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There is no debating that Derek Carr has been the best Raiders quarterback since Rich Gannon retired. He owns every major passing record in franchise history. Despite that, the team has made the decision to bench Carr and will be moving on from him once the season is over.
Jarrett Stidham was promoted to the role of starter and looked great in his debut. He threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns against the No. 1 San Francisco 49ers defense. What immediately stood out about Stidham was his ability to make plays on the move. He only had 34 rushing yards but was elusive in the pocket and dodged some sacks. His most impressive play came in the third quarter when he avoided a sack, rolled out and stood without any protection before he hit Davante Adams for a 60-yard touchdown.
Gannon was very impressed with the play and broke down why it was such an important one for him to make.
“He’s going to get flushed; he’s going to buy some time; he’s going to move to his left,” Gannon said for The 33rd Team. “Now, I was surprised at how long he held this football. He held it to the very last second. He’s going to get unloaded on, but watch his eyes, his focus, and his demeanor down the field. You’re going to see Davante Adams; he keeps moving and keeps the play alive. Stidham makes the best throw of the night, makes a great throw, takes a big hit, and he did it on the Raiders’ sideline. All of those players and coaches saw that; they saw his toughness and his resolve. They saw his willingness to sit in there and make a big throw and take a hit for the team.”
The conversation then went back to Carr. The quarterback has made plenty of plays outside of the pocket throughout his career but Gannon appeared to take a bit of a shot at Carr.
“I’m not suggesting that Derek Carr has never done that, but this is how you win over your teammates,” Gannon said. “This is how you win over your coaching staff, and this is how you win over a fan base.”
Was Gannon Throwing Shade at Carr?
Gannon has never been one to mince words. He even went after Carr earlier in the season. When the Raiders were 2-7, Gannon called out Carr and said he had to play better. The quarterback did improve his play for a bit but started to struggle again.
While Gannon has supported Carr when he’s done well, it’s clear that he’s not the biggest fan. Whether he was meaning to or not, he was likely taking a bit of a shot at Carr in the above video when talking about Stidham.
In Carr’s Defense, Josh McDaniels Doesn’t Love Mobile QBs
Stidham’s debut was impressive and it was a breath of fresh air for many Raiders fans to see a quarterback moving outside of the pocket. However, that’s more likely Stidham’s improvisation than Josh McDaniels’ playcalling.
Outside of one season with Cam Newton, the coach hasn’t worked with mobile quarterbacks much. There’s a reason why the New England Patriots took Mac Jones in 2021 over some more mobile options. This season, nobody can fault Carr for not making plays with his feet as McDaniels wants a pocket passer.
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