If Derek Carr goes down, the Silver & Black ship will go down with him. There is nothing controversial or provocative about this statement. It’s as obvious as it is the stone truth.
The Las Vegas Raiders’ success is tied around the waist…er, arm of their franchise quarterback. How well Silver & Black run the offense of new head coach and game-caller Josh McDaniels depends on the availability of Derek Carr and his ability to operate — without much constraint (I’ve written a lot about this, but more on that later).
When the new regime arrived at Raiders HQ in Henderson, there was no chatter – new head coach Josh McDaniels was poetic about how Carr was the right quarterback for his system, and being able to coach him was one of the reasons why him and a good friend (and new general manager) Dave Ziegler defected from the New England Patriots and formed the new Silver & Black power structure.
McDaniels will rely heavily on Carr’s intellectual nature, along with his ability to sling the pigskin all over the field. Hence the long-term security provided by Ziegler and McDaniels Carr (a pretty penny of a $121.5 million three-year extension).
To maximize the return on investment the Raiders put into Carr, Ziegler has appeared in both free agency and the NFL draft. The biggest catch, of course, is Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams. There will be no synergy between the undisputed No. 1 wideout and the franchise quarterback as both have practiced together off-season and had a significant amount of snaps and practice time as the Fresno State Bulldogs.
There will be built-in synergy between new Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) and quarterback Derek Carr. Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Precision, timing, preparation and the creative nuances that McDaniels orchestrated under the massive direction of Bill Belichick will now be a Las Vegas thing.
That preparation began when the team met at headquarters on April 11 – new coaching staff gave the Raiders that opportunity.
“It’s a new process for everyone,” coach Josh McDaniels said during his media session in late April. “We all come from a slightly different situation and are getting to know each other and are actually just learning our language. How do we communicate with each other, how do we approach the pitch, how do we work, what pace do we want to work at, what fundamentals and techniques do we really value.
“We’re really not in competitive mode yet. That won’t come until we delve into OTAs a bit, and then of course it’ll increase in training camp. But (we) really just focus on our process. … I’m happy about the participation and the enormous commitment and attitude of the guys who are here.”
The competition is solid and will be crucial for the 2022 season.
“Every place on our team will have competition. Whether we’ve drafted someone or not, there’s competition at every point on the team. I don’t care where the spot is,” McDaniels said. “We tried to do that at every point we could (through) free hand (and the) draft. … This will never stop.”
That’s a great philosophy, but when it comes to quarterback competition, it’s for QB2 and beyond. Carr is the best option and that’s not going to change.
Nick Mullen’s photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images
The others
Forget all the hoax about quarterback rankings in the league or AFC West. It does not matter. Why? Because Carr is the Raiders’ best option to win. There isn’t another signal caller on the list who brings what he can bring – period.
So if he’s forced to the sidelines for whatever reason this season, it’s going to be bleak – Silver & Bleak.
McDaniels, Ziegler and the rest of the Raiders staff liked Jarrett Stidham and Nick Mullens enough to trade for the former and give the latter a free hand. Stidham comes from the New England Patriots’ quarterback farm system, while Mullens spent last season with the Cleveland Browns.
But neither of those names is a resounding confidence booster if either had to assume the mantle of starting quarterback. Neither will the 8,141 career snaps Carr has as a raider nor the 65 percent career completion rate along with 193 touchdowns on 85 interceptions under center.
As rowdy as Mullens was — he’s the guy who can take the fight and stand up after being knocked down — he’s not the franchise guy. He’s more of a Matt McGloin or Bruce Gradkowski type quarterback, if anything. Stidham is still relatively unknown as health issues have derailed opportunities he could have had in New England.
Must be resolved
This is a two-part article, but they really go hand-in-hand.
First is Carr Insurance. Often lent to the offensive line, the trendy slogan’s job is to keep the quarterback upright, clean, and in a protected pocket — or as good as it gets. The Raiders’ offensive line remains a question mark, but Ziegler and his crew nailed it by doubling the position group in the draft.
Carmen Bricillo plays a key role here as the new offensive line boss, a role Tom Cable filled during his second stint with the Raiders. Cable is mixed into different tactics but is a well-known purist zone-blocking scheme. Bricillo is more of a gap scheme type coach, but we’ll see how his racquets fare in training camps and preseason games.
Carr was fired 40 times last season — the second most in a season over the course of his nine-year career. The 2018 season is Carr’s all-time high of 51 sacks. The last time he saw the turf was the magical 2016 season, which saw DC4 fail just 16 times.
When he has time to act, spread what the defense is doing, and his targets get disconnected and open, Carr can blast it with the best of them. When things go wrong and the bag gets noisy or doesn’t hold up like any other signal caller, Carr goes limp.
Get six
And that brings us to the second point: the red zone. This sucker has been a dead zone for the Raiders offense for the past two seasons under then-head coach and chief offense architect Jon Gruden. That was a huge boon for pitcher Daniel Carlson, but it left points down the field when the offense couldn’t get into the end zone for a six.
But this is where the addition of Adams should pay off – if not. His router running and ability to break up in the money zone made him a big target for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. That has to happen in Las Vegas with Carr Adams’ quarterback now. Slot dynamo Hunter Renfrow is also a breakup threat, and tight end Darren Waller (if he’s healthy) is also a nightmare matchup.
Now the defense has to account for Adams instead of getting tunnel vision on Renfrow and Waller. Not only that, but there’s a renewed commitment to Run Game Brewing in Henderson.
ground pound
With Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake already in tow, Ziegler and co. picked Zamir “Zeus” White in the draft. The Georgia product is equal parts power and speed with its ability to run through contact and outpace defenders. It’s an interesting addition to call “redundant” with Jacobs on the list. However, the entire Raiders team lives, breathes and eats the mantra of competition, urging everyone to earn a job or a snap. And redundancy is a common thread in the building.
“I would say running back is just a difficult position in the league,” Ziegler stated at the end of April. “These guys get beaten and it’s a physical position. … We’ve talked about it from the start: we want to build depth and competition.”
Jacobs and Drake have to stay in place or else Zeus can strike like lightning, true to his namesake’s spirit. He has an intriguing mix of size, speed, power and vision. That’s all there is to a jam that should result in Jacobs’ and/or Drake’s carries.
bottom line
All of this, of course, comes down to how well the Raiders’ offensive line can converge and function as a unit. On the other hand, Las Vegas achieved a 10-7 record and a playoff spot behind last year’s O-Line. Maybe even the smallest improvements will lead to something better in 2022.
It really all works hand in hand. McDaniels’ play calling paired with Carr and crew’s ability to either execute the called play or check into and execute a better one. However, unless it’s Carr under center, you can pretty much run the Raiders’ playoff aspirations — right now.