Derek Carr is on pace to have arguably his best season as a pro (seven fourth-quarter comebacks in 2016 will be hard to top) and one of the areas head coach Jon Gruden says Carr has improved the most has been his ability to get the offense into good plays – particularly run plays.
Pre-snap reads have always been something Carr has excelled at, but on Sunday against the Bengals, Carr called out a blitzing linebacker at the line of scrimmage without any pre-snap movement by the linebacker. Maybe it was something that Carr saw on film, but the run call was blocked perfectly and led to a big run up the middle for Josh Jacobs.
Whether it was game film or something else that tipped off Carr to the blitzing linebacker, it was a thing of beauty. Coaches have commented on Derek’s “photographic memory” in the past and it’s no secret that he is one if the mentally sharpest quarterbacks in the league. In this case, it looked like Carr’s understanding of what the Bengals were doing on defense was as clear as the Bengal defenders’ understanding of what they were doing on defense.
Through 10 games this year, Carr has a quarterback rating of 105.2 (his rating in 2016 was 96.7) and ranks second in the league in completion percentage (72.3). His average yards per pass attempt is at a career high (8.0) and making matters worse for opposing defenses, the Raiders now boast one of the strongest running games in the NFL.
More importantly, it’s Thanksgiving season and the Raiders are in the thick of a playoff race. If Gruden and the gang can find a way to win the next two games, don’t be surprised to hear Carr’s name start to be tossed around in the MVP discussion.
And by the way… the Jets aren’t playing bad right now. Better not take them lightly on the road.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I have always been a Carr fan. He has had a rough road to get to this point. All he ever needed was stability and now that he finally has it, he is starting to get the respect he deserves. Aside from being a great quarterback he is a generous and caring person in the communities he lives and works in. His intelligence and accuracy on the field makes him fun to watch and study.
Smart QB
Yea that’s one thing that shows me the quality of QB in NFL has risen dramatically. Carr killing his 2016 season when he had AC and Crabtree which was ranked as elite wr duo. Now it’s Hold my beer Foster, Hunter and Waller who had combine for a couple games played before the year. Waller and Carr already clicking like been together 3 seasons. Carr has started his Tom Brady transformation.