Sacker Carter recalls 'one that got away'

Although leading the 49ers in sacks, the defensive end realizes he should have more.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- He spoke like a fisherman about "the one that got away."
Although defensive end Andre Carter leads the 49ers with 11 sacks -- nearly double his total of 61/2 last year as a rookie -- he knows he could have had more.
"Against Kansas City, I had [quarterback Trent Green], but I lost my grip on him," Carter said Tuesday. "Against Dallas, on the first play of the game, [Chad Hutchinson] was going down."
Carter has reached one of his personal goals by recording a double-digit sack total, but he said he thinks more about the sacks that have slipped away.
"He's flat out missed five other sacks," 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora said. "His potential is limitless, and he's starting to realize his potential."
Missed sacks
Mora said he and his staff recently realized how many sacks Carter and other defenders have missed.
"We added it up because we were curious," Mora said. "As a defense, we've left 16 out there, and those are legitimate, should-be sacks. Our pressure's been good, but not the finish."
Left defensive end Chike Okeafor has a career-high six sacks, and by Mora's count, he has missed an additional four sacks. But unlike Carter, Okeafor doesn't agonize over his missed sacks.
"You can't beat yourself up about it," said Okeafor, a four-year NFL veteran who will become an unrestricted free agent in March. "You say, 'Damn, why did I miss?' But you've got to move on and try and do your best on the next play."
Of course, the quarterback also is doing his best to avoid the sack, such as when Green Bay's Brett Favre shoveled a no-look pass away while Okeafor was wrapped around his waist in a Dec. 15 game.
"Give me a ball and try tackling me," Okeafor said. "It's not hard to get rid of [the ball]."
Commended Okeafor
Coach Steve Mariucci commended Okeafor for "certainly having his best year," adding Carter also is "playing much better than he did as a rookie."
"They're quick and fast and active," Mariucci said of Okeafor and Carter, who are both listed at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds. "They're not the big, 300-pound end. They're the 255-pound, athletic-type ends that we love having."
Mora stressed observers should look at more than just Okeafor and Carter's improved sack production.
"When you're a defensive end, people focus on sacks because they're a glory stat," Mora said.
Added Mariucci: "We're talking about overall play, dropping into coverage, running plays with other linemen. [Carter] is stronger at the point of attack in the running game, he's coming off blocks better, he's chasing people down from sideline to sideline."
Chased down Plummer
Carter chased down Arizona's Jake Plummer for a sack three plays into Saturday's 17-14 49ers win. He recorded his second sack just before halftime.
In the past 21 games dating to last season, Carter has 15 1/2 sacks, the fourth-highest total in the NFL during that stretch.
"One of my goals was to be a better, all-around player, and that's something I'm doing this season," the former Cal Bear said.
As for the sacks that got away, Carter said: "It stinks, but you take it like another day and learn from it."