Raiders’ Derek Carr, with Tom Brady and Bucs up next, can’t catch a break
Derek Carr is on the verge of all the respect he’s ever wanted, but has been around long enough to know how much that’s worth when it comes to life with the Raiders.
“I really just don’t care,” Carr said.
Carr says these words with the proper amount of politeness and respect, because near as anybody can tell, there’s not a mean or vindictive bone in his body.
You couldn’t fault Carr for being a little perturbed, however, with the Raiders at 3-2 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Tom Brady on deck Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
Carr is at the height of his powers, ranked among the the top quarterbacks in the NFL by just about any statistical stan
dard. He’s throwing short, medium and even deep now that Henry Ruggs III is healthy. He’s outplayed Drew Brees and Patrick Mahomes, two of the biggest names in the sport, in wins over the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.
Completing an unworldly 73.8 percent of his passes, Carr isn’t far off the pace of Brees’ all-time record of 74.4 in 2018. By point of comparison, Brady’s career best is 68.9, Steve Young is 70.3, Joe Montana 70.2 and Raiders icon Ken Stabler at 66.7.
With Carr at one with coach Jon Gruden, the critics are dwindling as the touchdowns are increasing.
“I thought it was one of the best ballgames I saw Derek Carr play,” Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said by conference call of Carr’s 22-for-31, 347-yard effort against the Chiefs. “Just seeing the growth in him the last couple of years, and understanding what Jon wants and what Jon wants out of his offense.”
Offensive coordinator Greg Olson stressed the need for “never ending self improvement in every area” but conceded Carr has benefitted from familiarity with the system as well as the supporting cast.
“There are things certainly he can get better at,” Olson said. “As we surround him with better players, I think we’ve seen better production. It would help any quarterback, it’s certainly helped Derek. It’s still early in the season but we like what we’re seeing right now.”
For Carr to put a Brady pelt on his wall with a win would put the Raiders at 42 and everyone would be paying attention. And for a change, Carr actually knows his offense and his teammates better than Brady.
But, as is usual with Carr, there are extenuating circumstances.
There’s no telling who will be blocking for Carr come Sunday, given Trent Brown’s presence on the COVID-19 list and contract tracing keeping starters Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson from practicing all week.