Derek Carr’s first season with the New Orleans Saints hasn’t been easy. The team is off to a disappointing 5-7 start and Carr has already dealt with a number of injuries – the latest coming courtesy of his former Las Vegas Raiders teammate.
During the Week 13 game between the Saints and Detroit Lions, defensive end Bruce Irvin hit Carr hard which led to him exiting the game. Irvin played with Carr on the Raiders from 2016 to 2018 so he knows the quarterback well. While he has respect for Carr’s game, he did throw a bit of shade at the quarterback.
“I played with him in Oakland, so I know when you get around him, he gets rattled,” Irvin told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on December 3. “He’s a hell of a player, but we knew if we got around him, we could rattle him a little bit.”
The notion that Carr gets rattled when pressured has been a common criticism that he’s pushed back against. Notably, he had tension with Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher Joey Bosa after he said something very similar during the 2021 season. Following the hit from Irvin, Carr is now in the concussion protocol and is also dealing with a rib injury.
Spoke to Bruce Irvin after his Detroit debut. It was only his third time in pads since January. He knew from playing with Derek Carr from 2016-18 on the Raiders that Carr gets “rattled” when defenders get close to him.
Bruce Irvin Happy to Be Back on the Field
Bruce Irvin has bounced around the league in recent years and is 36. A lot of defensive linemen don’t continue to play this long due to how violent the position can be. However, Irvin is proving that he still has some juice left in the tank after getting a sack in his first game this season.
He’s very happy to be playing football again after not being on a roster for the first half of the season.
“I woke up this morning, I felt like a kid before Christmas,” Irvin said. “I was excited. Just trying to take full advantage of this opportunity, because [this] part of my career, you know, the opportunities are very limited. Just happy to be back, man, and being a part of a team again.”
Though he hadn’t been playing this season, Irvin just needed a little bit of time to get into shape and the rest was easy.
“At this point of my career, this stuff is like riding a bike,” Irvin said. “I’ve been doing it for so long. It’ll come back. I’m just happy they didn’t rush me and try to get me out there as soon as I got here. They gave me time, let my body adjust, get in football shape. And, you know, it showed today.”
What’s Next for Derek Carr?
Now that Derek Carr is in the concussion protocol, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to play in the Week 14 game against the Carolina Panthers. He’s proven his toughness in the past and has only missed two regular season starts due to injury throughout his career. He may not have a choice but to miss at least one start as he recovers from a concussion.
Carr missing a game could open up the possibility of Jameis Winston earning the starting job the rest of the way. Carr hasn’t been playing well and the Saints need to start winning if they hope to make the playoffs. He’ll likely do what he can to get back on the field as soon as possible so he doesn’t risk losing his starting job.
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Ex-Raiders DE Bruce Irvin Throws Shade at Derek Carr