Sorry, folks. If you’re tired of hearing about the 2017 season, the conversation isn’t ending around here for at least another month or two.
The Raiders suffered a face plant for the ages this season and the way it was so unfortunately accomplished is still very interesting – to me at least.
One of the contributing factors, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, was the failure of coaches to get the best out of Derek Carr.
Via theMMQB:
“Carr might not have gotten enough tough love recently. In 2015 and ’16, when Carr’s progress was being moved into overdrive, then-Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave was the one who kept him on his toes, and from getting too comfortable. In the process, Carr grew close to quarterbacks coach Todd Downing. It was that relationship that, ultimately, prompted Jack Del Rio to make the move before the 2017 season to promote Downing and move on from Musgrave. A few months later, Carr got his new contract. And while he wasn’t asking to be coddled, Carr wasn’t being put on edge the same way he had been when Musgrave was around, and some in the building believed his play suffered for it… In the end, after Carr got his contract, and his guy became coordinator, there were few there willing (or able) to challenge him.”
It’s no secret that Carr had a close relationship with Downing, but he also had a very good relationship with Del Rio going into the season.
Neither relationship translated to more production from the offense and the unit only seemed to become more disorganized as the season progressed.
Breer quoted a source saying “It’s not Derek Carr’s show anymore, and I think that’s a good thing.”
That’s an interesting statement considering Carr carried the offense a year ago when then-offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave loosened the reigns on the offense, but there’s no question the Raiders needed a significant upgrade at offensive coordinator after this season.
The fact that Mark Davis was able to replace Downing with a coach like Jon Gruden will hopefully make it all worth the trouble – and that’s hoping for a lot considering how not fun it could be to watch the Raiders this year.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Great job Albert Greer!!! What you should have added was that JDR n TD had a Porsche (talent on offense) n wrecked it!!!!!!!
Carr is a leader,,,,personally I don’t think he ever thought this is The Derek Carr show. His natural talent playing AND leading does not need to be coddled. I get the impression that he wants what the rest of the team, coaches and Raider Nation wants,,,to play ball and win. He can go out and Just Win Baby!
I’m with You Yolanda, he’s so competitive, just wants to win. I don’t see a coddled athlete at all.I see a writer looking for a story.
You just might be right, Chris.
{Assuming this is all true} …. This calls into question, at least, Derek’s leadership abilities. Most of Raidernation wanted Musgrave to get bounced because the thought was that when the **** hit the fan, late in the game, DC and TD just took over and ignored the seemingly more conservative Musgrave (myself included). Maybe we were right, maybe we were wrong…..who knows? BUT, the fact is we won 12 games WITH Bill Musgrave as the OC, with a 6th ranked offense and they looked like a Cleveland Browns offense this year. The other fact is that our defense STUNK with Ken Norton Jr, yet JDR keeps KNJ and allows Musgrave to walk……………??????????
The common denominator is, therefore, obvious and now JDR is out because he was stupid. Period.
Can’t do nothing about the past except to learn from it and move forward. I kept telling my football buddies Norton needed to be gone…for the past 18 months or so. They are happy now that he finally is gone. Moreover they don’t have to hear me spouting off anymore. lol
Go back to the Redskins game. Something happened before that game, as the entire team acted like they got kicked in the nads. Carr was the most evident as he had been a sidelines cheer leader since day one. That evening was a 180 reversal. Yeah the coaching was pretty sketchy, but the Jets game the week before looked like the Raiders at their best in 2016. It would be very interesting to know the lowdown on what caused that sudden crash.
The lowdown is that the Raider offense was so simple; teams quickly figured it out. The Redskins were the first to expose it.