Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Will Raiders Win Big This Year? It's All About Carr & Gruden.
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
September 7, 2018

Share

ALAMEDA — When Jon Gruden was hired for a second stint as Oakland Raiders coach, there were immediately questions about how quarterback Derek Carr would respond to Gruden’s intensity, cursing and hands-on approach after four seasons with more low-key coordinators and defensive-minded head coaches.

“He wants me to get up in front of the room and show them the way I do things and hear it from my voice. Just the way the quarterback position is treated. He’s a quarterback guy, being the head coach is completely different.” — Derek Carr, Raiders quarterback
Carr laughed off those doubts, pointing out that he’s familiar with the swear words Gruden sometimes spews even if Carr doesn’t use them, and he said he welcomes the challenge of a coach who will always keep him on edge.
“I have to be on my game in front of my teammates,” Carr said. “It’s awesome, man. I absolutely love it. He wants me to get up in front of the room and show them the way I do things and hear it from my voice. Just the way the quarterback position is treated. He’s a quarterback guy, being the head coach is completely different.”
Carr began his career with Dennis Allen as head coach back in 2014 and Jack Del Rio came in the following year for three seasons. Their expertise was defense, leaving much of the offense and the tutoring of Carr to the coordinators.
It’s been completely different with Gruden in charge, as he will call the plays, runs the offensive meetings and frequently peppers Carr with questions about how he would handle all types of situations.

The Relationship Between Gruden and Carr

“Whenever we’re not doing something, we’re together,” Carr said. “If we’re in an offensive meeting. If we’re not in an offensive meeting, I’m sitting right next to him in the quarterback room. If I’m not in on a rep, I’m standing right by him. He’s (saying,) ‘Hey what do you think? What would you get to here? What would you do? What would you do?’ That’s the way it should be. He challenges me. He pushes me. He wants the best for me. You can tell that with his preparation every day. He’s ready every day to give me something to let me dominate that day. It’s awesome.”

“That’s the way it should be. He challenges me. He pushes me. He wants the best for me. You can tell that with his preparation every day. He’s ready every day to give me something to let me dominate that day. It’s awesome.” — Derek Carr, Raiders quarterback
The success of the relationship between Gruden and Carr will go a long way in determining the success of the Raiders this season as they try to bounce back from a disappointing six-win season.
After showing steady progress his first three seasons that helped Carr grow from a second-round pick in 2014 to a quarterback with MVP support in a breakthrough 2016, Carr took a major step back last season under first-time coordinator Todd Downing.
After breaking his leg in the next-to-last regular-season game in 2016 to cost him an opportunity to play in the postseason, Carr had another injury early last season when he broke a bone in his back in a Week 4 loss at Denver.
He missed only one game because of the injury but never looked completely comfortable in the pocket after that as he matched his career high with 13 interceptions and recorded his worst totals in yards, touchdowns and passer rating since his rookie year in 2014.
Carr has looked like a new quarterback in practice this season.

A Promising Young Quarterback

“Derek looks like a completely different person in my eyes, just from the way he’s attacking the game,” tight end Jared Cook said. “From the way he’s attacking the challenges that Gruden has been giving to him. Every time that Gruden asks him a question, he gets it right, no hesitation. Every time Gruden asks him to get up in front of a meeting room and call out a play, run a play, get to the right check, get to the right audible, he does it every time. That’s a responsibility that Derek never had last year. You see a totally different player out of him. He’s attacking the game differently mentally and he has a totally different attitude going in to this year.”

“He’s got tremendous leadership and style. But, I think we’re making progress. I can’t speak for him, but I sure enjoy coming in here and working with him every day.” — Jon Gruden, Raiders coach
The Raiders hope that translates on the field starting with Monday night’s opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Carr didn’t get tested much in the preseason, playing just two drives.
But Gruden has done his best to challenge him at practice and sees the quarterback he was so high on back at the “Gruden QB Camp” four years ago. Gruden has never had a promising young quarterback like Carr.
He had success with veteran Rich Gannon his first time in Oakland and won a Super Bowl with Brad Johnson in Tampa Bay. But Gruden struggled to find a consistent passer in his later years with the Buccaneers. He believes Carr can be that guy.
“I try not to over-coach him,” Gruden said. “He is a blast to be around. He is extremely talented. He’s a great worker. We’re trying to give him a system that he can sink his teeth into and take control of when the game starts. He’s got tremendous leadership and style. But, I think we’re making progress. I can’t speak for him, but I sure enjoy coming in here and working with him every day.”

