competition among the four as to which Ohio State team was the best. But Carpenter said he?s got an edge on the others.

?I got a national title in 2002,? Carpenter said. ?None of those other guys can claim that.?

NFL: The Buckeye Brigade | brigade, buckeye, louis - Sports - The Telegraph

 

[Buckskin86]

Gale glad to give back
Carpenter's donation helping Lancaster's junior high, high school football programs
BY JOE ARNOLD ? The Eagle-Gazette Staff ? July 11, 2010

Former Lancaster standout Bobby Carpenter, second from right, recently donated a new tackling sled for football players at General Sherman Junior High School. Carpenter also has helped upgrade the football program's video production and editing equipment. (Abigail S. Fisher, Eagle-Gazette)

More than a decade has passed, but Bobby Carpenter still remembers the mismatched uniforms and faded, tattered pants he wore as a seventh-grade football player.

"We didn't all have the same type of jersey," he said. "That's something that always stuck with me."

Now in his fifth year in the NFL, Carpenter is doing his part to help make sure Lancaster's junior high and high school football programs have everything they need to be successful.

A recent donation -- the latest by Carpenter since he was drafted in 2006 --resulted in the purchase of a new tackling sled for players at General Sherman Junior High School.

"As a player, it's always nice when you have new equipment out there," Carpenter said. "It's tough to get kids excited early on when you don't have quality equipment.

"Anything I can do to help, I'm more than willing."

With the help of a matching grant program funded by the NFL, Carpenter has donated enough money to help Lancaster's high school program completely upgrade its video production and editing equipment. His donations have resulted in the purchase of blocking and tackling sleds, blocking chutes, pads and other field equipment used by the high school and Thomas Ewing Junior High.

"After my rookie year, I realized I earned a lot of money," Carpenter said. "I knew it was important to spread it around. That's something my dad always emphasized -- when you're fortunate, you need to remember where you came from."

Gale glad to give back | lancastereaglegazette.com | Lancaster Eagle Gazette

 

[zincfinger]

Carpenter made an extended guest appearance on Hannity, on the Fox News Channel last night.

 

[Buckskin86]

NFL Videos: Carpenter seals the win

 

[ScriptOhio]

Re: Former Lancaster standout Bobby Carpenter recently donated a new tackling sled for football players at General Sherman Junior High School. Carpenter also has helped upgrade the football program's video production and editing equipment.

I spent 3 years of my life there.

 

[BB73]

NFL Videos: Carpenter seals the win

With less than 1:20 left and a 2-point lead, it was a smart play to go down after getting the pick, rather than trying to get a runback.