LANDOVER, Md. — All the pre-draft study gave Shane Bowen a detailed understanding of what Abdul Carter was at Penn State and hinted at what he can be at the next level in the NFL.
Bowen, the Giants’ second-year defensive coordinator, came away with some new thoughts on Carter after working with him up close all spring and summer.
“I think there’s a violence to him,’’ Bowen said. “Like the explosiveness comes out in that form, too, which is probably a little bit more than what I was expecting, to be honest. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him, continues to try to improve, continues to practice hard. So excited about him. Excited to see him out there Sunday.’’
Everyone around the Giants is excited to see Carter unleashed in his NFL debut.
Facing the Commanders, though, presents a unique challenge, as they have a diverse rushing attack and quarterback Jayden Daniels as a rookie in 2024 showed out as one of the most elusive, difficult-to-tackle players to enter the league in quite some time.
Over-aggressiveness can lead to big plays against the Giants’ defense, and Bowen is factoring in that Carter as a rookie will be excited and could see things he has not seen before on the field.
“We’ve got to be mindful of it,’’ Bowen said. “Emotions are going to be high. They’re going to have a lot of energy. They’re going to be ready to go and just making sure we don’t overload him too much with all the other stuff of game one, what we’re seeing, everything that comes into play in a game, that it doesn’t paralyze him before the snap, right?’’
When Russell Wilson takes the field, he will become the 16th NFL quarterback to start 200 games.
He made 158 starts with the Seahawks, 30 for the Broncos and 11 last season for the Steelers.
“Yeah, I think to be able to have 200 career starts, regular-season starts and not even count the playoffs, it’s a blessing,’’ Wilson said. “I think a big part of it, too, is longevity. I think longevity, I think also just the will and determination to have a plan. Meaning, what’s my treatment schedule? What time am I waking up? What time are you doing this? The consistency and the obsession with that.’’
The last quarterback to make his 200th career start in a season opener?
That would be Eli Manning in 2017.
The Commanders brought in or retained several proven veterans to add to an already veteran roster.
With linebackers Bobby Wagner (35) and Von Miller (36), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (29), tight end Zach Ertz (34), running back Austin Ekeler (30) and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (31), the Commanders are the oldest team in the league with an average age of 28.1.
They have 25 players who are 29 or older.
The Giants on Saturday took a short flight from Newark International Airport into Baltimore for this trip.
Normally, they board a train for this road swing, but Amtrak does not offer as many charters as in the past, necessitating a different mode of transportation.
The Giants activated DL Elijah Garcia from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
