AP

In the moments after losing to the Packers in the playoffs, former Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr wondered aloud how long he intended to play.

But after joining the Ravens, Carr said it was nothing more than momentary frustration, and that he’s excited to begin his new chapter.

“I just basically said, nine years [of playing in the NFL], and my question to [the media] was: How long is a career?” Carr said, via Edward Lee of the Baltimore Sun. “And they run with it whichever way they want to run with it, but it probably lasted about 17 seconds, and then you get it out of your system. It was a tough loss.”

The manner and timing of the loss was particularly difficult for the top-seeded Cowboys, whose season of surprising good fortune unraveled with an Aaron Rodgers drive and a game-winning Mason Crosby field goal as time expired. Carr admitted that took a toll on him, but said he looked forward to joining a group that added safety Tony Jefferson to an already talented core of cornerback Jimmy Smith and safety Eric Weddle.

“I think we have a special group here,” Carr said. “The secondary and the moves they made before me committing was really another deciding factor in me coming. Just seeing the thought process and just seeing what was coming to fruition with the guys they were bringing on the back end and the emphasis they put on skilled play on the back end. I just hope I can come in and still be consistent, durable, make a lot of plays, and we can have incredible chemistry and do some great things this year.”

And while the story of the veteran cornerback possibly walking away created a bit of a stir in Dallas, it’s yet another reminder (cough, Ben Roethlisberger, cough) to not attach too much importance to the things tired, frustrated players say immediately after a long season ends.