New Bucs LB Carter has coverage skills team needs 
JASON BEHNKEN/STAFFLast season, Bruce Carter intercepted five passes — the most by an NFL linebacker — and broke up eight while playing for Dallas. By Roy Cummings | Tribune Staff Published: August 7, 2015 TAMPA — Buccaneers linebacker Bruce Carter was rehabbing a knee injury a few years ago when the European-born doctor he was working with told him “real football” was the kind played on a pitch with a round ball.Intrigued by the debate, Carter began watching Premier League matches and soon developed a passion for the “beautiful game” that’s nearly as strong as his passion for the American game.“I’d say it’s about a 60-40 split, American football versus soccer,’’ Carter said during a break at Bucs training camp earlier this week. “If I could, I’d love to be a soccer player.“One of my dreams is to get to Europe and see a real game. Or if I could ever get to a World Cup game, that would be so cool. It’s the skill set I’m fascinated by, the way they play with their feet. It’s amazing.’’Carter has done some rather amazing things with his feet, too. Prior to being drafted in the second round (40th overall) by the Cowboys in 2011, he ran a 4.39-second, 40-yard dash at his North Carolina pro day.Prior to that, while in high school, he played running back as well as a little quarterback as a senior, running for 1,063 yards and 15 touchdowns while also passing for 585 yards and five touchdowns.He was primarily a safety, though, and according to most college recruiting sites, a pretty good one. Rivals.com ranked him 33rd in the nation at the position coming out of Havelock (N.C.) High.But that was nothing compared to where SuperPrep ranked him when it came out with its list of the nation’s top ‘’skilled athletes.’’ Carter came in at No. 8 on that list.Shortly after Carter arrived in Chapel Hill, Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora decided to move all that athleticism to linebacker. Judging by the results, that now seems like a pretty smart move.A year ago, for example, Carter intercepted five passes — the most of any NFL linebacker — and broke up eight more while working as the strongside backer in the Cowboys version of the Tampa 2 scheme.Is it any wonder, then, that the Bucs, who are as focused on taking the ball away as any team in the league, decided to stake a claim to Carter once he entered free agency?“We want athletes,” coach Lovie Smith explained, “and it helps when you’ve been in the system, where you know what we’re expecting from our linebackers, and that’s the case with Bruce.“When he came in we all liked him — (linebackers coach) Hardy Nickerson, (defensive coordinator) Leslie Frazier — all of us. We liked his play, his production. He made splash plays with the Cowboys. That’s what we’re looking for.’’They’re looking for it, though, at middle linebacker, which is a switch for Carter. It’s not as much of a switch, though, as it might seem, because of the way the Cowboys used their linebackers.“The way our scheme was set, I was aligned in the middle of the field,” Carter said. “And as far as playing middle and outside, linebacker is linebacker. The guys on the outside have to hit and make tackles, too.’’What they don’t have to do, at least not as often as the middle backer, is chase a receiver down the seam. That’s one of the primary duties of a middle linebacker in the Tampa 2 and it requires speed and coverage skills.That’s something the Bucs thought they lacked in previous years with former draft pick Mason Foster at the position, which is why they’re confident Carter will allow the defense to improve dramatically this year.“He has range, and he can catch the football,’’ Smith said. “We’re going to call on all those things with Bruce, because there’s a lot we ask of our (middle) linebacker, starting with making the calls.“If you look at (my) history with (middle) linebackers, it starts there. He’s the quarterback of the defense. But Bruce can handle all that, so we’re excited about what we think he is going to bring to the table.”Carter’s excited, too.He only left Dallas behind because the Cowboys couldn’t afford to keep him. But he believes he’s landed in a spot where his new role will allow him to flourish.“I don’t know if I’m what you would immediately think of when you think of your traditional middle linebacker,’’ he said. “I’m more of an athletic type who can cover guys. But it’ll all be good.’’Good enough, the Bucs hope, to play a beautiful game. [email protected](813) 259-7893Twitter: @RCummingsTBO
