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Despite their Week 1 routing from the Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden believes that Derek Carr has the makings of a great quarterback. Carr completed 29 of 40 passes for 303 yards in their 33-13 loss to the Rams. The Raiders led 13-10 at halftime, but Carr struggled to be effective after the break and finished with three interceptions.
From Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“I don’t have any doubts that Derek Carr is going to be great,” Gruden said in a Tuesday news conference. “I can’t wait to get started and get ready for the Broncos.”
“There were a few plays (where) uncharacteristically he wasn’t at his best,” Gruden said. “Sometimes you have to credit (defensive coordinator) Wade Phillips; you have to credit the defense. They gave us multiple looks. They have some talented people out there. It’s just disappointing, but I think knowing how good Derek is, it gives us hope that we can get it all solved.”
There is no doubt that Carr has elite potential. He finished third in MVP voting for the 2016-17 NFL season. Carr threw for 3,937 yards, 28 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions that year. His team was considered a genuine Super Bowl Contender.
Unfortunately, Carr broke his leg at the end of the regular season in a 33-25 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, derailing his team's championship dreams. They went on to lose to the Denver Broncos the following week. Shortly after, they fell to the Houston Texans in the NFL Wild Card Round.
Gruden is confident in Carr's skills and thinks he can help him be better than he has been in years past. The two have some difficult challenges ahead if they hope to tame the talented AFC West division this season.