FOXBORO -- During the offseason, the Patriots seemed to ignore a glaring need. A pure pass-rusher. In a draft stocked with them, they passed. And when the lockout ended, they took a flier on some veterans. One of them was Andre Carter, to whom they gave a one-year deal. He was immense, rolling up 10 sacks in 14 games before a quad injury at Denver ended his season. On Wednesday, Carter -- who had surgery on his leg last month -- was crutching through the plaza at Patriot Place. Eleven seasons and 163 games in the NFL and when the team he's on finally makes it to the playoffs, he can't go. Brutal. But Carter, who impressed this season with his professionalism and approachability, resisted the urge to lament. "To a certain extent it's just a little bit (difficult to be watching)," he admitted. "But at the end of the day, I can hold my head up high because I just know when it came to playing the games I was involved in I just gave it my all. "That's just something that you hold yourself accountable for and I'm just very proud to be a part of such a great team and very blessed to see my teammates have made it here to the AFC Championship."Carter said the fan interaction he's had on Twitter (@mr_carter93) has buoyed him. "I do get a lot of feedback from fans just saying, 'If it wasn't for you, there's no telling where we'd be.' That means a lot coming from them. From what I've gone through -- from the beginning to now with being out -- the love here and definitely the respect from fans has been tremendous," said Carter. Carter, who'll be 32 in May, says he doesn't want to play anywhere else. "I'll say this, it's just a fun place to play so why not come back and hopefully finish my career as a Patriot," he asked.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.