Here's a short article that's complimentary toward Carpenter, the first one I can recall. Few defensive players have been ridiculed like Carpenter, even though he had very little opportunity to play until this season. And when he played morehe did quite well. I believe he's a free agent this year, would be nice to see a team sign him and use him like Clay Matthews.
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NFL Team Report: Using Dime, Cowboys' Carpenter Builds a Reputation</H2>
LB<STRONG itxt="1"> Bobby Carpenter[/b], a 2006 first-round pick who never has lived up to expectations, is in the midst of his best season. Carpenter, who plays mostly in the dime defense, has a career-high 48 tackles and two sacks. He recovered two fumbles in last week's playoff win over Philadelphia and has done a solid job covering tight ends man-to-man for much of the season. <BR itxt="1"><BR itxt="1">Carpenter had seven tackles in the previous two seasons combined. He always has been criticized by the coaches for not being physical, a necessity in the 3-4 scheme because linebackers must take on 300-pound guards.
But in the dime, he can be a finesse player because he's much more involved in coverage. He is a good athlete and a smart player. He does a good job of disguising whether he is blitzing or dropping into coverage.
The coaches have blitzed him quite a bit lately, especially up the middle, because he has a knack for timing the snap count and the patience to wait until blockers have committed before making his move. - Jean-Jacques Taylor
http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Trenches/entry/view/51665/nfl_team_report_using_dime,_cowboys_carpenter_builds_a_reputation
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Edited by: Don Wassall