Getty Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr
Back in the 2017 NFL season, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr suffered three broken bones in his back was expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks and possibly months. The injury came on October 1 in a Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos, and the exact timeline for his return was unknown, but it was believed to be up to eight weeks.
In what proved to be a surprising turn of events, Carr missed just one week of action before returning against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6. He proceeded to throw for 171 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions in that game and played each of the 14 games after that as well.
How Carr was able to return so quickly from the injury was a big question, and the quarterback addressed it recently while speaking at a church, as Raider Posts revealed on Twitter. He began by pointing out that he could barely walk or lift his legs off the ground immediately after the injury, but cited a moment with God that changed things.
“He [God] says lay on your face. I stood there for a second and I said ‘ok, Lord, I’m going to obey you, I told you when I gave my life to you that I’m going to obey you no matter what, but you’re going to have to get me up.’ I want to go play a video game, I don’t want to lay on my face all day.”
…
“So I go to lay on my face, my back pops, no pain. All it took was me committing, just saying I honor you enough, I know that you’re enough. You’re asking me to do something, I’m going to do it. I go to lay on my face, my back pops and I practice the next day.”
It’s an eye-opening comment from Carr, who says that neither the coaching staff nor training staff could believe that he was actually healthy.
Derek Carr Could Have Played Week After Breaking Bones in Back?
Arguably the wildest part of this is that Carr says the only reason he was held out of the following game is the above comments on coaches and trainers not believing his back was healed. In turn, he missed the game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 and played the following one.
“my coaches could not believe it, the trainers couldn’t believe it, they wouldn’t even let me play in the next game because they didn’t believe it … And I showed them, I did the practice squad all week and I’m torching our defense. We’re going off and I’m like, ‘I can play, let me play,’ they just couldn’t believe it.” Carr stated.
He proceeds to openly say that he could have played in the game against the Ravens, and explained that he received a call informing him that he would miss eight weeks originally. Carr didn’t buy it at the time and pointed out that he missed one, while again citing the coaches and training staff for being the reason why.
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