Underthrown, interception, check-downs, pick-6, overthrown… it gets old quick. I have been seeing it damn near every Raiders game.
Raiders: The Wheels Are Wobbling: Is This “Carr” a Lemon?
First, I’m not going to call for Mike Glennon at all. Derek Carr is Oakland’s quarterback until he is not. I won’t put this all on Carr either as his best receiver is a tight end. What I will say though is 0-12 against a rival is unacceptable. You cannot play scared against arguably the Raiders biggest rival.
Fork in the Road
Oakland is at a fork in the road. One side is a bumpy road to the playoffs where “the Carr” may break down if it doesn’t make it there. The other is a smooth drive to pick up help and take the long road around to next season with “the Carr” intact.
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The next few months will show which path they took.
Path A
The road is rough, but manageable if the team is firing on all cylinders, or just most of them. The team could win out, or win most, and still miss the playoffs. That would show promise and at least give them a winning season. The Carr could be fine for another road trip. If it breaks down and causes a losing season, it may be left behind on the move.
Path B
The Carr is here to stay, they are going to coast it through the season. The smooth roads, no pressure, everything goes fine into the offseason, just another year on the way up. Then the upgrades come and they take it for the move and another long road trip, hopefully further than they have been.
Gruden’s project
Its all going to come down to head coach Jon Gruden’s patience. At some point, he is going to ask himself, if he hasn’t already, “Is it me, or him?”. When he feels that he cannot keep the Carr going and the investment isn’t worth it, he will let it go. It has had a lot of money thrown into it, and like all projects, there is a budget. What’s Gruden’s budget on this? Only he knows.
Conclusion
One thing is for certain, the Raiders don’t like Chiefs. If you can’t beat them, or even put up a fight, the fans, coaches, and even players could turn on you. If Carr loses the locker room, he will lose all trust within the organization. By April, we will have our answer on which path they took.
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I haven’t fully lost faith. Subjectively, I’m still for fixing the Carr. Objectively though, Raiders have put too much into it and may have to cut the losses sooner than later. It’s a tough road, but a manageable one. Hope we have 4-wheel drive engaged.
