EgonSchiele;2137304; said:
Since we got Dont'a Hightower in the draft, and currently have Brandon Spikes, Dane Fletcher, Jared Mayo, Rob Ninkovich, what is going to happen to Bobby Carpenter? We added him via free agency but with drafting Hightower, I don't see him getting very much playing time at all, if at all.
Kyle Rodgers
As I just mentioned above, Ninko is an OLB, so you can remove him from the discussion of inside guys. But your question is still valid. Carpenter faces an uphill battle to make the roster, for sure. Now, unless Carpenter blows everyone away once the pads are on in training camp, his best chance, it would seem, would be to compete with Fletcher, but even then, the latter has the edge. I?m interested, though, to see what, if anything, Carpenter can bring to this defense.
Erik Scalavino
Bobby Carpenter looking for a home with Patriots
June 14, 2012|By Alex Prewitt, Globe Correspondent, Globe Staff
A first-round pick in 2006, Bobby Carpenter said ??it?s been easy to get acclimated?? in Foxborough.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH - Bobby Carpenter had seen Bill Belichick?s press conferences. He was friendly with a few Patriots players. He watched some of their games on television.
But that was about all Carpenter knew about the team he signed with in April.
Carpenter has zig-zagged across the country throughout his NFL career. Dallas made him the 16th overall pick in 2006 out of Ohio State. St. Louis traded for him in 2010, then cut him four months later. A stint with Miami lasted 42 days. He lasted longer with Detroit, nearly two full seasons.
Now, in New England, Carpenter is one of 11 linebackers.
?It?s been exciting,?? Carpenter said Thursday, after Belichick canceled the Patriots? final minicamp practice. ?We have a great team atmosphere. I was very pleased with how great the locker room was. We?ve got a tremendous group of players here. Not only that, they?re great people, so it?s been easy to get acclimated.??
Carpenter, 28, immediately found a familiar face in linebackers coach Pepper Johnson. Johnson?s son Dionte was Carpenter?s teammate with the Buckeyes, and Pepper Johnson is a 1986 Ohio State graduate who won two Super Bowls with the Giants.
?He?s done a great job parlaying that, helping coach guys in a manner that really pertains to being on the field,?? Carpenter said. ?Very few coaches were as successful players as he was, so I think he brings a unique aspect to that environment of coaching.??
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Former LHS, Ohio State standout Carpenter happy with where he's at in NFL, life
Jul. 5, 2012
Written by
Chris Miles
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
Former Detroit linebacker Bobby Carpenter returns an interception for a touchdown during an Oct. 2 game against Dallas. Carpenter, a former Lancaster and Ohio State standout, signed a one-year contract in April with the New England Patriots. / Tim Heitman/US PRESSWIRE
LANCASTER -- You can forgive former Lancaster and Ohio State standout Bobby Carpenter if he's feeling more patriotic this week.
The offseason has been a busy one for NFL free agents and with the six-year veteran signing a new contract with the New England Patriots, one of the league's best teams, he's got plenty of reasons to celebrate during the holiday.
"It's a great opportunity to get a chance to play on a winning football team and for an organization that has done so well over the last decade," Carpenter said.
The linebacker played the past season and a half with the Detroit Lions, the most recent of which ended in the playoffs, a common destination for the Patriots in recent years.
"Each season is different," he said. "Rosters turn over a lot, but the expectations in New England are always high."
Carpenter, who started his career with Dallas, also has played for the Miami Dolphins. He had other teams interested in his services, but ultimately it was New England and the success it's had under coach Bill Belichick that was a determining factor.
"A few other teams were interested, but New England was the team that showed the most interest and coach Belichick is one of the best coaches in football," he said. "I'm excited to have to opportunity to play there."
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