Around the Arena Football League, there are all sorts of high-impact offensive weapons. Quarterbacks and receivers amass incredible numbers as the ball flies fast, furious and frequently.
And though the best offensive players, like Utah's Siaha Burley, are coveted by coaches around the AFL, few are as valuable as an impact defensive player.
A year ago, the Utah Blaze might not have had a truly dominating defender.
So it should come as no surprise that coach Danny White made acquiring a pass-rushing, hard-hitting, game changer during the offseason. He found exactly what he was looking for in Frank Carter.
Carter is one of the most respected — and feared — linebackers in the AFL. The 6-foot-2, 260-pound beast is one of the top pass rushers in the league and had nine sacks in 2005, his last season in Las Vegas.
When the opportunity to reunite with his former Gladiators coach, Ron James, presented itself, Carter jumped.
"I love playing for coach James," Carter said. "Utah is a great team and on the way up, and to play with coach James again, it just made it easy to come here."
Four of Carter's five AFL seasons were spent with the Gladiators. After James left the Gladiators, so did the all-league player. He played for Nashville a year ago and was targeted by the Blaze as one of the key free agents they wanted to acquire after their 7-9 inaugural season.
"He's one of the guys I've always been impressed with," Utah coach Danny White said. "So when he became available, we decided we needed to take a look at getting him here. Now that he's on our team, I'm even more impressed with him."
Carter will undoubtedly strengthen Utah's pass rush. The Blaze combined for just eight sacks during their first season of play. That left opposing quarterbacks with all sorts of time to find receivers — and they often found those receivers for long, momentum-busting touchdowns.
"The guy is an animal," Utah lineman Hans Olsen, who led the Blaze with just two sacks, said. "He is so strong. I'm excited to have him on our side this year."
Pounding quarterbacks, though, is just one of Carter's skills. While he will be allowed to focus primarily on being a linebacker with the AFL's new substitution rules change, he's more than capable of carrying the ball effectively as a fullback.
He ran for more than 20 touchdowns — including 10 during the 2004 season — with the Gladiators and can catch the ball well when needed.
His wife, Destiny, has a sister who lives in Utah, Carter said, and they haven't seen each other in 14 years. That was one factor he said played a role in joining the Blaze. Carter played his college football at tiny MacMurray in Illinois, where he anchored the Highlanders' defense.
Carter's first chance to show Blaze fans what they were missing last year comes on March 3 when Utah hosts New Orleans in the season opener.
There, he said, he will be that impact player the team sorely needed.
E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com