GoUpState.com
Published August 5, 2005
Carter happy to be competing
ROB LANDRETH, For the Herald-Journal
During a seven-on-seven drill Thursday afternoon, Drew Carter lined up at his natural wideout position and ran his pass pattern. Down the sideline he ran, past the defender and into the corner of the end zone where he was supposed to be.
However, Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme decided on another option. Instead of Carter, Delhomme passed it to his secondary receiver.
But for Carter, it didn't matter. For now, he's just happy to be out on the field and playing again after a nearly two-year layoff.
"It's great to be back out there," he said. "Last year was kind of a blessing in disguise because it helped me learn and get familiar with the system."
Carter last stepped foot onto a football field on Oct. 25, 2003. As a senior for Ohio State, Carter's game against Indiana would be his last for the Buckeyes.
Midway through the second quarter, Carter went up to catch a pass from quarterback Craig Krenzel and landed awkwardly on his knee.
After a series of tests, it was determined that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament and he was done for the season.
"It was a setback," Carter said. "It had me down for a while."
He didn't stay down too long.
In the 2004 NFL draft, Carter heard his name called by the Panthers in the fifth round.
Despite the injury, Carter's 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame combined with blazing 4.36 speed in the 40-yard dash made him an intriguing choice at the time.
But little did the Panthers know they would have to wait a little longer to see Carter's physical attributes.
On the first day of minicamp, Carter again tore his ACL and was done for the year, ending any hopes of a 2004 comeback.
"It was almost like surreal, this isn't happening again," he said. "I kinda rushed back quicker than I should've. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
Carter took the season and instead of a negative, he turned it into a positive. He attended meetings, watched film and received technique and route-running tips from veteran receivers such as Muhsin Muhammad, Ricky Proehl and injured teammate Steve Smith.
"He was able to see a lot and learn a lot," said second-year Panthers wide receiver Keary Colbert, a good friend of Carter's. "It was a good year for him. He's recovered and is as ready as he can be."
Today, Carter is locked in a battle for a roster spot.
The late acquisition of Rod Gardner in a trade with the Redskins to go along with Colbert, Smith and Proehl, leaves Carter battling 8-year veteran Karl Hankton and a handful of other players for a pair of roster spots at a position that was a weakness for the Panthers a year ago.
"It's a battle every day," Carter said. "I'm just going to have to go out there and compete. That's what we have to do. We're all good friends, but we're gonna push and battle each other every day."
Carter does have an advantage that the others don't -- patience.
"Everyone knows his potential on the field," Colbert said. "He's faced a lot of adversity and has battled through it. He's waited his turn and is ready to play and he's anxious. He wants it bad and you can tell it."
In just little over a week's time, when the Washington Redskins come to Bank of America Stadium, it won't be a regular season game. It will be a preseason game and for Carter that will do.
As soon as he steps foot on the field it will be worth the wait. His patience and hard work will have been rewarded.
"It's going to feel great," he said. "It will have been worth it. I just want my chance to show what I can do."
And after all he's been through that's not too much to ask.
