Getty Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr.
Even with the NFL Draft recently ending, the Las Vegas Raiders find themselves involved in quarterback trade rumors. This time, the team has been linked to reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. While Rodgers might be the best quarterback in the NFL, Derek Carr is no slouch.
He’s coming off a career year and is still improving under Jon Gruden. He’s not Rodgers but he’s a very good quarterback and is capable of leading Las Vegas to the playoffs. Jay Schroeder knows a thing or two about being a Raiders quarterback as he was with the team from 1988 to 1992. He recently spoke with Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated and offered his thoughts on Carr.
“Derek Carr, he has played very well the last few years, there’s no question about it. Unfortunately, in the NFL, one of two things is going to happen, if you don’t have success, you’re going to change your head coach, or you’re going to change your quarterback,” Schroeder said. “It’s just the way it is. Let’s call it what it is.”
Carr is maligned by a portion of the Raiders’ fan base due to the fact that he’s only had one winning season in his seven years with the team.
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Schroeder Acknowledges That QBs Are Accountable for Losses
The only way that Carr is going to win over the majority of the fan base is if he gets the Raiders back in the playoffs. The team has only been once since 2002 and fans are starved for more wins. Whether it’s fair or not, Schroeder understands why Carr takes a lot of critism despite playing well.
“You can run left guards in and out, you can change receivers here and there, with the expectations, but when it comes down to it, the quarterback job and the head coach’s job is to win games and that’s the ultimate determining factor,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder Believes Carr Unfairly Blamed for Some Losses
While it’s easy to blame Carr for some of the Raiders’ losses, it’s foolish to suggest he’s the team’s biggest problem. Schroeder mentioned last year’s disastrous loss against the Miami Dolphins as an example of a loss that wasn’t Carr’s fault.
“If you look at it, and you realize over the last couple of years, let’s take the Miami game last year, you’re in a position to win that game, you should win that game, and you don’t,” Schroeder said. “But you know a lot of people at the end of the season, don’t look at it and go–‘Defense blew a coverage, it was a spectacular play,’ it’s ‘Well, the quarterback and the head coach didn’t do enough.”
Carr did everything he could to ensure the Raiders won that game and the defense fell apart as they have many times over his career. Obviously, there are certain quarterbacks who can carry bad teams but they are very rare. Carr hasn’t always been perfect. He’s got a really bad fumble issue and sometimes makes poor judgment plays but he’s a smart player who has given his all to the Raiders. He deserves a lot of credit.