IRVING, Texas – Brandon Carr isn't sure which emotion he's going to feel when he arrives at Arrowhead Stadium.
The former Chiefs cornerback hasn't returned to Kansas City since joining the Cowboys last year, but with all the memories he made with the Chiefs from 2008-11, and the connection he had to the organization and its tragedy last year, he imagines it'll be a strong moment.
"A lot of memories, just us fighting from being at the bottom and kind of getting our way and getting a playoff berth (in 2010) and kind of bringing some life back to Arrowhead," Carr said. "A lot of good memories of my teammates. We were a close group up there, just off the field, on the field, a lot of things. The same as it is here. We're a family.
"We battled through a lot of things together, overcame a lot of things, a lot of adversity. Those are some good memories. But it's two years here now, and I'm getting some of those memories here as well."
The Chiefs and Cowboys both went through personal tragedies with the death of a player last season. Some NFL players were connected to the Cowboys' tragedy, while others were connected to the one in Kansas City. Few were connected to both like Carr, who knew former Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend well.
"All the tragedy and adversity you go through, you still have to come out here and produce on Sundays," Carr said. "Essentially both ball clubs did that last year, responded well after the tragedy and just kind of pulled together and rallied and got wins on the days after the tragedies occurred. A lot of similarities. Close-knit groups. We're all pretty much close around here. It just shows you what you can go through, but at the same time you still just have faith and keep pushing on and good things will happen for you."
Carr will forever be emotionally connected to those tragedies, but it also sounds like Carr will mostly remember the good times when he goes to Kansas City this weekend. He said he's looking forward to his first trip back and to hear the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium.
The former Chiefs cornerback was able to hear it at its loudest when the team overcame a combined six wins in the 2008 and 2009 seasons to make the playoffs in 2010. [embedded_ad]
"That was big for us because a lot of us came in together, we were a young team, kind of grew up from '08 to 2010," he said. "To finally turn that corner and get into the playoffs, that was pretty exciting."
That's a memory Carr will always hold dear, but he's starting to make some of his own now in Dallas, where he's already returned an interception for a touchdown in each of his first two seasons with the team.
Carr still has some friends on the Chiefs, but those players will have to wait for the powwow after the game. His focus is on helping out the Cowboys.
"All that shaking hands, that can happen after the game, but while those 60 minutes are in play, it's going to be a dogfight," he said.
Carr knows the Kansas City fans will be rowdy in their first home game of the season, rooting for a team that just dismantled its first opponent, so the Cowboys will have their hands full.
He looks forward to returning to where his NFL life began, but for the first time while playing at Arrowhead Stadium, he hopes the road team wins.
"I may have some goose bumps and chills going there, but I mean, it's a business trip," Carr said. "I'm going here with the Cowboys. We're going to take care of business. It's Game 2 and hopefully another step for us in the right direction."