DON'T MISS

Musk PAC Tells Philadelphia Judge the $1 Million Sweepstakes Winners Are Not Chosen by Chance

DON'T MISS

Bass’ Record 61-Yard Field Goal Lifts Bills Over Dolphins in Thriller

DON'T MISS

Big Spenders: These Companies Are Giving the Most to California Legislative Candidates

DON'T MISS

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Drifts Ahead of Election Day, While Oil Rises and Yields Sink

DON'T MISS

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen After Seven-Game Losing Streak

DON'T MISS

Raiders Fire Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and 2 Other Offensive Coaches

DON'T MISS

Storm in the Caribbean Is on a Track to Likely Hit Cuba as a Hurricane

DON'T MISS

Israel Ends Agreement With UN Agency Providing Aid in Gaza

DON'T MISS

Demarcus Robinson’s One-Handed Catch in OT Gives Rams Win Over Seahawks

DON'T MISS

Trump, Musk and an American Masculinity Crisis

UP NEXT

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen After Seven-Game Losing Streak

UP NEXT

Raiders Fire Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and 2 Other Offensive Coaches

UP NEXT

Demarcus Robinson’s One-Handed Catch in OT Gives Rams Win Over Seahawks

UP NEXT

Herbert Shines, Chargers Defense Dominates in Win Over Browns

UP NEXT

Fresno State Bulldogs Stumble in Fourth Quarter, Suffer Narrow Loss to Hawai’i

UP NEXT

Two-Time Cy Young Winner Blake Snell Opts Out of Contract with Giants

UP NEXT

Seahawks Aim to Reignite Ground Game Against Rams After Recent Struggles

UP NEXT

Where Have the Top Transfers in College Basketball Landed?

UP NEXT

49ers Seek to Shake off the Super Bowl Hangover in the Second Half of the Season

UP NEXT

Dodgers Celebrate World Series Win, Look to Repeat With Ohtani’s Return to Pitching in 2025

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Drifts Ahead of Election Day, While Oil Rises and Yields Sink

28 mins ago

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen After Seven-Game Losing Streak

31 mins ago

Raiders Fire Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and 2 Other Offensive Coaches

35 mins ago

Storm in the Caribbean Is on a Track to Likely Hit Cuba as a Hurricane

38 mins ago

Israel Ends Agreement With UN Agency Providing Aid in Gaza

43 mins ago

Demarcus Robinson’s One-Handed Catch in OT Gives Rams Win Over Seahawks

1 hour ago

Trump, Musk and an American Masculinity Crisis

1 hour ago

What One Tossup District Says About the Trump-Harris Battle for the Suburbs

1 hour ago

Herbert Shines, Chargers Defense Dominates in Win Over Browns

1 hour ago

US Confirms Reports That Iran Arrested an Iranian-American Citizen

1 hour ago

Musk PAC Tells Philadelphia Judge the $1 Million Sweepstakes Winners Are Not Chosen by Chance

PHILADELPHIA — A lawyer for Elon Musk’s political action committee told a judge in Philadelphia on Monday that so-called “winner...

7 mins ago

7 mins ago

Musk PAC Tells Philadelphia Judge the $1 Million Sweepstakes Winners Are Not Chosen by Chance

14 mins ago

Bass’ Record 61-Yard Field Goal Lifts Bills Over Dolphins in Thriller

28 mins ago

Big Spenders: These Companies Are Giving the Most to California Legislative Candidates

28 mins ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Drifts Ahead of Election Day, While Oil Rises and Yields Sink

31 mins ago

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen After Seven-Game Losing Streak

Raiders
35 mins ago

Raiders Fire Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and 2 Other Offensive Coaches

38 mins ago

Storm in the Caribbean Is on a Track to Likely Hit Cuba as a Hurricane

43 mins ago

Israel Ends Agreement With UN Agency Providing Aid in Gaza

Search

Send this to a friend