Giants HC Mike Kafka addresses Abdul Carter's benching

For the second time in three games, rookie pass rusher Abdul Carter wasn't on the field for the first drive of a game.

New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka disciplined Carter again, and while they didn't want to get into details, the rookie out of Penn State has reportedly been late to multiple meetings.

This isn't what the Giants expected to get from the No. 3 pick, especially given that some scouts deemed him the best prospect in the class.

However, as bad as things have looked for him this season, Coach Kafka still has his back.

Mike Kafka is still rooting for Abdul Carter 

When asked about the decision to bench Carter, Kafka said that he's still rooting for him and wants him to be great, which is why he's going to hold him to a certain standard.

"Listen, when he came back in the game, you saw the kind of impact he had and the player this guy is," Kafka said, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "This is a kid that I, again, I back. I support this kid highly. And for any young player that we have on the roster, whether it's Abdul or any rookie or young player, we're going to make sure we take him under our wing and continue to develop these guys because they're important to us. They're important to me."

Carter's rookie season has been relatively disappointing. He has only 1.5 sacks and 17 total tackles, although he has recorded 13 quarterback hits.

The potential is definitely there, but he will have to take his preparation more seriously to live up to the hype.