IRVING, Texas – Brandon Carr won't forget the last two weeks for the rest of his life.
He heard about a friend's death, and then had to play a game against the Eagles. He attended that funeral, and as he was leaving, found out about his Dallas teammate's death. Carr then played another game against the Bengals, where he picked off a game-changing pass from quarterback Andy Dalton, before returning home for his teammate's memorial service.
After the emotional swings of the last two weeks, Carr's finally ready to move forward with his life, and with the playoffs still in reach, he hopes his teammates can do the same.
"There's always that possibility of a letdown and all of those things," Carr said. "It's how you approach the game. Like I said, I found some peace, and I hope guys have been progressing in their grieving process. But life continues on. There're still things to do and get accomplished. Rest in peace to the ones that are not with us right now, but the best thing we can do right now is continue on and celebrate their lives and remember them every time we step on the field and cherish the moments we have out there and take advantage of it and take care of business."
He's come a long way from the visibly shaken cornerback in the locker room of the last two games. Carr said everything that's occurred the past couple of weeks will always stay in his memory.
"Those days I'll probably remember for a very long time and the message I got just from the different pastors and just the different words of encouragement, they'll probably stay with me for a long time," Carr said. "When times get tough, I can always lean back on that. Some of y'all helped me along the process as well, outside of interviews, just talking to me. It's gone a long way and done a lot."
There have been times recently where Carr would admit focusing on football hasn't been a top priority or simple task, but he knows there's too much riding on the rest of the year to continue grieving.
"This is the biggest game of the year right now," he said. "This is the game. We have the same record, a lot riding for both teams. The margin for error … there is none right now."
