The Las Vegas Raiders are once again in a familiar situation. Said situation is that they are looking for yet another head coach. Nonetheless, this is not like the other times this has happened to the Silver and Black. Or to any other team, for that matter.
The Raiders are one game out of the AFC West lead and still in the hunt for a playoff birth. But how can they make that happen after losing their now infamous head coach and offensive play-caller? Two words: Derek Carr.
‘DC4’ is no stranger to adversity. However, this is nothing like he’s dealt with before. He dealt with physical ailments, and he’s learned new schemes. Nevertheless, you’d be hard-pressed to find a situation where the entire weight of the offense, as well as the team and their morale, sits on his shoulders. To say he has the most to prove this week and for the rest of the year would be an understatement.
The leader the Raiders need…
The Raiders have lost their head man. The voice they heard every day. The play-caller. But that role has to be filled. And Carr, being in his eighth season in the Silver and Black, needs to take over that role. Even before the Gruden debacle, Carr was more or less playing for a contract. So every game he plays this year has an element of urgency to it.
This week, though, has a lot of added elements. Between Gruden, a divisional game, and a possible three-game losing streak: Carr has to show he can be a leader of men. Whether that means he leads by throwing for 450 yards or being the sturdy voice in the locker room, he has to show it.
Silencing the critics
Many people see the Raiders season as a lost cause at this point. And with valid reason. Despite that, this situation in Vegas is not like other coaching changes in the past. The season is not lost, at least not yet. This week, playing a divisional game and with a chance to tie back up to first atop the AFC West, the Raiders have every reason to come out swinging.Â
DCÂ is going to have to set the tone for the offense. And he can do that, partially by ending this brutal stretch of 11 straight games without scoring on the opening possession. There is hope within Raider Nation that this will lead Greg Olson and Carr to want to open up the field. And if Carr has more input in the offensive plan, I think they will.
The Silver and Black have a lot stacked against them. And, as Mike Mayock, Carr, and many others in the organization, have stated, it has been a tough week for the Nation. Nonetheless, it is time for Carr to step up. He’s known to get the team out of fourth-quarter holes. He needs to take that approach to the whole game, in fact, every game from here on out. He has stated that he wants to be a Raider for life. The proof of his fire for everybody in and outside the organization starts this week in Mile High.
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*Top Photo: Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports