Rookie pass-rusher Abdul Carter ‘could be a problem’ for Giants opponents this season.
That’s what two-time Super Bowl winner Chris Hogan hears from former teammates and colleagues who were in the building with the No. 3 overall pick this spring.
“It’s tough to come into this league and have that dramatic impact right away,” Hogan, a former standout Penn State lacrosse player, said Monday on the Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard podcast. “You’re not going against college level athletes every down now. You’re going against top tier tackles and guards… And the NFC East is not an easy division to play in. But from what I’ve heard – and I have some guys that are still playing in the league and on the Giants currently – he could be a problem.
“You watch him on film on his college tape, he’s a big body – he’s not enormous, doesn’t have a huge frame – but those guys that have that engine where they’re going and they’re not gonna stop, they can be problems on defense,” the former Patriots standout said of his fellow Nittany Lion. “Especially if they find unique ways to move him around and put him in different spots and create matchups for him to get creative with his pass rushing and make an impact. I’m excited about what he’s going to be able to do at the NFL level.”
Hogan, 37, who posted an 8-1 playoff record during a special three-year run with the New England Patriots from 2016-18, knows what making a difference looks like.
Next Monday, he and his family are hosting their annual Jim Hogan Memorial Foundation Golf Outing at Arcola Country Club in Paramus, N.J., in honor of Hogan’s late father, who was always coaching and involved in the community.
Their fundraising benefits Good Sports, a national nonprofit that drives equitable access in youth sports by providing new equipment and apparel to youth organizations in high-need communities. The event raised approximately $250,000 last year.
“Last year we donated to Bronx Lacrosse, and there was a program in West Orange with a football program where the kids were swapping helmets to come on and off the field,” Hogan said. “We donated helmets and shoulder pads, we went there, I played with the kids, we donated.
“That to us was something we could feel proud about and be excited about,” he said of partnering with Good Sports.
Hogan shed light on his Patriots days, Bill Belichick and more in his interview.
THE PATRIOT WAY
Hogan went from undrafted free agent to 10-year NFL player and two-time Super Bowl champion by outworking his competition and focusing on the little things.
The week of the 2016 AFC Championship Game epitomized his whatever-it-takes mindset and the Patriots’ culture that rewarded it. Tom Brady got hurt in practice, and New England didn’t know if he was going to be able to play.
So Hogan and special teams coach Joe Judge grinded away, coming up with fake punt packages to find any edge they could going up against the Steelers’ high-powered offense with Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown.
“Once you get to that point of the season, anything you can and are willing to do to win a football game, you’re gonna do it,” Hogan said. “So you’re leaving no stone unturned to win that game to get to a Super Bowl. I remember that day practicing and we were in the stadium, it was a routine snap, and it was cold. And Tom got a busted-up finger. Brian Hoyer, who had not played a snap the entire year, had to step in. And I’m not gonna say the wheels were coming off but there was a little bit of, ‘Ok, how are we gonna do this?’
“There was never like we can’t do it because 12 is not taking snaps. Brian stepped in, he was a true professional, he had been around the league, knew the offense. So we didn’t miss a beat on that,” he added. “But we were like ‘how are we going to win this game?’ And special teams was gonna be a huge part of it, being able to control the field, knowing the [Steelers] have guys who can change the course of a game.”
The fake punt packages were one part of the Patriots’ emergency preparations that week.
“Julian [Edelman] took snaps at quarterback that week. We had a package with him. Thankfully we didn’t have to use it,” Hogan said with a laugh. “But that’s just the way that team functioned. Talk about the next-man-up mentality. You have the best quarterback ever gets hurt, and it’s kind of up in the air if he’s gonna play in the biggest game you have this season. I would have bet … we would have gone out there with Brian Hoyer and won that football game, because that’s just the type of team we had.”
Brady played and threw for 384 yards and three touchdown passes, including Hogan’s nine catches for 180 yards and two scores, in a 36-17 New England win. Then the Patriots won Super Bowl LI in overtime with an historic comeback over the Atlanta Falcons.
WILL BILL COME BACK TO THE NFL?
Hogan is intrigued to see what Bill Belichick will be able to do coaching North Carolina at the college level, although he won’t shut the door on his former coach returning to the NFL.
“Knowing Bill and his competitiveness and who he is, I feel like he’s gonna try to get back into the NFL, just because I know how much he loves football and loves to coach,” Hogan said.
“For kids at UNC, you have the opportunity to learn from one of the best ever to coach the game,” he added. “Do I think they’re going to be a national championship team? No I don’t. But he’s in another phase of his life. And this is gonna be an interesting chapter going back to the collegiate level and see what influence he’s going to be able to make on these kids. Regardless of how UNC football does, the impact he’s going to have on these kids – if they’re willing to listen and learn from him – they’re gonna carry it on for their entire career.”
Go to jimhoganmemorialfoundation.com to support Hogan’s foundation and outing.
