RAIDERS ARE DRIVEN BY A SMART CARR
THE Oakland Raiders spent decades developing a reputation for dirty tricks on the field and partying hard off it.
Long before Vinnie Jones and John Fashanu made Wimbledon famous, California’s Silver and Black were the original crazy gang.
But, as well as being masters of the dark arts, the Raiders used to live up to owner Al Davis’s maxim of “Just win, baby”.
Davis would be turning in his grave if he could see the hard times they have fallen on, having gone 13 consecutive seasons without a winning record and no play-off appearance since losing in the Super Bowl in 2003.
But all that could be about to change with the Raiders off to a flier this season and quarterback Derek Carr already in the running for player of the year.
They lead the AFC West division, having won four out of five, and the league’s third highest scorers are looking to keep their run going tonight when they welcome Kansas City to the Oakland Coliseum.
And a lot of their new-found success is down to head coach Jack Del Rio and his staff trusting Carr to take more responsibility to freelance things whenever he likes.
Carr, who has thrown 11 touchdown passes already this season, is enjoying the new thinking and reckons this is just the tip of the iceberg.
He said: “That’s the way I love to play. I love having a lot put on my back. A 4-1 record feels great, but we have a lot of work to do to improve.”
Del Rio has already shown a willingness to be bold.
He said: “I’m not gonna be reckless, but I’ll look for opportunities to do the right thing. I honestly feel like there are times when being aggressive is right and you have to put yourself out there. If it doesn’t go well, I’m gonna shoulder it. And I’m OK with that.”
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