Oakland Raiders “Oldest Roster” Label Belies Youth Movement
oAug 28, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws a pass against the Seattle Seahawks at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Position: Quarterback
Old Player: Matt Schaub (33)
Young Player: Derek Carr (23)
We’re all familiar with this story. After the Terrelle Pryor experiment failed, Reggie McKenzie went out and brought in veteran signal-caller Matt Schaub, a former Pro-Bowler coming off his worst professional season, and then drafted college gunslinger Derek Carr out of Fresno State in the second round. Schaub was expected to be the starter for 2014 and perhaps 2015 while Carr developed on the bench, a la Aaron Rodgers or Colin Kaepernick.
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Of course Derek Carr had other ideas. Having spent half of his life essentially sitting on a metaphorical bench behind his older brother David, Derek had been preparing to be an NFL starter since before Matt Schaub entered the league. In his first opportunity to start, against much of Seattle’s vaunted first-team defense, Carr was electric, throwing three TD passes as the Raiders built a 28-7 lead in the final preseason game. Carr was named the Raiders starter on Monday. The rest, we hope, is history.
The younger Carr has his brother’s size and arm strength. He also possesses a keen understanding of the game, probably due to watching his older brother while David was taking his licks with the expansion Houston Texans. Unlike his older brother, he has shown a great degree of mobility, both within the pocket as well as when he escapes or rolls out from the pocket. He is energetic and gutsy, and has a high degree of confidence in his arm, something that Matt Schaub no longer seems to have. He appears to have developed chemistry with young Raiders wide receiver Denarius Moore, something that could develop in future seasons into a very productive relationship for both players as well as for the team. The young Carr is clearly the future of this franchise, and that future has already begun.