Michael Carter, New York Jets Running Back

Football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team. Your station, your shows. Follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real-time updates on everything you care about. Miss your show?

Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand. Wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free?

Download the Odyssey app today. The New York Jets are 6-3 and they have entered their bye week coming off a big time victory. 20-17 up against the Buffalo Bills and Michael Carter has been on this show a bunch. Had a big time touchdown right before the end of the first half to narrow the deficit against Buffalo.

He finished the game 12 carries for 76 yards and a score. He's kind enough to take some time out of his bye week to join us once again on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Michael Carter, appreciate the time as always. How you been? Hey man, I'm doing well. Good to talk to you again.

Well great to have you back on. So what have you been up to during the bye week? Doing anything fun? Really just family time. A little bit of work.

A little bit of family time. You know. As usual. How do you look back at the first half of this season now sitting there at 6-3? Yeah man. It's been a little bit of a ride. It's been fun though.

So being able to just come out the way we came out. Especially like in the last six weeks. They'll put these games together and win games.

And not just you know. You know you didn't look at the Cleveland game. We won. You know we did right longer. But Cleveland had a 100% chance to win that game and they truly probably should have. But you know the rest of the game we really have put together and we've won it.

Not just not Boston. So I think it's really cool that we've been able to have that success. What do you think you guys have proved through the first nine games of the season? Less turnovers. Moving the ball down the field on offense. And I'd even been getting the ball back.

That's huge. And the fifth position. I think we got no more special teams right now. And now we have a top three one.

And you know when you put all three of those things together. You know we got guys that play for each other and that's been huge. So we're putting it together. Michael Carter here with us. So you guys have taken down Miami.

I know they didn't have Tua. You also found a way to just beat the Bills. Do you kind of feel like you guys should now be the AFC East favorites? You know truly I think we're just taking one at a time. I think that it's important that people know that we are a confident group. We do feel like we're going to win every game. There's no more victories in the sport. But we do feel like we're going to go win every game. So we'll leave that up to the rest of the people on what they think we should do.

Or what they think the case should be. We can go football. Well when I met you at the Super Bowl. You told me that you were going to get this thing turned around. And you guys were confident with the people in that building. Why did you always believe in this group? Because it's one thing to say it and then it's another thing to have it backed up now with a 6-3 record.

100%. The talent has always been there just growing together. I think that it's really important that you look at any great situation that ended up being a great life. Like Michael Jordan. He couldn't figure it out early in his career. He was having some sense individually.

But in terms of building a team. It took time. All great things take time. I was never worried about it.

I was never really doing it. We're going to get this thing rolling. We're here on the Bible gas 6-3 so we hope to keep it going. Take me through your touchdown right before the end of the first half. Because I felt like that was a big momentum swing in the game to get you guys back in it. Yeah we had a really good drive. We were just putting together first downs. I had the screen and took it down. Honestly if I had probably caught that clean it would have been a touchdown on that play.

But it is what it is. The next play we were in the inside zone and it was blocked to perfect. There were no linebackers in front of me.

I felt like I was going to walk in. The guys blocked it really really well. They heard we had a great block on the safety.

Had them stonewall really. I just walked into the end zone. We had fun in the end zone. I think that's what it's all about. Just building that momentum up.

Swinging it all the way. And then having our defense go back out there and get us the ball back which we're always going to do. We are the best defense in the league.

Michael Carter here with us. So when you look back at the second half of the New England game. We wanted to see how tough this team was going to be. Because no one was picking you to win the game last week against Buffalo. What was the vibe with the guys leading into that Buffalo game coming off that tough loss to New England? I think it was more than anything it was getting rid of the New England week.

New England didn't beat us twice in a week. That's why we did a really good job of that. On top of that understanding that the Bulldogs are a good team. But understanding that we're a good team as well. Having all the confidence in the world to say hey we're going to go win this game. And I think that confidence shows when we play. Why is it going to be different coming out of the buy when you guys play New England and you have to go up to Foxboro? Yeah, I mean I think understanding that we feel like, like I said we should win every game. We feel like we should win that game. Obviously New England is a good team as well.

