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Derek Carr: New hires signify ample growth opportunities for Raiders QB

By John Buhler

CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 31: Derek Carr No. 4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 31: Derek Carr No. 4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 31: Derek Carr No. 4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 31: Derek Carr No. 4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

Jon Gruden’s offensive hires should help him get the most out of starting quarterback Derek Carr. Here is how he can grow under the new offensive staff.

The Oakland Raiders would have been an appealing job for many head coaching candidates largely because of the franchise quarterback in place in Derek Carr. Carr may have struggled in 2017, but was an NFL MVP candidate before he broke his leg on Christmas Eve 2016. He is a huge reason that incoming head coach Jon Gruden left the ESPN Monday Night Football booth.

Obviously, Gruden wasn’t going to mail it in when assembling his 2018 Raiders staff. He would put together a great group to not only improve the overall team, but to get the most out of Carr. With all of his offensive hires, that looks to be the case. So let’s take a few minutes to see what the incoming offensive coaches could do to help Carr grow in year five.

Jon Gruden

Gruden will be doing the play calling in 2018. He will be bringing his patented West Coast offense to the Silver and Black. Though very verbose, Carr is a smart kid that will grasp the finer nuances of Gruden’s offense quicker than most.

That being said, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Gruden go hurry-up and have Carr at the line of scrimmage early to get the most out of having Gruden being able to talk into his ear. In essence, Gruden would be like Sean McVay helping out Jared Goff at the line of scrimmage diagnosing stuff for the Los Angeles Rams. This might only be temporary for Carr since he is a veteran. However, the verbiage of Gruden’s offense could be a little cumbersome to figure out at first.

One other part to watch with Gruden calling the plays is that he loves to have his quarterbacks use the pump fake. His former signal caller in Oakland in Rich Gannon used it to perfection during the prime of his career with the Raiders. Carr may not be as proficient at the pump fake as Gannon, but that could be a wrinkle that could be added to his quarterbacking arsenal.

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