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Hands-off approach
Carpenters have been low-key about draft process
CNN
Posted: Wednesday April 19, 2006 11:32AM; Updated: Wednesday April 19, 2006 2:44PM
Former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter was a busy man during his first three days at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. He interviewed with 26 teams, nearly twice as many as his agent had told him to expect, and he never let that steady stream of 15-minute chats wear him down. However, keeping track of all the coaches, executives and scouts who asked Carpenter to say hello to his father, Rob, was another story. By the end of the first day, Carpenter was scribbling names on the back of his hands just so he could relay those greetings to his old man.
All those messages left Carpenter a little surprised. He never knew that his father, who played 10 years in the NFL, was so popular. Rob didn't brag about his playing days, and he rarely attended team reunions. He didn't want his oldest son growing up in his shadow, and today Rob is just as happy to stay in the background while Bobby -- who's projected as a late first-round pick in this year's NFL draft -- prepares for his own pro career. Rob had his moment. Now he's content to let his oldest son find the best way to deal with his own time in the league.
I raise this topic today because such self-restraint from a father with an NFL résumé is refreshing to see. Recently we've seen other dads who enjoyed pro football careers take different paths in dealing with their children. Two years ago we watched Archie Manning play a key role in engineering a controversial draft-day trade that sent his son Eli from the San Diego Chargers to the New York Giants. Before last season even kicked off, Kellen Winslow Sr. had publicly berated the Cleveland media for the way they treated his son Kellen after the tight end had ended his second season with a motorcycle crash that caused a severe knee injury. In each case, both men were protecting their sons from the kinds of painful experiences that come with high-profile careers. The reality, however, is that they can only shield their children from so much.
This year the Carpenters will become the next father-son combo with NFL ties, and Rob seems to have a better grasp of this concept. Yes, he did some background checks on Bobby's choice of agent (Jimmy Sexton also represents the same man who coached Rob with the New York Giants, Bill Parcells). He also attended Bobby's pro day in Columbus, where he ran into several of the same executives and scouts who had asked about him at the combine. Other than that, Rob continually has told his son that he can't tell him much about what the draft experience is like these days. It was a whole different world when Rob left Miami (Ohio) and became the Houston Oilers' third-round pick in the 1977 draft. It was better that his boy learned about the process on his own.
It's hard to explain where this attitude comes from. Maybe it's because Rob Carpenter never had the kind of glorified career that an Archie Manning or a Kellen Winslow enjoyed. He bounced between three teams (the Oilers, Giants and Los Angeles Rams) as he built a reputation as a hard-nosed, blue-collar running back. It could also have something to do with his post-NFL experience. He's lived a humble life since ending his playing career in 1986 and returning to Lancaster, Ohio, where he bought a home on 30 acres outside of town and took a job teaching and coaching at the local high school. Whatever the reason, Rob certainly realized he had to let go of his oldest son, and understood that keeping his distance at this point in Bobby's life was the best way to operate.
It was the next logical step in the way Ron and his wife, Susie, approached parenthood. They believed in old-school ways, so much so that Bobby never had cable television in his home or a cell phone. There also weren't any of the luxurious trips you would expect a former professional athlete to lavish on his family. Of the two vacations Bobby remembers, the most memorable was a road trip to New Jersey in the early '90s, when Rob arranged for Bobby and his younger brother Jon to visit the Giants' locker room and race around the turf in Giants Stadium.
Rob's goal was obvious: He wanted Bobby and his other three sons to figure things out for themselves instead of relying on their parents for everything. They didn't have the spoils most kids expected; they would have to find other ways to amuse themselves, like going outside and tossing a ball around. In fact, the more Bobby did that, the more excited Rob and Susie got. They wanted their boys to be competitors and they didn't care about the consequences. That's why Rob talks proudly about all the furniture his sons smashed during their frequent childhood wrestling matches. It was just evidence of a toughness they would need later in life.
Even when Bobby was growing into a star prep linebacker in Lancaster -- where Rob coached him into high school -- Rob kept reminding him of his potential in starkly honest ways. He told his boy often that he shouldn't expect his parents to take care of his college education. Bobby was smart enough and athletic enough to earn a scholarship. He could find a way to take care of himself if he pushed himself hard enough.
Bobby wound up getting that scholarship, and Rob has continued giving Bobby his space now that an NFL career is on the horizon. What Rob understands is that he's done the bulk of his work. He helped get his oldest son this far, and now it's time to let momentum and strong lessons do the rest. This isn't to say that Archie Manning and Kellen Winslow were wrong to do what they did. It's just nice to know that some ex-NFL players don't have to worry so much about their sons following in their footsteps.
