| | DENVER -- With insults raining down from Mile High Stadium's notoriously boisterous South Stands, Dale Carter's knees buckled and he immediately put his hands to his face.
| |  | | | Carter |
The Denver cornerback was the victim of an unidentified flying
metal object Sunday after the Broncos lost 21-13 to the New York
Jets to fall to 0-4. The attack left Carter with blurred vision
Monday morning, but tests showed the orbital bone beneath his left
eye wasn't broken.
"It could have been potentially a catastrophic injury,"
Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos said. "Another inch and he could
have been blinded."
Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe broke the orbital bone in 1995
and missed the team's final three games. The injury happened when
teammate Mark Schlereth inadvertently hit Sharpe in the face during
a play.
There was nothing accidental about Carter's injury, as a fan
threw an object from about 20 feet above the field as the Broncos
made their way toward the locker room. The object found its way
through Carter's facemask.
"Let's not have one individual do something like that and make
it sound like it's all our fans," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said.
"I would like to think we've got a lot of classy fans and a couple
people got carried away."
Carter has been an easy target for fans and the media,
struggling since signing a four-year, $22.8 million contract in the
offseason. He was whistled for two interference penalties that led
to a New York touchdown Sunday, and he was beaten for a touchdown
by Keyshawn Johnson in the first quarter.
"He's pressing a little bit," Shanahan said. "When you press,
sometimes you make some mistakes you normally don't make."
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