Derek Carr got his money. Now the pressure is on for him to deliver on the kind of seasons expected of players in his pay range and help elevate his team to a Super Bowl contender. Carr came through in 2016 with just such a season, which compelled the Raiders to give him a long-term
Derek Carr tasked with regaining form that earned him massive contract
Coach Jon Gruden expecting his QB to take team to next level the way Rich Gannon did
The question I have is this: If it’s really true the O-line stopped blocking during the Washington game last year due to political differences, wouldn’t a rift have been even greater considering his injury? The fact is that there was no time last season that Carr looked comfortable back there. He would sling that ball out of there so fast the ball almost never found his target, which led to him showing visual frustration. I’m not saying I have a problem with a little in-your-face leadership (he’ll be getting plenty of that) but it seemed to have a compounding effect altogether.
Being a great QB is the expectation.
Gruden has taken away Carrs security blanket in Crab.
Carr and Nelson have to get on the same page immediately. AC, DC and Nelson must get together and work. That is the only way you will meet those expectations.
Don’t get me wrong, I love DC, but I fear that his bro’s experience scarred him. He does not like to take a hit, he does not use his feet to maneuver in the pocket or out of the pocket (much), and for the love of God he is allergic to throwing a hail Mary when the situation calls for one. I also wonder if his style of leadership (by example rather than being in your face) didn’t help the situation last year. Stuff I’ve read indicates that there was something going wrong in the locker room (undoubtedly compounded by the losing). I find this problematic given that DC and Mack came into the league as rookies trying to “change the culture,” along with JDR.