Before he plays the Chicago Bears on Monday night, Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll sat down with us to answer a few questions. From College Park, Maryland to Lincoln Financial Field, Carroll answered everything we threw at him. Find out his favorite place to get a cheesesteak as well as learn about his own charity which helps keep young adults strive for their education.
InhaleSports: Big win for week 1. With all of the noise going around the Eagles this offseason even leading into the preseason, how have you prepared mentally for the season?
NC: For me preparing mentally, is just taking it day by day. It’s been a while since I played, since last November, because last season was cut short. Kind of just getting back in the routine of the regular season, from the game plan to the daily practice and watching film and all of those things. You have to get yourself in a routine again, and once you do that, everything becomes kind of easy because you’re body and your mind knows what to expect daily and to get your ready for Sundays.
InhaleSports: With Bradford being traded to Minnesota, and Rookie Carson Wentz starting at quarterback, do you and the rest of the defense feel more pressure to perform?
NC: No, not even. Just because of what they’re doing on the other side of the ball, doesn’t change our mindset at all. We want to be able to be dominant, we want to be able to make plays and give our offense back the ball, or if not, score and change field position. That’s what we want to do on defense. Just because Carson is our starter now, that doesn’t change our mindset at all. I believe Carson is a great quarterback. He was picked second overall for a reason, because he has the qualities of a franchise quarterback, and as witness this past Sunday, just how good he could be with the weapons that are in front of him. Our head coach was a quarterback, actually two of our offensive coaches were quarterbacks in the NFL, and so they got Carson ready well before last week. He’s been going against our first team defense since OTAs, so I think he’s been ready for quite some time now, and we’ll show it on Sunday.
InhaleSports: Do you feel that the change in scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3 will allow you more freedom to roam in the secondary?
NC: I wouldn’t necessarily say roam, you know. It’s just more of a responsibility to play man-to-man coverage. Coach Schwartz is all about our D-line, our front four guys rushing the passer, with our linebackers cleaning it up, and us on the backend, just covering the receivers. The more we can do to help the defensive line, and staying in coverage, it gives our D-line more time to go after the quarterback, which ultimately makes them do some bad things, make some rushed decisions that they normally wouldn’t have. It’s clean during the week, with the quarterback in practice, but when you see that rush live during the game, it kind of muddies everything up, and that helps us when our D-line is able to do what they can do, we don’t have to cover as long, we just have to be able to get our job done in the same amount of time, and give everyone up front a chance to do their job.
InhaleSports: You started your career as a wide receiver at Maryland right? What went into the change to cornerback after your second year?
NC: Yeah. It’s just something that in my mindset, it was a tough-minded attitude that I had, and I felt like it more for the defensive side of the ball. I felt like my skills and my qualities were more towards playing corner, and an opportunity presented itself my sophomore year and I decided to do it and make that change. I haven’t looked back since. I just think it was one of a thing where my mind was made up, when I got into college. My true freshman year, and my redshirt freshman year I played receiver, and it was cool and all, but I just really felt that my heart was on the defensive side of the ball, so I made that switch and never looked back.
InhaleSports: You were drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2010, and proceeded to stay in Miami for four seasons, before signing with the Eagles in 2014. What went into your decision to leave Miami? And what made you believe that Philly was the right spot for you?
NC: Looking back, after my fourth year in Miami, I just felt like, for me as a player, I had to kind of get away. If I wanted to develop my game more, I had to leave that environment in Miami. After the bullying scandal stuff that went on, there were all types of things that was going on in Miami, and I just didn’t feel like the environment was good to grow as a player. I think that just held me back from the mental standpoint, to get better. Philly was the opportunity to go somewhere, develop my skills more by being in a different environment with a team that just came off going to the playoffs. When I was in Miami, I never made the playoffs, so I felt like, as a playoff team, they know what it takes to get to that next level. I felt like I could be a good addition to that team, and take the next step in the playoffs, so you know, just looking at it all, it felt like the right move for me to do three years ago.
