Turns Out Cris Carter Wasn’t That Good
Cris Carter is a Hall of Famer; obviously, he was very good at football. Well, apparently that take is not as unanimous as you might have thought. Another former NFL standout decided to take a shot at the Vikings legend.
Turns Out Cris Carter Wasn’t That Good
That guy’s name? Asante Samuel Sr., a pretty good player in his own right with two Super Bowl rings and one first-team All-Pro on his resume.
He’s not a fan of Mr. Carter.
But let’s start at the beginning. The origin story of the beef came earlier this offseason. Tony Liebert, SI.com, summarized, “Johnson was being his typical over-confident self on a podcast earlier this year when he claimed that he could beat current Jaguars CB/WR Travis Hunter in 10 straight one-on-one reps today, despite being 47 years old. Carter thought Johnson’s claim was ridiculous and began questioning Johnson’s NFL career, essentially calling him overrated.”
For some reason, Asante Samuel didn’t like that. He was never a teammate of Johnson, and he never played against Carter, so there’s no reason for him to enter the ring. But he did on his podcast.
“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.”
So, to clarify, Carter was a great route runner and had excellent hands. Sounds like a good receiver.
That overrated possession receiver ranks 13th all-time in receiving yards, trailing a bunch of Hall of Famers and some who will be in the near future.
If you asked someone about his or her Mount Rushmore of wideouts in the last 40 years, that person could reasonably start with some iteration of Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens. Those three have caught the most touchdown passes in NFL history. Guess who ranks fourth. It’s a certain possession receiver who is connected to the sentence “All he does is catch touchdowns,” said by then-coach Buddy Ryan, who released him from the Eagles.
Carter has the fourth-most receiving touchdowns and the 13th-most receiving yards in NFL history, so it’s foolish to suggest the 59-year-old lacked anything in his playing days. He was an elite football player, which is why he had as much success as he did and ultimately received a Hall of Fame nomination.
“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,” Samuel said. “I am not worried about him running past me. So what fear does he put in any cornerback or defense?”
Carter had eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons between 1993 and 2000, in a time when that milestone was not a given. He also had five consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he led the league in touchdown catches three times.
Ironically, Samuel Sr. could be interested in a Cris Carter endorsement for his son, Asante Samuel Jr., who is still looking for a job. The cornerback has not found a new home since the Chargers allowed him to walk in the spring. Nagging shoulder issues have turned off some suitors.
The Vikings could still be in the market for a corner, and Carter surely knows a few people in the Twin Cities, but that strange beef doesn’t make him or any family member a popular person in Minnesota.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference helped with this article.
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