LB Lorenzo Carter
July 31, 2021
Q: Now that you’re back out there – I know you were working with the trainers yesterday -- but generally being back out there, what does that mean to you? Last year, you had a lot of excitement going into that season and then you played pretty well the first few games before the injury. What does it mean to be back after going through all that?
A: It’s fun, it’s exciting just getting a chance to be out there. Last year, I missed a whole lot of experiences, a whole lot of time with the guys. All that time I spent in the training room or at home by myself with my dog, I get to spend it with my real dogs now like (Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams), get to be out there with all them, all the other guys, the linebackers. We’re just building that bond right now.
Q: What was the hardest part of sitting out last year?
A: Missing that team bonding they had. It’s nothing like being on the field with your guys. Working through stuff, going through the game plan, all that. It’s all nothing like doing that, that’s probably the thing guys miss the most when they retire and being injured, out for the season. It’s like, man, it makes me really miss all of them and want to take advantage of the time I do have.
Q: Is there anybody that had an injury similar to yours that you looked to for inspiration?
A: Yeah, there were a few guys. Last year, we had guys that were going down. Thankfully, the rules were changed so that guys could come on IR and leave IR. Of course, there were the core guys, like me and (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley), that got really hurt and there were other Achilles injuries that I could look for and see how they’re progressing, like (Wide Receiver) Cody Core. He tore his Achilles I think a good bit before me, so I was just happy to have him to look at and trust and see that this is the process and just go through this process now and be ready for next year.
Q: I was wondering if you drew any inspiration from Kevin Durant, who came back from an Achilles injury and didn’t seem to miss much of a step at all in his performance on the basketball court. I know it’s a different sport, but is that something that sort of raised your eyebrows?
A: Oh yeah, for sure. We had the same surgeon actually. But besides that, injuries are probably the worst part of the game ever. I wish they could be taken away completely, but it’s just this sport. To see a guy like KD come back from an Achilles and do what he’s doing right now, knowing that I have the same surgeon, I trust all the trainers, we have the same protocols, I have the best people in the world with their hands on me. I just trust the process and I know there’s going to be work, but you’ve got to put it in.
Q: What does it mean to have (Linebacker) Azeez (Ojulari) in the building with you? I’m sure that’s a guy that you know pretty well. How cool has it been having him around and being able to show him the ropes?
A: It’s been great. We’re going to build our team through the draft and with the guys that we’ve got. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. Azeez is a great addition to the team, but we have a lot of rookies that came in, so really the key is get them all, teach them as much as we can right now until the bullets start flying for real and then they’ll learn from that. But great having those young guys in here.
Q: What’s the name of your surgeon? And did you ever speak to KD at all or try to reach out to him?
A: It was Dr. O’Malley. And I haven’t talked to Kevin Durant, but I had a chance to go to the game, see how he moved around, just see how much of a freak athlete he was and just know that like, it’s a protocol. He’s done it before, Dr. O’Malley has done the thing, he knows what it takes and he trusts the results.
Q: So you went to some Nets games and saw Kevin play?
A: Oh, yeah. I was in the building.
