NFL quarterbacks get more praise and blame than they deserve. That’s as true as saying water is wet, and Derek Carr is no different in that regard. If the Las Vegas Raiders want to win big, they will have to do it as a team, but Carr has to be the one leading them. Based on where he is, they got the first part covered.Â
There’s no better quarterback for the Silver and Black than Carr
Derek Carr has been one of the most polarizing figures in Raiders lore recently. No other player in Silver and Black history provokes such a divided opinion. Some see him as an elite player at his position who has been given a bad hand through his career. Others see him as a signal-caller that can’t get it done when it matters the most. Truly, he’s somewhere around the middle of both realms.
Regardless of what fans may think of him, Carr’s teammates say he’s the right person to lead the team, but don’t take our word for it. Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow believes, “there’s not a better quarterback out there than Derek. As a leader, just how he commands the attention of the whole team. What he does for everyone, there’s nobody else in the world I’d rather have and he has what it takes and it will be awesome to go prove that this year.”
Although it’s true Carr can improve in certain areas, the team around his hasn’t always been the best. The Fresno State product himself is aware he has to play better, but at the same time, he should be ecstatic and glad he has some of the best weapons he’s had in his pro career.
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The Las Vegas Raiders offense needs to do a better job scoring
One of the areas Carr can and the Raiders offense can improve in 2020 is their touchdown total. Last season, he only had 21 touchdown passes. In his latest press conference, the quarterback agreed that while the offense haven’t had trouble moving the ball, they need to improve their scoring efficiency.
“My vision is that we’ll just score more points. Many times, we’ve been able to move the ball well, especially last year, among the tops of efficiency and how we can move the ball and things like that with as few obsessions that we did have. We need to make sure that when we get the ball on our hands we capitalize in the red zone. I think we talked about it the first time I talked.”
Carr knows expectations surrounding him and the Raiders are high, and he knows they have to execute. If they do so, the Silver and Black will be able to go back to the postseason.
“If we don’t finish in the red zone, everyone’s going to be hanging their head and bummed out again. We have to finish our drives. My vision for us is that we will be a top offense in the red zone and usually the top offenses in the red zone and taking care of the football are the teams that are in the playoffs and making runs.”
Working in Carr’s favor is the fact he won’t have to carry the team on his back. Raiders brass made an effort to upgrade all positions on the roster as much as they could this past offseason, and on paper, they definitely look better than they have in many seasons.
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