Prior to Sunday’s game against the Eagles, Derek Carr sat down with Charles Woodson as part of Fox’s pregame show. Carr talked about Gruden’s stunning departure and how he and the team responded to losing their leader in the building.
“It was emotional for me,” Carr said of the way Jon Gruden left the team. “So I walked over to his house. I hugged him, hugged his wife and I said ‘Coach, thank you for coming back and coaching me. Thank you for helping me take my career off again… I know you’re in a tough place. If you need anything, we’re right here.”
“I feel bad for everybody that’s involved,” Carr continued. “I didn’t say those things. It wasn’t me, but I still feel the pain because I love that man so much. At some point, hopefully, people forgive him… I’ve seen the pain in his eyes and in his heart that it caused and so hopefully one day people can at least accept him that ‘Hey, you’re not perfect, neither am I, but we love you.”
As for the way the team chose to handle the past two weeks, Carr said said everyone has been free to feel how they want, but that the locker room is still focused on football:
“The message was ‘You have a right to feel however you want to feel, but we still have a job to do and nobody cares what we think, how we feel, except for if we win this game on Sunday.’”
Moving forward, Carr told Woodson that his approach won’t change without Gruden.
“No matter what I go through, for me I’m going to enjoy my time in the NFL,” Carr said. “I’m going to cut it loose, I’m going to play my tail off. Playing that free has led to more success. There’s no egos here. Records and all that is cool, but I just want to win. The thing that I want is the trophy, so whatever anybody says up until that point, I don’t care. I just want to hold that trophy and know that it’s mine.”
As much as Carr’s approach may not have changed, it’s hard not to feel like the team’s approach has been more relaxed in the last two games – in a positive way. Running back Josh Jacobs alluded to the fact that the sideline is calmer during games since Gruden left and, based on the way the Raiders have been playing lately, that seems to be a good thing.
twitter: @raidersbeat
If they were losing calmer might be bad. This is Chuckys team this year. He created the roster.
The+truth…. I say I agree 110% with your statement! This is his team and his coaching staff period. Raaaaaiiiiiidddddeeeerrrrsss…. What we’ve seen the last 2 weeks is Commitment to Excellence!
My wife Donna and I will be visiting my daughter and her husband John on November 10-16. I purchased 4 tickets to for us 4 to see the SNF game against the KC Chiefs. We are. LV Raider fans and being from SC we follow Bryan Edwards. If at all possible we would love to meet some of the Players in person. Can’t Wait
Still a Gruden built team with a Gruden Offense. Noone can take that away. You show me one of these high and mighty that love to judge, let me go through their life and see what they have said during their past. Not a one comes out the other side clean, not a one. Thank you Mr Gruden for the Coaches and players you put in place as a foundation for the Raiders future.
Say wat u want about the man, but in the end CHUCKY is and always will be a RAIDER. I also don’t agree with the things that were said. But in the game of life we all move on,thru the the good and bad I WILL ALWAYS BE A RAIDERS FAN FOR LIFE.
Major league baseball pinned decades of steroid use on a handful of guys who got ‘caught’ (or snitched on by a guy thinking about life after baseball, however you see it!), mostly Barry Bonds and now the NFL is making an example out of Jon Gruden. Does anybody really think that he’s the only one to ever send a text like this? Does anyone really think that whole thing isn’t just a little odd? I’m not sure exactly what Gruden means by ‘the truth will come out’ but personally I’m anxiously awaiting ‘Chuckies Revenge’!
Wow still can’t believe that in this day & age your life can be turned upside down because of some private emails surfaced from the past. J.G. is a good man. Always a fan.
WHAT A SHAME!!! WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS, WEVE ALL SAID & DONE THINGS WERE NOT PROUND OF. I BELIEVE THAT J.G. MADE A MISTAKE, THATS WHAT HUMAN DO. # GIVE HIM A BREAK!
WHAT A SHAME!!! WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS, WEVE ALL SAID & DONE THINGS WERE NOT PROUND OF. I BELIEVE THAT J.G. MADE A MISTAKE, THATS WHAT HUMAN’S DO. # GIVE HIM A BREAK!
Say wat u want about the man, but in the end CHUCKY is and always will be a RAIDER. I also don’t agree with the things that were said. But in the game of life we all move on,thru the the good and bad I WILL ALWAYS BE A RAIDERS FAN FOR LIFE.
Coach Gruden has and will always be our other Jon Madden,PERIOD
Forgive.
Everyone in the stadium at one point or another in their life has done something that they wanted forgiveness.
Not one person is perfect,
Let’s all stand tall and forgive .
It seemed as though someone was waiting to cut the feet from under Gruden. It could have come from the top like the commish.
Disappointed in Davis reaction but then he saves 60 million dollars.
Probably not. There was an agreement struck that worked the dough listed in that contract