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Wide Receiver, #15
May 2002 – March 2007
The venerable Tim Carter was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. Carter, who ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, arrived with high hopes that he could add some explosiveness to a Wide Receiver corps that already featured Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard as the starters. Needless to say, Tim Carter's contributions on the field never came close to matching the lofty goals that his speed and draft status led fans and coaches to believe he could reach.
In what should have been a sign of things to come, the first and third years of Carter's career were hampered nicks and bruises, playing in only five games each season. Every offseason, Giants fans hoped Carter's clean bill of health would allow him to finally reach his potential…and each season Giants fans were again disappointed. Carter was able to stay healthy in his fourth season, playing in 15 of the team's games. Now a young veteran, Carter put up a measly total of 10 receptions for 186 yards, zero TD's.
In his fifth season, Carter really proved that he didn't need injuries to be unproductive. Finally getting a shot to start opposite double-team magnet Plaxico Burress, Carter's dazzling totals: 22 catches for 253 yards and 2 TD's (one of which was a fumble recovery in the end zone).
The Giants frenzied pursuit of free agent Burress tells you all you need to know about how the team viewed Carter. Somehow, GM Jerry Reese was able to spin off Carter to the Cleveland Browns for a backup running back (Reuben Droughns), and Carter spent a year not producing in Cleveland. He went on to spend an offeseason with the Houston Texans and finally spent a few months on the St. Louis Rams the following year, before gracefully exiting the NFL.
Tim Carter is the penultimate reminder that speed does not equal success in the NFL.
