Derek Carr outplays Matt Schaub in Raiders opener

The Oakland Raiders insisted there was no quarterback controversy between Matt Schaub and second round pick Derek Carr, but after one preseason game, that thought may change after a fairly impressive debut for the former Fresno State Bulldog.

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Carr was under consideration to be the Raiders first round pick, but the team couldn’t pass up Khalil Mack with him staring them in the face when they were on the clock at No. 5 and fortunately for them, Carr was available at the top of the second round.

Schaub was acquired in an offseason trade with the Houston Texans and the veteran is assumed to be the starter as Carr gains experience, but he was only 3-7 passing for 21 yards in an ultra-conservative mindset in the opener.

You have to take stats with a grain of salt in the preseason. In fact, you should throw them out the window, but Carr 10-16 passing with 74 yards. He did throw an interception but it was off a deflection off his intended receivers hands.

Sure, he was working against the backups, but Carr showed a much more lively and bigger arm than Schaub and he made good decisions that you wouldn’t typically come to expect from a rookie.

Carr will get his chance to earn the starting job through the remainder of the preseason and if nothing else, the presence of Schaub will keep him honest as nothing will be handed to him and he will have a player pushing him every step of the way.

The future of the Raiders clearly rests on the right arm of Carr, so why not hand the keys to the offense to him as a rookie and see what the rookie can do?

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Derek Carr outplays Matt Schaub in Raiders preseason opener

By Patrick Schmidt | Aug 8, 2014