InhaleSports: What do you think the biggest challenge for you will be this season?
NC: For me, I think the biggest challenge is really just week-to-week. Just going out there and finding my plays and like I said, I got injured on the Thanksgiving game against Detroit, and it cut my season short. I feel like throughout this whole time, I’ve been trying my game again, and that just comes with repetition and having the experience again beyond practice, in the games, getting back in the flow of a regular season NFL game, and how everything operates. Taking advantage of my snaps, day-by-day to how I was playing last year, and it’ll come. I have confidence in myself and my abilities and what I’m able to do. Throughout this whole year, up to this date, everything I’ve done is really to get me back on the field and now it’s all about taking it day by day, taking it rep by rep, you know watching film and doing the things I need to do to get myself better week to week. Every week is a challenge, because of the receivers were going to face. This week is Alshon Jeffery, next week it’s Antonio Brown, then we have the bye week, and then I think we have Minnesota, so they have Stefan Diggs and Laquan Treadwell and those guys, and then we have Washington, they got DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Its one of those things that week to week its a different challenge, it’s a different message, but you have to mentally get ready for it, you have to game-plan for it. Not necessarily defense game-plan, but you need to have a game-plan when your at the line, and when you’re facing receivers like that, you have to be able to know what they like to do, and try and take their best athletes away from them to make you successful.
InhaleSports: You also balled out on the pitch in high school. Besides you, who on the Eagles do you think would be a good soccer player?
NC: Let me think. The best answer has to be Caleb Sturgis, just because he’s our kicker, and he would have a soccer background. Actually, he went to my rival high school, St. Augustine High, but I don’t know if he played soccer. I would assume just because he’s a kicker, he would be the next best one. Then I’d have to say surprisingly Ron Brooks, the corner, who’s with us now this year. I think he’s pretty good, I’ve seen him juggling the ball a little bit. We have a little soccer ball we have outside when we’re doing certain drills, so I think he’s up there as well.
InhaleSports: What’s your pump up jam?
NC: I wouldn’t necessarily say I have one song. In the past, I used to have some older songs, back in the day, that kind of get you amped up. Nowadays, I have a playlist and I just listen to it. Whatever song might be on, I don’t really need music anymore to get me hyped up or amped up. I like to be calm and cool now, just to save my energy, for the time when the game starts. I don’t want to jacked up and then kind of get fatigued right when the first kickoff happens, it’s happened to me a few times. I’ll have my headphones on, just because it cancels out the noise, but sometimes, I don’t even play any type of music. I just have my headphones on to have peace and quiet in my head, and I hear the stereo playing in the locker room, while I just like to zone in and focus.
InhaleSports: You want a late night cheesesteak in Philly. Where do you go?
NC: (laughing) Everyone asks me that. I would say, Geno’s kind of crept up on me so I’d have to say Geno’s nows, but before usually Tony Luke’s. I live right down the street from there (Tony Luke’s) but I found Geno’s one time on accident. I was just driving and I didn’t realize it was just as close to my house as Tony Luke’s, so I’d have to say it’s pretty good.
The Nolan Carroll Foundation focuses on teen and young adult education. It encourages teenagers to stick with their education, to help develop themselves as people. Nolan said it himself “Getting an education is the most important thing you can achieve as a teenager or young adult, because that can really advance your career or life or whatever it might be, your finances, to take it to another level. I know so many people that kind of quit on their education, and their not really doing anything with their lives. They look back at it and say I wish I would’ve stayed in school, I wish I would’ve focused a little more on academics and what not. For me, over my last few years in the league I’ve felt like I have to do something to help kids in high school and young adults to encourage them to continue their education.” The Nolan Carroll Foundation gives back to high schools with academic scholarships, to support students to continue their pursuit of education. If you would like to donate to the Nolan Carroll Foundation, the link is here.
