Oakland Raiders: Just Blog Baby’s Day at Training Camp

Photo by Shane Schilperoort/justblogbaby.com

Of course one of the key figures I wanted to see was Matt Schaub.  He’s going to be the starter, and now there is no doubt in my mind.  Don’t believe all the naysayers when they spin a yarn or two about how he’s been throwing picks in practice.  I was there!  Yes, he threw a ball to a receiver (David Ausberry), and he hit him in the hands.  However, the receiver, not Schaub, is responsible for the interception.  It’s Football 101 folks, if a ball hits a receiver’s hands, that receiver should catch the ball.  The ball bounced off of Ausberry’s hands and Sir Charles Woodson was right there to take advantage of the situation.

Schaub was impressive to me.  He progressed through his reads very quickly.  Once he made a decision to throw, the ball came out of his hands very fast.  The way he slid in the pocket seemed effortless.  On one play, the pocket broke down, and Schaub slid to his right and delivered a ball that hit his receiver for a 15+ yard gain.  I’m not going to lie, he had a couple bad throws, but he always came back with the next one and delivered a strike.  He ran the offense with poise, confidence, and charisma.  I can’t wait to see him in Pre-Season.

Schaub is gelling with his WR’s and RB’s.  He definitely has his favorites to throw to.  James Jones, Rod Streater, and Andre Holmes were his favorites.  Then again, they were the only three catching the balls.  Denarius Moore, Brice Butler, Greg Jenkins, and Rashaan Vaughn had a case of the dropsies in practice.  Not only that, David Ausberry and Mychal Rivera had their own issues with missing pass catching opportunities.

For all the Derek Carr enthusiasts out there, Carr is going to be a very good QB.  However, he is not ready.  He is holding onto the ball too long.  There were several situations when he missed seeing an open receiver or two.  Don’t get me wrong, Carr has some zip on his throws, and he hit the majority of his receivers in perfect stride.  He just needs some time to understand the transition and quickness he must possess as an NFL QB.  There was one particular play where they were doing 11 on 11 drills with the 2nd team offense against the 2nd team defense.  Carr held onto the ball way too long and missed two open WR’s, then the pocket broke down and he sprinted out of it.  What is interesting about this is, one of the coaches screamed, “Don’t run!”  I have no doubt that Carr will get it together and grow into being an NFL starter, but not this year.