Raiders’ Carr under increased pressure
After Derek Carr absorbed his seventh sack early in the fourth quarter of the Raiders’ loss to the 49ers last Thursday night, head coach Jon Gruden had seen enough.
When the offense returned to the field for its next drive, with 11:45 left to play, Carr had been replaced by backup A.J. McCarron.
“Last night,” Gruden said when asked about Carr’s health the next day, “I was concerned.”
In his past three games, played largely behind a beatup offensive line, Carr has found himself under an unfamiliar amount of pressure.
The Raiders’ franchise quarterback was sacked six times by the Seahawks in Week 6 in London and seven by the 49ers in the Raiders’ 34-3 loss. In 67 previous NFL regularseason games, Carr had been sacked six times just once.
In Carr’s first four seasons, the Raiders’ offensive line ranked sixth, 13th, first and fifth in fewest sacks allowed. They are currently 23rd and the 24 sacks Carr has taken in eight games match his secondhighest total for a full season.
Carr was candid Wednesday when asked if those extra hits have had an effect.
“Definitely physically,” Carr said. “I mean, that’s a given. I’m always honest with you, always tell you the truth. Yeah, definitely physically. But mentally, no.”
Said Gruden: “No doubt it affects him. It affects any quarterback … You get an offensive line that’s healthy and playing great, it makes everybody’s job a lot easier. But I’m not going to make any excuses. I think Derek’s doing some good things. But it does make things difficult when you have the amount of injuries that we have had.”
Of the Raiders’ Week 1 offensive line, only center Rodney Hudson and right guard Gabe Jackson have played the entirety of the season. Rookie left tackle Kolton Miller had played every snap before exiting Thursday’s loss in the third quarter, having aggravated a knee injury he originally sustained in Week 4.
Right tackle Donald Penn injured his groin in Week 4 and has been replaced by rookie Brandon Parker, who was briefly benched against the 49ers. Left guard Kelechi Osemele missed three games to a knee injury, returned against the 49ers and finished the game at left tackle in place of Miller.
Those changes, Carr said, have impacted the overall offensive operation.
“You definitely have to adjust some things, right,” Carr said. “There’s certain things we wish we could do. There’s certain checks that you’d love to get to, but you just can’t for certain reasons. That makes it hard. But there’s no excuse. Whatever we do or call, we’ve got to execute it.”
The Raiders’ lowest yardage totals this season have come against the Seahawks (185) and 49ers (242). Carr attempted a season-low 21 passes against the 49ers, completing 16 for 171 yards. Gruden was asked if the Raiders might try to adjust their offense to give Carr more protection.
“Well, we have adjusted,” Gruden said. “We throw the quick game, we try to move the pocket, we try to get help where help is needed. But when you’re down 24-3 and you’re trying to get back in the game, the best way to do it is throwing the football. ”
Carr made a point Wednesday of supporting his offensive line, saying: “They’re trying their tail off.”
“We’ve got our veteran guys who dominate and they’re great players,” Carr said. “But we’ve got some young guys that are just getting their feet wet against the best players in the world. And it’s not easy for them.
“For me, I’ve always been one that I try and make it 7-on-7 as much as you can. There’s never a time where you’re ever looking down. You just try to feel things, move and make throws.”
The Raiders have put a priority on protecting Carr in his career, acquiring Penn and drafting Jackson in 2014, signing Hudson in 2015, adding Osemele in 2016 and drafting Miller with their first-round pick this year. For a cautionary tale, they needed look no further than Carr’s brother, David, the No. 1 overall pick in 2002, who was sacked 76 times his rookie year.
“It’s not that bad,” Carr said. “My guys are awesome, man. The thing about him is there were times where they would have the right guys block, they just physically couldn’t do it. And at least our guys fight. We’ve got that going for us.”