Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had a very impressive box score during NFL kickoff weekend, and it’s likely indicative of the season to come. Already a Pro Bowl level passer, Carr might be on his way to becoming a Rich Gannon, or dare I say it, Ken Stabler/Jim Plunkett level legend in Oakland.
Carr teamed up to wide receiver Michael Crabtree to give us, arguably, “the play” of week one. Of course, the guy who really deserves credit for the cajones injected two point conversion play is coach Jack Del Rio.
Yes, Carr, Crabtree and the offensive line executed the play, but it was Del Rio who showed the massive stones and ginormous chutzpah to make the ballsy call to go for it/play for win instead of the orthodox kick the extra point and get a tie.
The Raiders entered the season with a lot of bravado, but now that they pulled off this special moment in their season opener, that swagger is now even higher.
Said CBS Sports Analyst and former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green: “The reason why the Raiders are an early season favorite to make the playoffs starts with Derek Carr. The young quarterback is developing. Every year he has gotten better. They put weapons around him… Derek Carr and that offense, they’re dialed in right now.
“It’s going to be an exciting AFC West.”
Former Oakland Raiders QB Steve Beuerlein, now a teammate on Green’s show “NFL Monday Quarterback” agreed:
“What an unbelievable start to their season. This is a team that a lot of people have high expectations for… This team is soaring with confidence right now. They believe that they’re a team to be reckoned with. It’s going to be fun to watch them all year.”
The Raiders are a trendy pick to make the playoffs this season/sexy pick to have a breakthrough season. We’ve been saying 2016 is the year for a long time now. We actually said that ’16 would be the breakthrough year in the ’15 preseason. Derek Carr is a major reason why so many people are so high on them this year.
How high? Well, just retired player turned ESPN Analyst Charles Woodson got a little too high with his preseason picks.
The legendary former DB picked the Raiders to win the Super Bowl and Khalil Mack to become MVP.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.