Carr put brotherly love on display
Raiders QB was on national stage, joining older sibling’s draft-night celebration 18 years ago
Being an NFL Network analyst isn’t David Carr’s only NFLrelated job. He’s got another one that, while it may not pay at all, is much more enriching — he’s his little brother’s keeper.
No one more enthusiastically celebrates Derek Carr’s success with the Raiders than big brother David, who’s nearly 12 years his senior. And when things get rough for Derek and his team, David’s
always there to defend his little quarterback protege.
Such as the time two months ago, when rumors swirled Jon Gruden and the Raiders might be looking for a new quarterback. Derek, who said he was looking forward to Las Vegas and “some fresh air” after leaving Oakland after a 7-9 season, had some cryptic Instagram posts showing him playing against the Chargers, Bears and Colts — teams all searching for a new quarterback.
Some believed Carr was sending a message he might want out of Raider Nation. But big brother David set things straight.
“His son’s favorite movie is ‘Trolls.’ He’s just having fun,” said David, who also challenges those who dare troll his brother on Twitter.
Darren Carr, the head coach for state champion Bakersfield Christian High’s football team, is not only a third Carr brother, but a second brother who’ll go to the mat for his little brother on Twitter.
David didn’t hesitate to go after one of Derek’s ex-teammates who threw shade at his brother, either. Among the tweets David directed toward Antonio Brown and the troubled wide receiver’s agent was one that just contained a clown emoji.
Brotherly love obviously has a lot to do with David’s unending support for Derek. But you could also say he owes him one.
When the Houston Texans made David Carr the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft 18 years ago tonight, the nation saw for themselves who was his No. 1 fan. It was his 11-year-old brother Derek, who was on the stage at Madison Square Garden with his family, proudly wearing a Texans hat just like his idol, David.
A few months earlier, Derek had used a television interview on CBS-47 Fresno to stump for his brother — a Fresno State star — in the Heisman Trophy race. Derek, who noted he was the president of the “David Carr for Heisman” fan club, was asked how he felt when he heard talk that other quarterbacks were better than his brother.
“You know it’s not true,” said the then-10-year-old Derek, who was wearing a David Carr No. 8 jersey. “You know that they can’t make throws your brother can. You know he’s just ... well, the best quarterback in the nation, and that’s just a great thing to know.
“It should be that David wins the Heisman. He’s the best quarterback in the nation and there’s nothing else to that.”
David couldn’t contain his laughter while sitting next to his little brother.
“I can’t believe he’s saying some of this stuff,” a chuckling David said. “He’s not politically correct, I guess you could say. But he’s my biggest fan, so I guess I’m gonna stick with him.”
Surely little Derek Carr was devastated when David finished fifth in the voting behind winner Eric Crouch of Nebraska. Of course, seeing his brother get chosen No. 1 in the draft helped make up for the snub.
Of course, the precocious little Derek then let his confidence get the best of him while at the draft.
“I shook Commissioner Tagliabue’s hand and told him I’d be back,” Derek said. “I guess that wasn’t politically correct. But I was only 11, so I didn’t know too much.”
True to his word, Derek was back for his own draft day moment in 2014 when the Raiders plucked what turned out to be a better version of a Fresno State quarterback than his brother turned out to be.
You could say Derek’s progression to a starting NFL quarterback was just part of a long-term plan David helped come to fruition.
Their mother, Sheryl Carr, still recalls when David would bring home his laptop loaded with the Texans’ plays and Derek would sit by his side and pick his older brother’s brain.
“They would sit on the couch and go over the plays,” Sheryl once told this news organization. “Derek just picked him crazy. He just loved it.”
Rodger Carr, the family patriarch, remembers sitting with Derek while watching David quarterback the Texans and being amazed with his youngest son’s grasp of the game.
“He said, ‘Dad, watch! The safety is coming down. They’re rotating defenders. Dave said if they do this, then he’s going throw it over there,’ “the father once told this news organization. “And that’s exactly how the play went. And I’m like, ‘What the heck? You’re 12 years old, dude. Twelve-year-olds are supposed to watch the games and eat hot dogs.’ “
After watching Derek’s growth, David doesn’t buy the rumors the Raiders might be looking at a quarterback of the future in the upcoming draft. Appearing on a Raidersbeat.com podcast last week, David said the Raiders already have a clutch quarterback, one who just needs a big-time wide receiver from the draft.
“I look at my brother and he’s had the same (clutch) qualities since he was a little kid,” David said. “He’s always been that guy. He’s always been the guy that’ll show up in the fourth quarter and make the throw when you have to make it.”
To this day, Derek remains truly appreciative of all David’s done to help him become an NFL quarterback.
“The progression changed from him being a teacher to a counselor and now he’s like my Yoda,” Derek told NBC Sports Bay Area. “All joking aside, I really am thankful for everything David did to help me realize my dream of playing football at the highest level.”
Isn’t that what brothers are for?
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