If Carpenter hadn't been out there, it might have been easier. He got in a couple of jams, and he got out of them. That's why he's a 19-game winner.

This is what makes pitchers: get out there and battle. You've got to battle your way out of some jams, and he did that. Superb effort.

When he got in a couple of jams, he made some pitches when he had to. But he pitched, and that's what we've been talking about. It's something that he's learned, to not overthrow, and now he's just pitching.

If A.J. flies off the board and a couple of other linebackers fly off the board, then, (Carpenter has) a shot to get picked in the first round. If they don't, then he's certainly going to be a second-rounder. But after draft day, it doesn't really matter. All that's thrown out the window, and he's going to have the opportunity to play and be a contributor somewhere.

As I mentioned, I was a carpenter for a time.

Carpenter did an amazing job, ... We all knew he had had a couple of bad outings. But there was no doubt in my mind he would be the Carpenter we knew and we had seen all year.