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Derek Carr just gave his detractors a lot of ammo with another poor performance in Kansas City against the Chiefs. The Oakland Raiders quarterback is in the midst of a terrible two-game stretch that both ended in blowout losses. After a very strong start to the season, it looked like Carr was set to be the team’s quarterback of the future. However, if he keeps up the poor play, he could very well be on his way out of Oakland sooner rather than later.
Head coach Jon Gruden doesn’t like to place blame on his quarterback, but even he admitted that Carr needs work after the loss.
“He’s a good quarterback,” Gruden said to the media. “He’s got a chance to be great. Just wasn’t his day.”
Now, that may seem like a throwaway comment, but Gruden admitting Carr is not a “great” quarterback is interesting. Carr is 28 and in his sixth season in the NFL. Gruden’s comment is what you would expect a coach to say about a rookie or a second-year quarterback. If Gruden doesn’t think Carr is great now, will the quarterback ever reach that status?
Will Carr Bounce Back?
Fortunately for Carr, the Raiders are headed back home to warm California. Much has been made about how he plays poorly in cold weather and that has proven to be true over the last two games. Carr has a lot to do over this last quarter of the season to regain the trust of the Raiders. He’s proven that he can play at a pro bowl level plenty of times, but he’s been too inconsistent to know if he’s the quarterback of the future.
The Tennessee Titans don’t have a great pass defense. Neither do the New York Jets or the Chiefs, but Carr will have the weather on his side. His wide receivers aren’t blameless for the lack of pass offense. If Carr still had Antonio Brown, we could be having a very different conversation right now. However, bad interceptions aren’t always on the wide receivers. Carr should start feeling like he’s playing for his job over the last four games.
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Jon Gruden Rips Referees for Pass Interference Call
Nothing went right for the Raiders in this game and it’s hard to blame one player or person. The referees certainly didn’t help the team as Oakland was flagged 12 times and the Chiefs weren’t flagged once. One of the most head-turning calls came towards the end of the game when Trayvon Mullen caught an interception in the end zone, but it was overturned when the officials reviewed the play and determined that Mullen should be called for pass interference. Gruden wasn’t happy with the call.
“We had an interception we thought we did intercept that was turned over by the Wizard of Oz or somebody,” said Gruden after the game. “I don’t know what happened on that. That was a big play in the game no doubt.”
Whether or not it was a bad call, the Raiders still would’ve lost. The fact of the matter is: This team needs to play with more discipline.
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