Carpenters have been low-key about draft process
CNN
Posted: Wednesday April 19, 2006 11:32AM; Updated: Wednesday April 19, 2006 2:44PM
Former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter was a busy man during his first three days at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. He interviewed with 26 teams, nearly twice as many as his agent had told him to expect, and he never let that steady stream of 15-minute chats wear him down. However, keeping track of all the coaches, executives and scouts who asked Carpenter to say hello to his father, Rob, was another story. By the end of the first day, Carpenter was scribbling names on the back of his hands just so he could relay those greetings to his old man.
All those messages left Carpenter a little surprised. He never knew that his father, who played 10 years in the NFL, was so popular. Rob didn't brag about his playing days, and he rarely attended team reunions. He didn't want his oldest son growing up in his shadow, and today Rob is just as happy to stay in the background while Bobby -- who's projected as a late first-round pick in this year's NFL draft -- prepares for his own pro career. Rob had his moment. Now he's content to let his oldest son find the best way to deal with his own time in the league.
I raise this topic today because such self-restraint from a father with an NFL résumé is refreshing to see. Recently we've seen other dads who enjoyed pro football careers take different paths in dealing with their children. Two years ago we watched Archie Manning play a key role in engineering a controversial draft-day trade that sent his son Eli from the San Diego Chargers to the New York Giants. Before last season even kicked off, Kellen Winslow Sr. had publicly berated the Cleveland media for the way they treated his son Kellen after the tight end had ended his second season with a motorcycle crash that caused a severe knee injury. In each case, both men were protecting their sons from the kinds of painful experiences that come with high-profile careers. The reality, however, is that they can only shield their children from so much.
This year the Carpenters will become the next father-son combo with NFL ties, and Rob seems to have a better grasp of this concept. Yes, he did some background checks on Bobby's choice of agent (Jimmy Sexton also represents the same man who coached Rob with the New York Giants, Bill Parcells). He also attended Bobby's pro day in Columbus, where he ran into several of the same executives and scouts who had asked about him at the combine. Other than that, Rob continually has told his son that he can't tell him much about what the draft experience is like these days. It was a whole different world when Rob left Miami (Ohio) and became the Houston Oilers' third-round pick in the 1977 draft. It was better that his boy learned about the process on his own.
It's hard to explain where this attitude comes from. Maybe it's because Rob Carpenter never had the kind of glorified career that an Archie Manning or a Kellen Winslow enjoyed. He bounced between three teams (the Oilers, Giants and Los Angeles Rams) as he built a reputation as a hard-nosed, blue-collar running back. It could also have something to do with his post-NFL experience. He's lived a humble life since ending his playing career in 1986 and returning to Lancaster, Ohio, where he bought a home on 30 acres outside of town and took a job teaching and coaching at the local high school. Whatever the reason, Rob certainly realized he had to let go of his oldest son, and understood that keeping his distance at this point in Bobby's life was the best way to operate.
It was the next logical step in the way Ron and his wife, Susie, approached parenthood. They believed in old-school ways, so much so that Bobby never had cable television in his home or a cell phone. There also weren't any of the luxurious trips you would expect a former professional athlete to lavish on his family. Of the two vacations Bobby remembers, the most memorable was a road trip to New Jersey in the early '90s, when Rob arranged for Bobby and his younger brother Jon to visit the Giants' locker room and race around the turf in Giants Stadium.
Rob's goal was obvious: He wanted Bobby and his other three sons to figure things out for themselves instead of relying on their parents for everything. They didn't have the spoils most kids expected; they would have to find other ways to amuse themselves, like going outside and tossing a ball around. In fact, the more Bobby did that, the more excited Rob and Susie got. They wanted their boys to be competitors and they didn't care about the consequences. That's why Rob talks proudly about all the furniture his sons smashed during their frequent childhood wrestling matches. It was just evidence of a toughness they would need later in life.
Even when Bobby was growing into a star prep linebacker in Lancaster -- where Rob coached him into high school -- Rob kept reminding him of his potential in starkly honest ways. He told his boy often that he shouldn't expect his parents to take care of his college education. Bobby was smart enough and athletic enough to earn a scholarship. He could find a way to take care of himself if he pushed himself hard enough.
Bobby wound up getting that scholarship, and Rob has continued giving Bobby his space now that an NFL career is on the horizon. What Rob understands is that he's done the bulk of his work. He helped get his oldest son this far, and now it's time to let momentum and strong lessons do the rest. This isn't to say that Archie Manning and Kellen Winslow were wrong to do what they did. It's just nice to know that some ex-NFL players don't have to worry so much about their sons following in their footsteps.
