Carr OK for Sunday’s game
ALAMEDA – Derek Carr fully participated in practice Wednesday, and the Raiders quarterback expects to start Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
“I went out there and took 99 percent of the reps,” Carr said of Wednesday’s practice. “The one percent that I didn’t was just to be cautious and see how I would react. It’s all fine.”
Carr said some swelling remains in his bruised right thumb, but not enough to pre- vent him from practicing and playing Sunday.
“It obviously isn’t 100 percent, but it’s pretty good,” Carr said. “I’m not going to hurt our team or hurt myself further when it’s only the first week and go out there and try to make it worse. We all felt it was good enough – the coaches, the training staff, the doctors – that I could go out there today.”
There’s a chance he could be joined by Charles Woodson. The veteran safety didn’t practice Wednesday, but joined the team for stretches and hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday’s game despite a dislocated shoulder. Woodson is making a push with the coaching staff to play.
“Guys can play with shoulders, depending on the severity
of it,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “We’ll just see how the week goes and whether or not he’s ready to go on Sunday.”
Carr said he initially feared the worst Sunday when he felt pain in his right hand after attempting to stiff-arm Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones. One attempted warm-up toss to wide receivers coach Rob Moore was enough for him to know he needed to head to the locker room.
“It takes a lot for me to not go back in there,” Carr said. “I knew when I tried to grab that ball and throw it to coach Moore on the sidelines that something wasn’t right. I just had to make sure, ‘ Can I take a snap?’ If I couldn’t open my hand enough to take a snap, then I’m not going to help us. I don’t want to fumble it and give them the ball here. The smart thing was to get it checked and see what we could do going forward.”
Carr said he learned from the play on which he got injured after his competitive nature got the best of him.
“It’s hard because in the spur of the moment, especially where we were at, we needed a first down,” Carr said. “We needed something. Just like my teammates said, ‘We love why you did it and what you’re trying to do, but don’t do it again.’”
Those same teammates are happy to know they’ll have him back in there Sunday.
“I’m very relieved to have DC back,” defensive end Khalil Mack said. “He’s a strong guy, a strong leader. It’s always great to have him.”
Jones was fined $35,000 for his actions against Raiders receiver Amari Cooper on Sunday. At the end of a long run play, the Bengals corner ripped off Cooper’s helmet and slammed his head against it.
Jones plans to appealing, telling reporters, “$35,000 is a lot of money for a guy out playing football.” He also said, “I’m not going to change the way I play for nobody.”
The Raiders provided little reaction to Jones’ punishment. Cooper wasn’t around in the locker room for comment and Carr, who only learned of the punishment when asked about it, complimented Jones’ competitiveness.
“Adam’s a heck of a competitor,” Carr said. “I think the world of him on the football field. I think he’s a great guy. I talked to him before the game. I used to watch him play in Tennessee against my brother all the time. I had a great conversation with him. I think he’s a great guy. He’s just ultracompetitive. If they fined him, they fined him.”
Running back Latavius Murray offered a slightly stronger take.
“Whatever the league wanted to do with him, that’s up to them,” Murray said. “It was definitely a bone-headed play on his part. But we’ve just got to make sure we’re playing football and let the other teams do things like that.”
The Ravens are enjoying their preparations in San Jose this week. They elected to travel to the Bay Area after Sunday’s game in Denver to avoid consecutive long trips out west.
Baltimore is staying at the San Jose Hilton and practicing at San Jose State – the same locations the AFC Super Bowl representative will utilize.
“We’ve been really pleased with the Hilton over here and the convention center in San Jose,” coach John Harbaugh said on a conference call. “It’s a great facility and really good people and everything we could ask for. And of course San Jose State, really professional, very good, a nice facility. It’s been good so far.”
The Raiders officially announced their trade of wide receiver Brice Butler to the Dallas Cowboys. Oakland also sent along a conditional sixth-round pick next year and received a conditional fifth-round pick.
The Raiders added a practice squad receiver in Butler’s place, signing DeAndre Carter. Linebacker Josh Shirley was waived from the practice squad. The team still has an opening on the 53-man roster.
Along with Woodson, defensive tackle Justin Ellis (ankle), defensive end Benson Mayowa (knee) and fullback Jamize Olawale (ankle) didn’t participate in practice.