People look at them and they're like oh well you don't really have any guys that are just like super super popular. But they have a really good run game with my friend with my friend Steven and Damien Harris. And they played complimentary football.

They played a difficult win style. And they just do the right stuff. So understanding that we're going into their place this time.

So you know we're going to try to stay with that. Michael Carter here with us from the 6 and 3 Jets as they're in their bye week coming off their big victory against the Buffalo Bills. You know how tough it is to adjust to the NFL. It has been a seamless transition for Sauce Gardner. What's your perspective and kind of view on what Sauce has been able to do?

Yeah, Sauce is different. Got the utmost respect for him and how the way he works. People think he's just like, he's got all the talent in the world. But with all that talent he's got so much humility and work ethic attached to it. So he puts the time in. And there's like not enough good things I can say about him.

He's been really working. And he's got to be a lock to be Rookie of the Year, right? You would think so. But you know how the voters do.

They be trippin' sometimes. Why, you don't think they'll give him the respect? I think it's a lock. I'd be stunned if he doesn't win it. No, no, no.

I think it's a lock too. But someone would rather be acting funny sometimes. Yeah, I hear you on that. Michael Carter here with us. What have your conversations been like with Breece Hall ever since unfortunately he got hurt?

Because you guys, we're going to be a big one-two punch this year. Yeah, you know, I checked in with him. Especially when I'm at the Bible. I hit him up yesterday, but it was just about some fashion. I talked to Breece pretty much every day. To be honest, just making sure he's straight mental. And honestly he is. He's probably like the most calm person I've ever met. He's just always calm. So it's been good to just stay tapped in with him.

Making sure he knows that we're still thinking about bro and that way he can just cry in good spirits. What have you noticed from James Robinson so far? Because he's been really underrated back in the league for the last two, three years.

Yeah, for sure. He's physical. He has really good patience. He has good vision.

He runs hard as hell. He's a good teammate on top of everything. And I think I resonate a lot with James because I feel like I'm underrated as well. He doesn't feel like we have similarities of our journeys since we got into the league as a self.

He's a cool dude as well. Wrapping up with Michael Carter, for people that don't believe in your quarterback, how would you try to sell them on what Zach Wilson will be as an NFL pro? Yeah, I think it's coming down to the casual fans. Like right now, everybody knows that Zach is playing college. And he's had big games in the league. Understand that his style of game, every offense is different. But his style of game, it might not appeal to the casual fans. But the ones who really know football understand that Zach is doing a really good job. And also understand that it's only going to get greater from here. So I think the more that people understand that Zach is actually doing really good when it really comes down to it, then they'll start to shut up.

But you can't really listen to those people anyway. So Zach knows he's doing a good job. Zach knows that his team, you know, that we believe in him.

And at the end of the day, that's really all that matters. So there's no doubt in your mind that he's the franchise quarterback for the Jets moving forward? Man, no doubt in my mind. Alright, before we let you run, I gotta talk about your Tar Heels. I'd be remiss if I didn't bring them up. Mack has the squad rolling their 8-1.

Got a big game coming up this weekend against the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. And my oh my, isn't Drake May looking like he's a special player? Unbelievable. What?

Like, unbelievable. Drake May is, truthfully, we knew that he was going to be good. And I'm super proud of her, and I'm proud of the rest of the guys. And those guys are really born. They got it rolling over there.

I can't judge them for how I love them. Well, Michael Carter, enjoy the Bible. We always appreciate you enjoying us. Thanks so much, and good luck the rest of the way.

Alright, thanks man. Football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team. Your station, your shows. Follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real time updates on everything you care about. Miss your show?

Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand. Wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today. or wherever you get your podcasts from.