The Oakland Raiders have had a long stretch in which they were searching for a long-term answer at the quarterback position. Their prayers were answered in 2015, when they drafted Fresno State product Derek Carr in the second round of the NFL Draft, behind other quarterbacks in Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, and Teddy Bridgewater. Fast forward to today, it’s looking like the Raiders got a steal from that draft with Carr, who’s been the biggest driving force behind Oakland’s resurgence.
With Carr now the clear leader of the team, it was only understandable the frustration in Oakland’s camp and among the Raiders’ faithful when Carr went down with a leg injury last December that forced the quarterback to miss the rests of the season. That it happened so late in the regular season and with the Raiders then bound for the playoffs only made it harder to swallow for the team. Michael Silver of the NFL Network asked Carr about the whole ordeal in a recent interview.
Transcript from @MikeSilver w/ Raiders QB Derek Carr pic.twitter.com/avhUwsEapK
— NFL Media (@NFLMedia) September 10, 2017
Apart from that, Silver also tried to pick the mind of Carr with regards to him overseeing the offense of a team with one of the most rabid fanbases in US pro sports. With Carr under center, the Raiders’ offense became one of the deadliest in the league, especially last season, when Oakland ranked ninth overall in scoring offense.
Speaking of that, Silver also inquired Carr about how it’s like to have Marshawn Lynch on the team. To that, the quarterback only had nice words for Lynch, whose colorful personality was noted by Carr in the interview.
Carr and the Raiders opened the new season with a 26-16 win on the road over the Tennessee Titans. The team plays its first home game of the season next Sunday, as the Raiders hosts the New York Jets.