That’s right Raider Nation, your quarterback is winning the big one, NFL MVP that is. You heard it here first! Derek Carr is the man who just got paid and whose sole purpose now is to dominate the NFL and win an MVP award.
Carr is on a path to greatness thanks to having the correct mindset that you need to play in the league and whether by design or destiny, he has learned from the mistakes of his brother David determined not to let history repeat itself in his family.
As we all know “DC” led the Oakland Raiders to the playoffs for the first time in what seems like an eternity and that was just step one. Now it is time to get his team to the Super Bowl and claim the rightful prize of earning the NFL’s top individual honor, although he is a “team first” player that’s exactly what makes him a winner already. Here are Carr’s goals after speaking to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“Win a Super Bowl,” Carr said. “And not just one but multiple.”
With those few choice words, it seems Carr has made it clear what his expectations are, and they are quite ambitious, to say the least.
Jeff Smith of 247 Sports recently commented in an article on Carr and setting the bar high for himself.
Obviously, all quarterbacks will say that. But seeing the work that Carr puts in both during training camp, at practices and during the offseason when he’s not even with his team, it’s evident that he always wants more.
And his work ethic is showing, as he’s consistently gotten better throughout his NFL career, which is why the expectations are sky high for him entering 2017.
The Supporting Cast
Talent-wise, the Raiders have not had on offense this explosive since the early 2000’s, arguably.
Amari Cooper is a beast waiting to explode for an eye-popping 100 catch, 1,500-yard season. Crabtree is the perfect complimentary receiver to Cooper and has shown he can play like a number one when given a chance. “Beast Mode” will take pressure off Carr with his punishing style of running. Add Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, and Carr has two young guns who can help every once in a while in the passing game. Jared Cook has enough left to be a top-tier tight end, Lee Smith can contribute to blocking for Carr, and Clive Walford can do some damage now and then. Finally, when Donald Penn gets back, the O-line will be stable again, and “DC” will have his blind side taken care of once again.
He also has something to prove, and that is that he can shake off last year’s injury and play like he was before the unfortunate circumstances. Carr was in the MVP conversation already and might have won it if not for a season ending injury. Now it is his second chance, and I have the utmost belief in him that he will not take it for granted. Look for Carr to start hot and progress on that same path all season long.
All of these tools will help propel Carr and the Raiders to another successful season. It will also contribute to triumphantly proving my bold prediction. So forget Brady, Rodgers, and even David Johnson or Antonio Brown and others. Derek Carr will emerge as the 2017 MVP of the NFL and will lead the Raiders to the promised land one way or another.