His friends mapped out his career long before Andre Carter did. They watched him play, saw the sculpted body and knew his bloodlines. They pegged him as a future millionaire.
All the while, Carter would laugh.
“I never took them seriously,” he said. “It really humbled me. I just want to be the best at what I do. I want to be noticed.”
Until after his junior season of college football, Carter eyed a career as a real estate investor. Six years later, he still hasn’t pursued that line of work. If Carter does what he and the Redskins hope, he’ll get plenty more attention for playing football.
“He can do things, hopefully rushing the passer, that we’ve needed,” assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams said. “If he stays healthy, he’ll be productive.”
The Redskins signed Carter as a free agent this offseason, seeking to find a young pass rusher — something that’s eluded them for years. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Carter is not near the upper tier of rushers but was once the seventh overall pick out of California by San Francisco and wants to return to the 12-sack days.
“I want to be known as a dominant pass rusher,” Carter said. “It’s a matter of proving it to myself.”
Carter’s arrival means Phillip Daniels will shift to left defensive end. However, they will often switch sides, trying to keep offenses guessing. Daniels, coming off an eight-sack season, and Carter provide a balanced bookend attack. Daniels relies on power. Carter favors speed.
“Me and Phil can work real well together,” Carter said. “He’ll flush the quarterback out and I’m the type of guy who can get the sack.”
Daniels said, “You can’t have two speed guys on the outside, because sometimes you run around the quarterback and he runs up the middle.”
Besides, Daniels said, some of his best seasons have come playing the left side both in Seattle and Chicago. In each case, Daniels had a speed guy like Carter on the other side.
The knock on Carter in the past has been playing the run. Sure enough, on one run around right end yesterday morning, tight end Chris Cooley drove him off the ball.
But the Redskins love Carter’s attitude. Williams said he consistently arrives to the field 10-15 minutes early. And the domino effect of his potential edge pressure could open things up for other Redskin defenders.
“You’ve got to pay attention,” linebacker Marcus Washington said, “to Andre Carter.”
Carter administration
» No Redskins has finished with a double-digit sack total since 2000 when Marco Coleman (12) and Bruce Smith (10) both did it.
» In San Francisco, Carter had a 12.5-sack season in 2002, but aback injury in ’04 and a position switch last year (linebacker) left him with a combined 6.5 sacks the past two seasons.
» Andre Carter’s father, Rubin, is an ex-Redskins defensive line coach (1999-2000) and now the head coach at Florida A&M University.
