Raiders

Let’s Pump The Brakes On Praising Raiders QB Derek Carr

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr continues to be a polarizing figure amongst fans, especially on social media. However, he was able to finally exorcise his demons and win at Arrowhead Stadium, silencing his critics. On the other hand, a win like this brings overpraising from both the media and fans.

It was not that long ago that fans were clamoring for a change at quarterback, whether it was via the NFL draft or free agency. Tom Brady, anyone? Back in the offseason, rumors circulated that the Raiders were shopping Carr in the NFL combine. Some of the fans who currently heap praise on Carr were the same ones who said free-agent pickup Marcus Mariota would take over as the starter. This tends to be the case for sports fans, they can be irrational, and at times, disturbing as well. Others use results as a means to “shock” readers and listeners with extreme takes on both ends of the spectrum.

I hate to break it to you Raider Nation but the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and there’s nothing wrong with that when you consider how low the team has gotten these past two years. It’s true we are starting to see the fruits of Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock’s work. On the other hand, let’s not forget that before Sunday, Andy Reid’s Chiefs had gotten the best of the Raiders. Despite what some “personalities’ will tell you, numbers do not lie and this is still not a rivalry. The Super Bowl champions are not going anywhere. 

Related: How Does Raider Nation Feel About DE Clelin Ferrell Right Now?

Relax Raiders Fans, It Was One Win

Our colleague, Kris Wysong of Black Hole Banter, said it best when he suggested we all lighten up on Carr after Sunday’s game. But not to the point where we forget Carr’s notorious inconsistency. For all the padded stats that have given Carr’s career a nice look, these haven’t translated into wins. Of course, by now we’ve heard all the excuses: rotating offensive coordinators, no weapons, unfair media treatment, etc. In spite of that, Carr rose to the occasion against the Chiefs, fumbles be damned. The question should be, can he maintain this level of play? Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he will have to show he can muster of the same. They have one of the best run defenses at the moment, which means they’ll force Carr to beat them. Let’s see if ‘4’ can do it again before we declare him a messiah. 

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*Top Photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

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8 thoughts on “Let’s Pump The Brakes On Praising Raiders QB Derek Carr”

  1. Upon reading of this article i came upon a statement that left me with questions that need to be answered. Can you respond with specific numbers to this statement “For all the padded stats that have given Carr’s career a nice look”?

  2. Most of just praised him for his excellent performance in the Chiefs game. Since you brought this up, who has been responsible for all of the stupid pre-draft and off-season rumors? Certainly not us Raider fans. Carr’s stats whether you call them padded or not are Real stats. We know those stats didn’t come with a lot of wins but wins and losses don’t negate stats. Say what you want but Carr can’t win by himself. Neither can Mahomes or any other QB. Football is still a team sport and it will require a whole team to get more wins. The question isn’t whether Carr will beat Tampa but will the Raiders beat Tampa.

  3. Kent VanDerSchuit

    It was not just 1 win, it’s 3 wis out of 5 games during the hardest part of the Raiders 2020 schedule. The Raiders were in both the games they lost until the end. Carr has been wildly consistent over his Raider’s career, completing 70% plus of his passes with a touchdown to interception ratio that rivals top NFL QB’s. Carr has never been the problem, it’s the merry go round of coaches and talent around him that has been the problem. When Carr has talent around him that can play up to his high level . . the Raiders win, simple as that. Currently Carr is carrying the defense, that although they play hard, lacks talent. If the Raiders finally do something to seriously address the lack of pass rush, this young Raiders team will be dangerous for any team to play!

  4. I think there’s more of a need for you to pump the breaks on your criticism of Carr. No one expected the team to be 3-2 at the bye, let alone hang 40 points on the Chiefs in Arrowhead. If you won’t praise him after that, when will you? I think this article is you trying to push your plate of crow away. Open wide, sucka.

  5. I just fail to see the inconsistency in Mr Carr’s play. Perhaps I’m not one that looks first for the faults and fails to see someone that despite the losses this year has still kept his team close enough actually being able to win. Winners need the 3 G’s which are GOOD OFFENSE-GOOD. DEFENCE AND GOOD LUCK. With the team we have now maybe we can don’t need as much as we can make our own LUCK GO RAIDERS😎

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