Rubin Carter is entering his second season as head coach at Florida A&M in Tallahassee. Last year, Carter's team finished at 6-5. In the meantime, Carter, the former Redskins defensive line coach (1999-2000), has other football news about which to get excited.
On March 15, his son Andre was introduced as one of the key off-season additions to Gregg Williams' defense.
To say the least, Rubin is on board with the move that brings Andre to the Redskins after five seasons in San Francisco.
"I think it'll be a good fit for Andre," his father said, speaking from his school's football office. "Throughout his career, he's been most effective as a defensive end. He likes to pressure the quarterback. He likes to play in an aggressive defense. Those are the schemes that seem to fit him well."
At Cal, the younger Carter set the school record with 31 career sacks. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft.
The 6-4, 265-pound Carter was outstanding with the 49ers in 2002 when he produced 12.5 sacks, including two on Week 3 in a 20-10 win over the visiting Redskins.
Nagging injuries and a shift to outside linebacker proved challenging in subsequent seasons.
Andre Carter said that when it came time to move on from the 49ers, the two teams he gave most consideration--Denver and the Redskins--are the two with whom his father played and coached.
Rubin Carter, a former Miami Hurricane All-American, was the nose tackle on Denver's "Orange Crush" defense back in the 1970s.
Among several coaching stints at the NFL and college levels, Carter coached defensive linemen such as Dana Stubblefield and Dan Wilkinson with the Redskins in 1999 and 2000.
One of his favorite players and a young defensive lineman he tried especially hard to bring along was Del Cowsette, the former Maryland Terrapin. Carter was an assistant at Maryland (1997-98) and at Howard (1989-93).
Rubin Carter said he wasn't all that involved in helping Andre decide his next NFL move. "But we did have a conversation or two about advantages and disadvantages," he added.
When the subject of the Redskins came up, Rubin told Andre how much he enjoyed his two-year stint under Norv Turner and later Terry Robiskie.
"Redskins' football? I just remember that it's a great atmosphere," Rubin Carter said. "That FedExField is something else, enthusiastic, with all of those great fans. Then, they have that alumni group, where they bring all of those great players back. It's kind of like a family atmosphere. That's what I remember.
"I haven't been at FedExField since the opener in 2003 when I was coaching with the Jets. But those are some of the things I can recall."
In 2006, of course, Rubin Carter will be doing his best to direct the Florida A&M Rattlers to another winning season. And, once again, he'll be a Redskins fan. Florida A&M is at Howard on Saturday, Sept. 16. Maybe that weekend will feature a home game for Andre and the Redskins as well.
