Big changes are coming for the Raiders. In a matter of weeks the faces around Derek Carr won’t be the same.
Head coach Jack Del Rio is expected to get at least another year in Oakland, but the offensive coaching staff seems to be in line for a tremendous overhaul.
The top priority for the new faces in Oakland will be helping Carr get back to playing like a league MVP.
For those who have watched Carr over the past four seasons, it’s been clear something is missing of late. Whether it’s because of injuries or something else, Carr hasn’t shown the same level of comfort and confidence as we’re used to seeing.
Derek has talked about fixing “bad habits” and focusing on details, but watching him play, there’s more missing.
To me, his demeanor isn’t the same.
Maybe it comes with losing or playing through injuries, but even when the Raiders were 0-10 in his rookie season, Carr still had an aura about him that doesn’t seem the same this year.
For whatever reason, he seems to be held back – whether by choice or outside influence.
In my opinion, the first thing the Raiders need to identify (if they haven’t already) is what needs to be eliminated (or added) to build an environment where Carr can lead again.
What I believe about Carr is that he leads best by example. He’s most comfortable leading with his actions and seems to be particularly gifted at building up people around him. He’s a ‘relationship guy’ and that quality played a significant role in building and unifying a locker room that carried the Raiders to the playoffs a year ago.
Where I don’t see Carr’s strength at this point in his career is cleaning up messes – and I think there are messes that need to be cleaned up by the organization. I think some of those messes have had an impact on Carr and I believe they’ve carried over to his play on the field.
There’s a different element to the 2017 Raiders and it goes beyond game-planning and execution (though both have been horrendous).
For me, Carr’s back injury doesn’t explain away what we’ve seen from the offense this season.
Nor does lack of attention to detail.
The better question is where, when, and why did the Raiders suddenly become a team that has so little ability to focus on and correct details… and who has the right approach to fixing them?
twitter: @raidersbeat
Although carr has looked awful at times and definitely does not have a good pocket awareness never has. I think one of his largest problems are his receivers cannot hold on to the ball his number one wide receiver drops balls all day long and his number two wide receiver isn’t far behind
Big contract now Carr is sleeping on satin sheets. Fire is gone
I think the problem for Carr stems from dropped balls an ineffective ground game and poor pass protection . He’s still one of the least sacked passers in the league but he is seeing more pressure . A quick release and a lot of shallow routes by his receivers have saved him from being sacked more than he has been . The biggest problem I see though , is poor offensive design and even more poor play calling . As a result , I think Carr has lost his confidence not only in himself , but in the team’s commitment to winning . A poor performance most of the year by the defense has also effected Carr’s play because the Raiders have trailed early in a lot of games which changes what Todd Downing will call against defenses that know Carr has to throw to get back in the game .
Dropped passes are a HUGE thing. It causes you to not trust your WR’s as much as before. Downing was in WAY over his head, just like KNJ…..everyone in the world can see it, except those who are able to make changes (RM, JDR, MD, etc.). Allen Robinson, Jarvis Landry and other top WR’s are free agents this year. Trade Amari Cooper for a round 1 pick and sign one of these guys. Coop will want a HUGE payday, which he doesn’t deserve due to drops (leads league every year!) and constant nagging injuries. I’ll take a 1st rounder and Robinson or Landry all day before Cooper. The Patriots have won multiple AFC championships and SB rings with trash WR’s (excluding Randy Moss), so we can do it too.
Lead and they will follow. Needs to be more of a leader and less of an enabler. Stop making excuses for the WR’s. That all I see HE needs to do. Now you add a back injury, WR’s who can’t catch a cold, rumors of the OL not protecting him, a poor OC and some divisive players on the team and there you have it.
Carr needs to get back to basics, his pocket awareness sucks to say the least, it always has been that way, he plays like a frightened chicken, will throw the ball to the other team on a dime, has no idea about the proper way to get rid of the ball, (he should take some notes from Phillip Rivers), then when he does try to go “Down Field” there’s no one to catch and hold on to the ball consistently. He has never been a leader, he has been and still is at the helm of the offense as the QB, the environment is never going to be suitable to make a leader, a leader is made by persevering the hard time that they are faced with, the Raiders can accommodate him by surrounding him with GREAT blocking/protection but the team can’t make anything any better for him to be a leader. I want him to earn the status as a LEADER !!!