High praise thrown quarterback’s way
Md. — To the untrained eye, Derek Carr is operating at peak efficiency. He stands in the pocket, a calm and commanding presence, and uncorks quick, accurate passes to a plethora of Raiders receivers.
That’s also how it looks to the trained eye.
Carr’s torrid start this year —
he ranks third in the NFL with a quarterback rating of 126.5 — impresses even the most dis,
cerning crowd: former quarterbacks. The Chronicle consulted Hall of Famer Dan Fouts and two-time Super Bowl champion Jim Plunkett to gather their perspective on Carr’s performance in the season’s first two games.
It’s a small sample size, sure, but Carr is building on his terrific 2016 season, in which he guided the Raiders into playoff position before suffering a broken leg. They are 14-3 in his past 17 starts, including 2-0 entering Sunday night’s game at Washington.
Fouts, a CBS analyst who worked last week’s Raiders-Jets game, noticed the way Carr democratically delivered his passes in Oakland’s 45-20 victory.
“I see him developing each game and each year,” Fouts said. “The way you judge that is how he distributes the ball. Getting everyone involved, as he’s done, gives me a belief that he understands the offense and understands what he’s up against, what defenses are throwing him.”
Carr has completed 75 percent of his passes in wins over the Titans and Jets (45 of 60), for 492 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. His QB rating trails only Minnesota’s Sam Bradford (143.0) and Kansas City’s Alex Smith (134.1).
Some of this traces to new offensive coordinator Todd Downing’s play calling, which largely has eschewed long passes in favor of shorter routes. Downing is no fool; he knows the Raiders must keep Carr upright and healthy if they are to become Super Bowl contenders.
Carr’s longest completion to date covered only 39 yards, and most of that came after running back Jalen Richard made the catch. Carr’s next-longest completion went 26 yards to wide receiver Michael Crabtree on a flea flicker.
Downing deserves an assist, absolutely, as do Oakland’s stout offensive line and dynamic collection of receivers and running backs. The way Plunkett sees it, Carr also is thinking about the game at a higher level than he has in previous seasons.
“I think he’s played brilliantly the first two games — he’s made a lot of great decisions and gotten rid of the ball quickly,” Plunkett said. “He goes to the proper guy initially and he knows where he’s going, so that helps him get rid of the ball quickly.
“He held onto the ball too long his first year, so he got sacked a lot. He’s leaps and bounds better than his rookie season.”
One valid question surrounding Carr: Can he throw the deep ball with power and precision? At some point, the Raiders will need to challenge opposing secondaries as they inch closer to the line of scrimmage.
Plunkett didn’t hesitate to heave it deep in his day — “I’d just wait for Cliff (Branch) to get two steps ahead of his guy, or even with his guy, and then I’d throw it as far as I frickin’ could,” he said — but Carr is not conditioned that way.
Plunkett is a Raiders loyalist to the core, but he acknowledged some uncertainty about Carr’s ability to let it fly.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know if he can step back and throw an Elway pass way the hell down the field,” Plunkett said, referring to Hall of Famer John Elway. “I don’t know if he’s that kind of quarterback, because in today’s game they don’t hold the ball so long. I haven’t really seen him do that week to week.”
This practically was a requirement when former owner Al Davis presided over the team, of course. Davis craved speedy wide receivers and strong-armed quarterbacks who could fling “vertical passes” into distant frontiers.
Carr’s arm is plenty strong enough to function in lessdistant frontiers. And now general manager Reggie McKenzie has built a suitable supporting cast, fortified this past offseason with running back Marshawn Lynch and tight end Jared Cook. Fouts called Lynch the missing piece in the running game, and Cook the missing piece in the passing game.
Carr will take the help, given the mess he inherited as a rookie in 2014. Consider this numerical evolution: Carr began his career 0-10, but he would reach .500 as a starter (25-25) if the Raiders win Sunday night.
“Those numbers speak for themselves,” Fouts said. “It has to do with the entire offense: They’ve drafted extremely well and made the right moves. That offense is as good as any in the league.”
Fouts and Plunkett know, firsthand, that a quarterback cannot do it alone. Fouts posted dizzying numbers in San Diego, in part because he had receivers named John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner and Kellen Winslow.
Plunkett flailed during stints with the Patriots and 49ers, then resuscitated his career once he joined a stronger team in the Raiders. They won titles after the 1980 and ’83 seasons with him at quarterback.
Carr’s career arc, similarly, is not fully in his control — but Plunkett projects great things for a quarterback just entering his prime at age 26.
“A lot of depends on the people surrounding him,” Plunkett said. “But given time and the quality of his offense, there’s no limit. He could be one of the best who ever played, or he could level off.
“At this point, I don’t see any limit unless he gets injured or the team is not as strong as it once was. He can be one of the greats.”