|
So Carr doesn't watch TV, doesn't look at the schedule. He swears he didn't know the Cowboys were visiting Super Bowl champion Seattle next week. He doesn't talk to "a lot of people" who used to be a regular part of his weekly chatter.
So yes, the league's tribute means a little more to Carr now. And he's a different person these days, shutting out almost all things that aren't football or family. His mom is part of the reason,Cheap Jerseys China, but so is his team's surprising 3-1 start with the defense exceeding expectations.
It's big in paying homage to his mom,Wholesale Jerseys Cheap, and getting the Cowboys closer to that elusive playoff berth.
"You just get tired of the same results, get tired of the same story lines and everything," Carr said. "All the disappointments."
This year it arrived almost two months to the day after Kathy Carr's death following a long battle with the disease, during the early days of training camp when the Dallas Cowboys were without their high-priced cornerback while he spent his 59-year-old mother's final days with her.
Breast cancer awareness month is a big deal in the NFL, putting pink on footballs, coaches,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic, referees and all kinds of equipment worn by players throughout October.
And maybe the broken record of 8-8 seasons is part of it.
Carr has had to put his quiet strength to the test several times in his three seasons with the Cowboys.
"He's got an old soul ... you know, very mature for his age," said defensive end Jeremy Mincey,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, a free agent who joined the Cowboys this year. "He's a poised leader. He's like Tony Dungy. He's got the quiet strength. But he's speaking when it needs to be spoken, and that's what makes him special."
Carr isn't really interested in film-type talk about a turnaround engineered despite the loss of linebacker Sean Lee to a knee injury, defensive end DeMarcus Ware in a salary cap move and defensive tackle Jason Hatcher in free agency.
This time around, he was back at practice just a few days after saying his final goodbye to his mom. He wears two bracelets that belonged to her "so we're skin on skin still."
The Cowboys are 3-1 for the first time since 2008, and the defense kept New Orleans out of the end zone for three quarters just a year after giving up an NFL-record 40 first downs.
Now he's consistently grading as the best defensive back Dallas has, and clearly seen as an emotional leader as well.
Just a week later, Cowboys practice squad player Jerry Brown died in a car wreck that resulted in an intoxication manslaughter conviction for defensive tackle Josh Brent. Carr attended two memorial services in less than a week.
He sees it as just another year in the system, more players knowing what opposing offenses and their teammates are doing, and therefore being in better position to knock down passes or deliver hits that make receivers think twice before the next catch.
"I think about her a lot," Carr said. "I still sometimes I feel empty, and I don't know why. What I've learned in this situation is that you're never alone. My mom always told me,Cheap NFL Jerseys, 'You're never the first and you're never the last.' That's true in this case. I just lean on people."
And that means helping the Cowboys, who face the equally surprising 3-1 Houston Texans on Sunday, break an 8-8 rut that has kept them out of the playoffs the past three seasons.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Brandon Carr stared away from a small group of reporters, looking a little emotional and unsure how or whether to answer a question he probably knew was coming.
"You just have to continue to try to live a great legacy and continue to motivate and do great things," Carr said. "That's what I took from everything my mom went through was she still was trying to get after it and motivate her grandchildren, kids at school or just whoever she came across. I'm going to try to finish out her task."
His dad's an exception, of course. The two have spent the past couple of weeks together, and when his dad was about to go home to Michigan earlier this week, Carr gave him the look that said, "Nah,Jerseys NFL Cheap, you can't leave."
During Carr's first year in Dallas in 2012, former Kansas City teammate Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend before driving to the team facility and killing himself. Belcher's girlfriend was a close friend of Carr's fiancee, who is now his wife.
"In my case, I can smile," Carr said. "It's a victory that my mom was a strong fighter, courageous. Stood there in the midst of all the cancer, everything going bad for her, and was still able to experience life and her family. That's what it's all about to me. But this month is pretty big."
The postseason drought is actually four years, or two years before Carr arrived on a $50 million free agent contract to address one of the team's biggest needs. |
|