Las Vegas Raiders fans are ready to see the new high-powered offense that’s been assembled by general manager Dave Ziegler. Led by one of the best play-callers in recent memory, new head coach Josh McDaniels has had grandiose expectations bestowed upon him. With Derek Carr under center throwing to Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller, it’s understandable. This is arguably the most top-heavy offense the Raiders have had, probably ever. At least since 2002. Speaking to the media, Carr expressed excitement at seeing all of this unfolding already.
“I’m definitely excited to get out there with our guys. It was a long camp because we had the Hall of Fame game, so we were here earlier. We didn’t play in the preseason, so you are kind of just ready to play football against somebody else.”
Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders aren’t concerned with outside expectations
Carr made an interesting observation worth pointing out. The Raiders did indeed have a long offseason and an even longer training camp period due to the Hall of Fame game. In hindsight, it was more prep time for McDaniels, but it also increased the risk of injury. Luckily, though, the roster is mostly healthy and ready to roll. At the same time, the starters on offense, except for Josh Jacobs and the O-linemen (save for Kolton Miller), had zero playing time together in the preseason. Raiders fans should expect some rust. Regardless, Carr is ready to simply get going and put the offseason period behind him.
“I’m just excited to start the season. As we all know, whatever we do in the first game, we’re going to go watch film, make the corrections, and then just try and get better as the year goes on. There’s no certain expectation of this or that. I mean, we just expect to play good football, sound football. Trust our rules, and all those things, and try and do as right as possible and see where that takes us.”
The expectations come from the outside; Raiders fans, the media, etc. When you have the type of offseason that the Raiders had, it’s only natural for the hype to come with it. For his part, Carr has always mentioned that he doesn’t pay attention to outside noise. Heading into this matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, it’s a 50/50 affair. If the Raiders lose, there’ll be concerns raised. Even so, Carr is keeping his team grounded. If they lose, they will make the most of it and make the necessary corrections. In reality, it’s all anyone can ask for from their starting quarterback at this early juncture.
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*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images