There are a bevy of issues with the Las Vegas Raiders; chief among them is the inconsistency of the offense. Franchise QB Derek Carr came under some fire today on the Rich Eisen Show. Eisen had former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky weigh in on what’s going on with the Silver and Black, particularly with Carr and his teammate, star wideout Davante Adams.
In a season that’s quickly spiraling out of control, there’s plenty of blame to go around. Specifically, fans and analysts are looking to blame Carr. Fair or not, he’s the face of the franchise. With that comes the burden of getting blamed when things go wrong and, likewise, receiving praise when they win. Nevertheless, Adams’s usage has largely been inconsistent. As Vic Tafur of The Athletic alluded to, Adams is being relegated to a decoy at times, which is not exactly what fans envisioned.
In regard to the inconsistency, Adams’s targets for the first three weeks are: 17, 7, and 10, respectively. So, in an attempt to dig deeper into what’s going on with Carr and Adams, Orlovsky shared his thoughts. Be forewarned, Raider Nation, he believes Carr is purposely ignoring Adams, pointing to “the tape” as evidence.
“In Week 1, it seemed there was a conscious effort to getting 17 the ball. Derek turning the ball over a couple of times is likely the reason they lost that game. Some forced interceptions. Two of those were not to Davante. Then you’re handling Arizona but the game falls apart in which you stop featuring Davante in the second half of that game.”
For those who may not recall, Carr came under serious criticism after both games. Most notably, his over aggressiveness and the fact that he was “forcing” the ball to Davante. His critics pointed to near 20 targets toward Adams as proof. Then, that performance was followed up by a complete turn, as Adams picked up just two receptions out of seven targets.
The tape shows that Derek Carr wasn’t looking for Davante Adams, according to Orlovsky.
To Orlovsky’s credit, he made it clear prior to speaking on Carr that he was not looking to stir up controversy. Well, whether that is his intention or not, when you drop that soundbite on Raider Nation, you’re going to rile up both sections of the fanbase. The one that is praying for a new signal-caller and the one that believes Carr is absolved of any criticism. Regardless, Orlovsky went on to state his case.
“It looks like Derek Carr is purposely not looking at Davante. That’s what that’s what the tape says. There are five examples of it. If we just took X’s and O’s right, you got an offensive play call and a defensive play call, the defense is this. You sit there and say, well, this play that I have, the route concept to my left, stinks versus that defense. But I know I’ve got the route concept to my right is really good versus that defense. I don’t care who those people are. It’s just the defensive structure. The X’s and O’s.”
“Well, I’m going to throw the ball to my right, naturally, because the play on my left thinks; it’s the worst possible coverage for that play. Five times this past weekend, he’s looking to the side of the worst possible concept versus the defense. And Davante is actually on the best possible side, and he won’t look there.”
What’s going on with the Raiders’ offense?
There’s certainly something going on with Carr, head coach Josh McDaniels, and the play calling itself. The theme of audibles and changing the plays at the line of scrimmage has been the subject of much debate already. Which is insane considering we’re only just three weeks into the regular season. If what Orlovsky is saying holds true, why isn’t No. 4 looking to Adams if his close friend has a favorable matchup or simply has the chance to make a play, as he states when speaking about being on the best possible side?
Eisen also posed the question as to why all of this is happening with Carr. “I don’t know. And I don’t know if that’s a thing,” said Orlovsky. He went on to praise Carr for his intelligence and field awareness, further bewildering him and Eisen. “So literally, the tape tells me, you’re consciously in your mind saying, ‘I can’t force it to Davante,’ that you’re going so far out of your way to not look at him.” Make what you will of it, Raider Nation.
*Top Photo: USA Today
