Duron Carter – Better to reign

Duron Carter – Better to reign

Published: Wednesday, Oct 25th 2017, 4:10am

By Greg McCulloch (@GregOnSports)

John Milton wrote in the 1600s “Better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven.”

If Milton was around today and a football fan I am sure he would change that to “Better to star in the CFL, than be a bench player in the NFL.”

We aren’t even done the regular season and people are already speculating on the future of Rider Receiver/Defensive back/Kick Returner/Heavyweight Champion, Duron Carter.

After last week’s surprising announcement that Carter would be starting at cornerback, 3 Down Nation’s Arash Madani tweeted out that Washington Redskins were interested in Carter as a DB. Which made a lot of fans and media scratch their heads in unison, especially considering Carter caught 231 yards the prior week and was a weekly top performer as a receiver.

Then Carter made all doubters believers by not looking out of place at the position and taking back an interception for a touchdown against the CFL’s top team.  Current teammate Derek Dennis was quick to tweet during the game that Carter’s days in the CFL were most likely numbered.

But are they really?

Age is a factor

There is no denying that Carter has amazing talent and physical gifts, every game he has played this year has resulted in at least a hand full of highlights. He is easily more gifted than some of the receivers that NFL teams trot out weekly, and quite possibly even better than some of the DBs.

However, at age 26 currently, he is in what the NFL considers “peak” age for a WR. While there are exceptions like Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, Julian Edelman and Larry Fitzgerald, most receivers start declining in production at ages 26 and 27, and then takes a steeper plunge as the receiver goes into his 30s.

While he does have productive years ahead of him with new players coming out of the NCAA every year the older Carter gets, the harder it will be to latch on with a team south of the border.

Been there done that

Carter has already had a taste of the NFL and it wasn’t an all you can eat buffet.

After his college eligibility dried up he had a free agent try out for the Minnesota Vikings, the team that his Hall of Fame father Cris Carter starred for. When that didn’t pan out he starred for 2 years with the Montreal Alouettes gaining recognition in the NFL.

He had interest from multiple NFL teams before signing a 3 year 1.5-million-dollar deal with the Indianapolis Colts, with very little guaranteed money. He barely made it out of training camp before the Colts cut him and placed him on the practise roster, where he remained all season before being let go.

Does he want to go through the frustration of possibly never seeing the field again on game day?

If you have watched him at all on game day, probably not.

He obviously loves to be in front of the fans and make them come out of their seats when he makes a play that makes everyone wonder how he did it.

Where everyone knows your name

Let’s be honest, Duron Carter may like the spotlight… just a little bit.

With the celebrations, the interviews, his social media, etc. Duron Carter likes to be noticed, and there is nothing wrong with that (unless you are a “football purist”).

Love him or hate him, every fan in the CFL knows who Carter is and what he can do on any given game day. If he went to the NFL to most he would be Cris Carter’s son, and while Rod Black may like to remind everyone who his dad is, Duron has earned every accolade he has gotten during his CFL tenure.

In a league who hasn’t truly had a transcendent star since probably the days of Doug Flutie, Duron Carter has the skill, ability, and personality to be the face of the CFL.

And despite what the “purists” think, it is his time to “reign”.

“Hail to the king.”