Oakland Raiders to remain cautious with Derek Carr

When the Oakland Raiders decided to give rookie quarterback Derek Carr the start over Matt Schaub, Carr became the first quarterback of this rookie class to start. But don’t think the Raiders are throwing him to the wolves. With the Fresno State product manning the huddle, the Raiders produced a mere 158 yards of total offense in its 19-14 loss to the New York Jets in Week 1 on NFL action.

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That’s because the team was mostly conservative against Rex Ryan’s defense and, as ESPN’s Bill Williamson writes, that isn’t likely to change any time soon.

"The Raiders were clearly cautious with Carr. The game plan was for him to throw short passes against a smart, strong New York defense. Until the Raiders’ last drive — essentially a garbage time outing that ended in a nifty 30-yard touchdown pass from Carr to new veteran receiver James Jones — to make it a one-touchdown game in the final moments, Carr threw just one pass for more than 15 yards.Expect the Raiders’ game plan to remain conservative as Carr gains more experience, especially against a quick Houston defensive front at home next Sunday. Carr started out well as he got the ball out quickly and he was thriving as he completed his first eight passes."

Certainly that doesn’t mean Oakland will look like this all season. But Carr is a rookie, and starting him doesn’t mean the team can’t take it slow. Carr looked good on a number of passes, though he made his mistakes. He can definitely throw the rock, though. As the Raiders coaches and receivers get more accustomed with him, the offense should begin to open up.

However, it would help if the Raiders could get more than 26 total yards from their running backs.

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