08-17-2015, 02:07 PM
Ki-Jana Carter was a superstar for Penn State in '94. He had a Bo Jackson-like size/speed combination. I was only 14 when we drafted him, but I was ecstatic about it. Our passing game had been fantastic with Blake, Pickens and Scott. Adding a top RB to the mix was supposed to make that offense unstoppable.
Even without Carter, the '95 team finished 7-9, with a 2-5 record in games decided by a FG. If they could've flipped that record, they would've finished 10-6 with a playoff berth. Heck, 9-7 would've been good enough to make it that year. That offense hung 27 and 31 points on the Steelers, who had the 3rd ranked defense in the league and went to the Super Bowl that year.
Blake and Pickens made the Pro-Bowl, but the Bengals ranked 24th in rushing. Just imagine how that season could've gone with a healthy Carter. For me, his injury was about as gut-wrenching as Palmer's. Maybe more so. At least Palmer was able to come back.
Even without Carter, the '95 team finished 7-9, with a 2-5 record in games decided by a FG. If they could've flipped that record, they would've finished 10-6 with a playoff berth. Heck, 9-7 would've been good enough to make it that year. That offense hung 27 and 31 points on the Steelers, who had the 3rd ranked defense in the league and went to the Super Bowl that year.
Blake and Pickens made the Pro-Bowl, but the Bengals ranked 24th in rushing. Just imagine how that season could've gone with a healthy Carter. For me, his injury was about as gut-wrenching as Palmer's. Maybe more so. At least Palmer was able to come back.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
