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Barrett Carter’s rookie season looked productive on paper, but the former Clemson linebacker is not pretending the transition was easy.
Carter recently opened up on the podcast "First Word" about the adjustment to the NFL, explaining that his second year with the Cincinnati Bengals already feels completely different from his first. After spending last season trying to keep up mentally, Carter said the game and the playbook are starting to feel much more natural.
“It feels like night and day to last year,” Carter said.
At Clemson, Carter was one of the best linebackers in the country. He finished his college career with 233 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks before Cincinnati drafted him. Now he has to prove everything again, except on an even bigger stage with bigger competition.
Even as a rookie, he found some production. Carter earned 12 starts and recorded 106 tackles, giving the Bengals a young defensive piece with real upside. But production does not always mean comfort, and Carter admitted last season was a grind behind the scenes.
Carter said he is “understanding the playbook now,” unlike last year, when he felt like he was “playing catch-up.”
The hardest part, according to Carter, was carrying that stress with him after practice. He said he would go “back to the hotel so stressed,” still trying to get adjusted to the NFL and everything that came with it.
Now, after having an offseason break, Carter sounds like a different player mentally. Carter said he feels “so refreshed” and now shows up “with a smile on my face.”
For Bengals fans, this newer sense of relief from your linebacker has to be a sigh of fresh air. Carter has already proven he can produce while still learning. When year two starts slowing down, and the playbook stops feeling like a fight to figure out, Cincy could see a much more comfortable version of the former Clemson star who can focus on doing what he does best on the field instead of playing a mental battle with formations.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Former star Barrett Carter feeling "refreshed" entering NFL year two
Continue reading...
Carter recently opened up on the podcast "First Word" about the adjustment to the NFL, explaining that his second year with the Cincinnati Bengals already feels completely different from his first. After spending last season trying to keep up mentally, Carter said the game and the playbook are starting to feel much more natural.
“It feels like night and day to last year,” Carter said.
At Clemson, Carter was one of the best linebackers in the country. He finished his college career with 233 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks before Cincinnati drafted him. Now he has to prove everything again, except on an even bigger stage with bigger competition.
Even as a rookie, he found some production. Carter earned 12 starts and recorded 106 tackles, giving the Bengals a young defensive piece with real upside. But production does not always mean comfort, and Carter admitted last season was a grind behind the scenes.
Carter said he is “understanding the playbook now,” unlike last year, when he felt like he was “playing catch-up.”
The hardest part, according to Carter, was carrying that stress with him after practice. He said he would go “back to the hotel so stressed,” still trying to get adjusted to the NFL and everything that came with it.
Now, after having an offseason break, Carter sounds like a different player mentally. Carter said he feels “so refreshed” and now shows up “with a smile on my face.”
For Bengals fans, this newer sense of relief from your linebacker has to be a sigh of fresh air. Carter has already proven he can produce while still learning. When year two starts slowing down, and the playbook stops feeling like a fight to figure out, Cincy could see a much more comfortable version of the former Clemson star who can focus on doing what he does best on the field instead of playing a mental battle with formations.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Former star Barrett Carter feeling "refreshed" entering NFL year two
Continue reading...
