Facing adversity, Carr stays the same
The QB has remained an upbeat presence during a tough year for the team
ALAMEDA » A year agoDerek Carr was thenext big thing, a ProBowl selection and viable candidate for the Most Valuable Player award.
The Raiders were 11- 3 and headed toward their first playoff berth since 2002.
But the NFL can be fickle, and although Carr is much richer by virtue of a fiveyear, $125 million contract signed in June, he’s the face of one of the league’s most disappointing teams.
The Raiders are 6- 8, need a miracle to reach the postseason, and Carr’s numbers, while respectable, are down after two consecutive seasons of eye- opening progress.
When the elite of his position are discussed, Carr’s name has at least temporarily been removed from the conversation. In recent weeks, he’s even been second-fiddle locally to former Senior Bowl teammate Jimmy Garoppolo of the 49ers.
Coming off the bitter disappointment of fumbling a potential win against the Dallas Cowboys through the end zone, Carr thought back to his rookie year
after the Raiders fell to 0-8 (they would eventually get to 0-10).
“Somebody asked me, ‘Is this season ruining you?,’ ” Carr said Thursday. “I said, ‘ Not if I know who I am.’ ”
Evidence that Carr still knows who he is arrived this week in the formof the Ed Block Courage award, an honor bestowed upon one member of each team by a vote of the players.
“It showed me that obviously I know there are things I can do better, but thatmy teammates still see me for who I am,” Carr said.
It is given to the player who best exemplifies inspiration, sportsmanship and courage. The player has usually dealt with injury, and often to someone who isn’t necessarily a big name - the last three Raiders winners were Jon Condo, Rod Streater and DJ Hayden.
If there was a scintilla of resentment toward Carr for his contract or the way he conducts himself as the Raiders’ leader, the award goes to somebody else.
Carr broke his right fibula last season, and had a fractured transverse process in his back that caused him to miss one game during the season. But he’s also remained the same upbeat presence during a tough year as he was when the Raiders were riding high a year ago.
There have been no cracks in the Carr facade despite the pressure of (temporarily) being the NFL’s highest paid player.
“Getting paid, the spotlight’s on you because of the year you had last year, and the expectations people have,” running back Jalen Richard said. “When it’s not fulfilled, everybody is looking at you like you’re the problem. They want to point fingers here and there.
“Derek has remained the same. He hasn’t changed. He’s fought through it.”
Condo, the longest-tenured player on the roster, said, ‘He’s the same D.C. I met five years ago.”
Carr’s passer rating is down from 95.7 to 88.4 heading in to Week 16. Touchdown passes have dropped from 25 to 20, interceptions are up from six to 10. The late-game magic, other than a 31- 30 win against Kansas City, hasn’t been in evidence.
“We just haven’t executed at a high level as a team, to be honest,” Carr said. “There’s definitely decisions and things that can be made that would be better for our team.”
The fumble against Dallas was one of those decisions, although Carr is still trying to straddle the line between competing at the highest level and being more calculated and measured in his thinking when the situation warrants.
On third- and- 3 from the Dallas 8 and the Raiders losing 20-17, Carr found room to run on the right side, had first- down yardage, but lost the ball before reaching the goal line while attempting to reach the pylon with his left hand.
There were 31 seconds to play when the ball went out of the end zone. Had Carr gone out of bounds at the 1, the Raiders would have been in position to win or tie.“I honestly didn’t think I was going to drop the ball,” Carr said. “In my head, I thought it was a touchdown because I knew I had the corner ... looking back, yeah, I want to do something different because we lost.
“But in making the decision, I always think of it in basketball terms: I’d rather take the last shot and miss it than pass it off and try and do it another way. From a competitive standpoint, I’d try it with better technique, two hands ... but from making that decision, I think I’d go for it again.”
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said any difficulties Carr is having this season will only make him better down the road.
“The experience he’s getting, he’s definitely growing,” Del Rio said. “Even the very elite quarterbacks of all time weren’t perfect every year. Derek is a good football player. We’re going to win a lot of games together here.”
Carr said he thinks the same thing.
“This time next year when we’re standing here I’ll feel I’m a better player because of what I went through,” Carr said.
• Linebacker Bruce Irvin did not practice and is in concussion protocol. He was joined by Jon Feliciano, who missed the Chiefs gamewith a concussion but played against Dallas. Tight end Clive Walford also remains in concussion protocol after being injured against the Chiefs.
Feliciano’s condition was the reason center James Stone was promoted from the practice squad Tuesday. Del Rio said he hopes center Rodney Hudson, sidelined with a kidney stone and ankle injury, will be available against Philadelphia.
• Wide receiver Am- ari Cooper (ankle), cornerback David Amerson (foot), defensive lineman Denico Autry ( hand, ankle), safety Keith McGill ( knee, illness) and defensive end Khalil Mack (rest) did not practice. Tight end Jared Cook (wrist), defensive endMario Edwards Jr. (ankle), defensive tackle Treyvon Hester and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson ( hip) were limited.