But players say Carroll's loss rattled them. Carroll, elected by the team as one of four captains, had been singled out by Brown before the season as being ready for a breakout year. While some Terps found Brown's new defensive schemes a mystery, the aggressive Carroll relished the opportunity to jam receivers at the line rather than falling back into zone coverage.
When Carroll was hurt, teammates had to find the appropriate balance of honoring him without wallowing in his loss.
The team asked Carroll to continue to come out onto the field for the opening coin toss. But he hasn't been standing on the sideline during games because doctors want him off his leg as much as possible. Carroll has not been giving interviews but is expected to be made available to the media soon, according to the team.
