Former Oakland Raiders right tackle Lincoln Kennedy went on CBS Sports Radio’s 1st and Goal show, and weighed in on quarterback Derek Carr and respect.
“I would tell him if you’re tired of being disrespected, play better,†Lincoln Kennedy told @ZachGelb. “It’s that simple. There’s no more excuses for Derek. Now it’s either put up or shut up." #Raiders #NFLhttps://t.co/5rcqR4WwbC
— CBS Sports Radio (@CBSSportsRadio) August 7, 2020
Kennedy has been a part of the Raiders broadcast team for Derek Carr’s entire career. The former right tackle has seen Carr’s ups and downs. In an interview with CBS Radio’s Zach Gelb, Kennedy had this to say about Carr’s titillating comments about respect.
Well like I would say to him if he was here in my face and he said that, I would tell him right now. If you’re tired of being disrespected play better. It’s simple. You know the thing is, there’s no more excuses for Derek. Now It’s either put up or shut up. He’s got all the weapons in front of him. He’s got an offensive line, he’s got a run game, he’s got a receiving corp. There’s really nothing else that he needs, that he shouldn’t be able to do with this offense, so now it’s time to either put up or shut up.
Put up or shut up
The late Al Davis had a saying, “Just Win Baby.” Don’t produce stats, don’t climb the organizational record books. Fill the trophy case!
Carr is a polarizing figure for different reasons. His 39-55 record as a quarterback is one of them and one not worthy of carte blanche. His staunchest supporters have made excuses for his play for years, labeling any critique as being a hater. Precisely, his overall record and his stats have split Raider Nation down the middle. The Carr enthusiasts have cited many reasons for why it’s not Carr’s fault. Kennedy puts a lot of those narratives to bed with his candor.
Related Link: Raiders QB Derek Carr Has Brought Disrespect Upon Himself
Jon Gruden’s offense gives every quarterback an option, somewhere to go with the football. Gruden knew that after Carr broke that ankle, was not the same person. Of course the year after that he took a lot of sacks. [Gruden] wanted to clean it up, and he wanted his quarterback to stand upright. So he empowered him with the ability to use check-downs or throw the ball away, just preserve him for the next down.
The Raiders receivers had the second most amount of yards of separation behind only the Chiefs in 2019. Hunter Renfrow ranked 11th, Darren Waller 33rd, Zay Jones 41st, and Tyrell Williams was 88th , all in the top 100 according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Injuries robbed Williams of what started off as a promising season, and Jones was acquired midseason. Renfrow however, was on the roster from the jump.
2016
This is who Carr is. He’s eclipsed 30 TDS once. Hes thrown less than 20 TDS once. He’s had one winning season. His line was awful once. He hasn’t won in cold weather. the coaching turmoil hasnt made a huge impact. 3 years with Del Rio now will be 3 with Gruden. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/iL8DMt6obE
— Phil Robinson (@PhilRobinsonIII) August 6, 2020
The Raiders sent a league high seven players to the Pro Bowl in 2016, and Carr was part of MVP talks most of the year. Also, the quarterback pulled seven come-from-behind victories. Looking back, it seems more like an abnormality than the norm. With virtually the same roster in 2017, the Silver and Black collapsed on Monday Night Football in Landover, Maryland. Since then, Carr and the Raiders have been a lowly 17-30.
Still playing for seconds?
The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions, and have finished at the top of the AFC West the last four years in a row. Since 2014, Carr has only defeated the Chiefs twice, and one of those was that flukey five untimed downs game. Although the Silver and Black may currently be better than the Broncos and Chargers, they’re still playing catch-up to Kansas City.
Carr has quality receivers at every level. He has a deep threat, multiple big bodied tight ends, an intermediate receiver, a short distance target, and pass catching backs. Also, the Raiders added two more receivers who are Top 20 in average separation. Nelson Agholor ranked 14th and Jason Witten ranked 18th.
For too long, Carr has bought into the notion he didn’t have the proper talent around him. However, that isn’t quite accurate. He didn’t use the talent around him as well as he could have. The quarterback must have faith in his weapons, and the talent around him. Kennedy prognosticates a (9-7) or (10-6) finish for the 2020 Raiders. Carr must win, or the team will “kick him out of the building.”
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