NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kevin Carter played 14 seasons in the NFL, with four teams, and under six different head coaches.
The former Titans defensive lineman said it takes a special man to lead men. In his mind, the Titans have one in head coach Mike Mularkey.
"The continuity and chemistry that you can build through personality, I think that goes a long way,'' said Carter, who played from 2000-03 with the Titans, and was with the Dolphins when Mularkey coached there in the mid-2000s under Nick Saban. "Obviously there's some people who have the personality of a rock and they get results. But I think it takes a lot of people to make success happen, and Mularkey is the kind of guy who can get players to buy in. He is glue.
"Mike Mularkey is the catalyst that can empower other people, and I think when you have a personality like that, and you have someone like that to reach out and care and get involved in the lives of people while treating you with respect, I think it goes a long way. Nashville is not a normal market. This is a great market in that if you have a personal approach, you can do well here. And not just with the team, but with the community and the fans. I like the fit with Mularkey being here."
Carter played his first six seasons with the Rams, where he played under three different head coaches, from Rich Brooks to Dick Vermeil to Mike Martz. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Rams at the end of the 1999 season. Carter played under Jeff Fisher with the Titans from 2001-04, and then played two seasons in Miami (2005-06) under Saban before finishing his career with the Buccaneers (2007-08), where he was coached by Jon Gruden.
Carter racked up 104.5 sacks in his career, and played in 364 career games.
Mularkey served as offensive coordinator for the Dolphins in 2006, and was tight ends coach in Miami in 2007. Mularkey replaced Ken Whisenhunt as interim coach last season, and the interim tag was removed in January.
Carter, who lives in Tampa, said he likes the moves made by the Titans this offseason. Now, he said "it's a matter of having everyone buy in."
Carter made his comments while in town over the weekend for the Drive For Dinger event, which honors late Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger.
"I believe in the coach,'' Carter said of Mularkey. "I was in Miami with him during the Nick Saban experiment, and he is a good man, and is a good person. As a manager of personalities, I think he is what this team needs from a buy-in perspective. Everyone has good players, but what you have to have to have is a person who can manage personalities and sell everyone on the fact their contribution is the different between you winning and losing, and I think he can get that done."
