10-21-2006, 07:16 AM
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Ex-Buckeye Drew Carter alive and well in Carolina
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Carolina?s Drew Carter is making his mark in the NFL after an injury-riddled career at Ohio State.
CINCINNATI ? Drew Carter saw his name on an Ohio State football message board, followed by the dreaded "Whatever happened to? "
Carter remains a Buckeye through and through, but when he saw that, he burned.
Not that it was an unreasonable question. Carter?s promising career had looked to be snuffed out by repeated knee injuries. Three times in three years ? twice at Ohio State and once as a Carolina Panther rookie ? Carter had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"Everybody who wrote on the message board said, ?Oh, he?s done. There?s no way he comes back,? " Carter said Thursday. "It definitely gave me drive to beat the doubters and the people who really thought I couldn?t do it. I really wanted to show myself and other people that even though you get setbacks, you?ve got to keep going forward toward your goals."
Carter has made it back. When the Bengals play the Panthers on Sunday in Paul Brown Stadium, they can?t worry only about Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson as threats in the Carolina passing game. Carter has emerged as a dangerous third receiver. Last week against Baltimore, he caught a 42-yard touchdown pass and later made a victory-clinching 4-yard reception for a first down with 1? minutes left.
It was a sweet game for a player who does acknowledge moments of wondering whether he really would be able to overcome the injuries. He suffered a torn left ACL against Indiana as a sophomore in 2001 and then did the same thing to his right knee against the Hoosiers two years later just when it looked as if he would join the list of standout Buckeyes receivers.
"I had a couple days when I kind of thought, ?Is this what I really want to do, rehab again?? " Carter said.
He credited his physical therapist at Ohio State, Janine Oman, for keeping him on track.
"She said I only have a couple days of pouting and then it?s back to rehab," he said with a laugh. "She definitely was a big help and I really thank her for that."
Oman said Carter?s upbeat personality served him well.
"He?s still the same person that you see having dealt with all that," she said. "Some people can be bitter that that?s happened and that?s not the case with Drew."
That attitude was tested when Carter reinjured his right ACL just weeks after the Panthers made him a fifth-round draft pick in 2004. He missed all of that season and was inactive for the first 13 games last year. But in Carolina?s final six games, including the playoffs, Carter gave a glimpse of his talent. He caught nine passes for 234 yards for a whopping 26-yard average.
Clearly, his speed was unaffected by the injuries.
"I?m as fast as ever," he said. "I feel like knee surgeries don?t slow your speed down. Your speed comes from your hamstrings, quads and hips. Your knees are hinges. My muscles are intact."
Carter, a native of Solon, near Cleveland, will be making his first NFL trip to Ohio with a contingent of former Buckeyes. Na?il Diggs, Chris Gamble and rookie Nate Salley are other former Ohio State players with the Panthers.
"I never really had a chance to make a major mark at Ohio State," Carter said, "but I still love Ohio State. If they forgot about me, I?ll try to make sure they remember me after this game."
brabinowitz@dispatch.com
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http://www.dispatch.com/bengals/beng...021-E8-00.html
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