Carr, Mack struggle in finale
DENVER — The Raiders’ two brightest rays of hope for the future ended their seasons on a sour note Sunday.
Derek Carr’s last pass was an interception. The pass before that should have been intercepted. His quarterback rating was 59.7, well below the 77.7 he was rocking through 15 games. In an up-and-down season for Carr, mark this one as a down.
Linebacker Khalil Mack limped into the sunset, ordered off the field in the fourth quarter to protect an injured hamstring. “No way I was going to come off that field (on his own), man,” Mack said.
But when they’re grad- ed for their rookie seasons, Carr and Mack will get gold stars. Mack is a leading contender for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Carr gets extra credit for survival, composure and unshakable optimism.
Carr’s insistence on seeing the glass as half full, even if it’s cracked, continued Sunday. Asked if he considers himself the future of the Raiders, Carr said, “Absolutely.”
He added, “I’m not going to let that happen again, a season like that, as long as I’m the quarterback in Oakland, which will be for a long time. That’s not going to happen anymore.”
Carr said he will take two weeks off, maybe less (“My wife will be mad at me”), then get back to
“There’s no question in my mind that this football team has their quarterback.” Tony Sparano, Raiders interim head coach
work. He compiled more than 20 notebooks during the season, and he’ll mine those notes for what he needs to improve for 2015.
Interim head coach Tony Sparano said, “There’s no question in my mind that this football team has their quarterback.”
Mack eased into the season quietly for a firstround pick. It’s hard to thrive on a struggling team, and he didn’t get his first sack until Game 10. But Mack’s progress was steady and impressive.
What did he learn in his rookie season?
“I learned a lot, man,” Mack said. “I learned playing against the best players in the world, you’ve gotta go out every week and give it your all. You can’t hold back, you can’t take a play off, you gotta play balls to the wall.”
Safety Charles Woodson said of Mack: “I think he advanced tremendously. Early, he had a lot on his plate. He’s going to be a star. He’ll be bigtime, yep.”