Cris Carter Just Got Ripped Out of Nowhere
Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter doesn’t have many detractors, removed from the NFL for 23 years and enjoying retirement.
NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter was chided by a former All-Pro last week in an interview that came out of the blue. It’s rare shade for the Vikings legend.
But a two-time All-Pro cornerback who played in the pros from 2003 to 2013 named Asante Samuel Sr. came along last week and changed all that.
He decided to question Carter’s legacy on a podcast, and nobody is too sure why.
Cris Carter Called Out as a “Possession Receiver” Only
Bet you didn’t have that on your July bingo boards.
Asante Samuel Sr. Ignites Beef with Cris Carter
Samuel Sr. hopped on a show this week and took aim at Carter, buttering him up with a compliment — and calling him overrated.
“I think Cris Carter was great during his time, he was a heck of a route runner and he had some of the best hands in football, but he is really beside himself coming for Chad Johnson. He was nothing more than a possession receiver, a receiver that catches the ball and is immediately tackled. Cris Carter is one of the most overrated wide receivers to ever come in the NFL, or into the Hall of Fame,” Samuel Sr. said.
“As a cornerback, what do I have to worry about, covering a guy like Cris Carter? He’s going to run a nice, crispy route and get tackled immediately. I am not worried about him running past me. So what fear does he put in any cornerback or defense?”
Naturally, purple fans treated the remarks like a DJ’s record scratch — because who demeans Cris Carter, a fabulous ambassador for the sport, on and off the field?
The Two Didn’t Even Play Together
Younger folks skimming Samuel Sr.’s comments might be tempted to think Samuel Sr. and Carter must’ve done battle many times back in the day.
False.
Samuel Sr.’s career began right as Carter’s ended. The two never played against each other. So, yes, the Super Bowl champion cornerback opted to troll Carter based on game tape or maybe some commentary he’d heard from his peers.
Strange Shade
Carter evidently had recently criticized Chad Johnson, which might’ve led to Samuel Sr.’s bizarre critique.
Still, calling Carter a “possession receiver” as an insult simply doesn’t add up. Carter ranks fourth all-time in receiving touchdowns and 13th in receiving yards. With those marks, it doesn’t really matter that Carter lacked blazing speed and “only caught the football.”
Have you ever heard someone say, “All Steph Curry really does is well is shoot.” That’s the NBA analogy of Samuel Sr.’s weird statement.
Asante Samuel Sr.’s Son
Ironically, Samuel Sr.’s son, Asante Samuel Jr., currently plays in the NFL and has been linked to the — you guessed it — Vikings throughout the offseason in the rumor mill.
Samuel Jr. is awaiting a clean bill of health to sign with a team this summer, and for over three months, some have maintained that it could be Minnesota.
That would-be signing feels a little awkward after the Samuel Sr. interview.
Defending Cris Carter
Unsurprisingly, Vikings-themed sites were quick to defend Carter.
Daily Norseman‘s Christopher Gates wrote, “I mean … calling someone who is actually in the Pro Football Hall of Fame ‘overrated’ seems a little wild to me. After all, Asante Samuel is not in the Hall of Fame. Chad Johnson is, also, not in the Hall of Fame. Cris Carter is in the Hall of Fame, so I’m not sure where the overrated thing is coming from.”
“When Cris Carter retired from the National Football League, he had more receptions, receiving yardage, and receiving touchdowns than any player in league history not named Jerry Rice. Despite the fact that he retired from the NFL after the 2002 season, Carter is still #4 all-time in touchdown catches and #6 in career receptions, though he has fallen to #13 in career yardage.”
Carter slander was not on most fans’ radar this summer.
Gates added, “If you’re scoring at home, Chad Johnson ranks #45 in receptions, #43 in yardage, and #58 in touchdown catches. I don’t know … I guess I just think that guys like Samuel should hold off on calling Cris Carter overrated, at least until we see a yellow jacket hanging up in their closets. After all, Cris Carter’s name comes up pretty frequently when discussing the greatest receivers in the history of the NFL.”
“I’m not sure if Samuel’s name comes up with that frequency in a historical discussion of the league’s best corners, but I’m guessing that it does not.”
Carter has not yet responded to the critique.
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