There was a time in his career when Derek Carr was considered one of the least aggressive quarterbacks in the league. Carr’s “yards per attempt” has inspired more than a few unflattering football vernaculars over the course of his time in the NFL.
But since Jon Gruden arrived, there has been a slow shift in Carr’s approach as a quarterback. He is becoming more aggressive and on Sunday (with Gruden no longer in the mix), Carr and the Raiders were as aggressive downfield as they have ever been.
The Raiders’ 7 pass plays against the Broncos of 25+ yards were the most recorded in a game since 1991 (and likely beyond that based on the below tweet).
Through six games, the Raiders have two receivers averaging more than 20 yards per reception – Henry Ruggs (22.3) and Bryan Edwards (20.2). They are also the only team in the NFL that has four pass-catchers with more than 300 receiving yards – Ruggs (445), Darren Waller (378), Hunter Renfrow (341), and Edwards (303).
Through six games, Carr leads the league in completions of passes 20+ yards, but he isn’t just recklessly attacking defenses downfield. Among quarterbacks who have at least 100 pass attempts this year, only 7 have a lower percentage of “turnover worthy plays” according to Pro Football Focus analytics. Carr also leads the NFL with 23 “big time throws” which are defined by PFF as “a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.”
And consider this…
The Raiders are putting all these big numbers up in the passing game and they still haven’t figured out how to run the ball.
How dynamic will the Raiders’ offense be when/if they figure out how to run the ball?
And with Gruden no longer in the building, how safe is Tom Cable’s job right about now?
twitter: @raidersbeat
The fans and pundits who criticize(d) Carr for being a checkdown QB, need more football knowledge/awareness. Carr’s past reluctance to “throw downfield” was directly correlated to the quality of the offensive weapons that he shared the huddle with. The couple of years that he had Crabtree and Cooper, he routinely tested Defenses down the field. Last year, when he had Agholor and Waller became a superstar, Carr stretched the field. This year, with the emergence/maturation of Ruggs and Edwards, he’s further stretching the field. When Carr was throwing to the likes of Seth Roberts, Martavis Bryant, an old Jordy Nelson, Marcell Ateman, Mychal Rivera, Andre Holmes, an old James Jones, etc, etc, it’s no wonder, he was reluctant to throw deep. Football is a team game.
So true. Carr has been underrated for years. As NFL analyst Mina Kimes points out wins and losses is not a quarterback statistic.
Carr DC4, to me is one of best . If the offensive line can protect him you’ll see his success in the playoffs. Also the D has to keep up the pressure…