New Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio called quarterback Derek Carr a “special young talent” on the Jim Rome show.
Jack Del Rio is taking on a major challenge starting this season as the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders, especially after his recent success with their division rival Denver Broncos. He is a great defensive mind, but is very excited about young quarterback Derek Carr.
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Carr was drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft with the 36th overall pick, and he showed flashes of brilliance throughout his rookie season. Del Rio made it very clear that he thinks Carr has a lot of potential, and called him a “special young talent” while talking on the Jim Rome Show.
“Carr’s a special young talent,” said Del Rio. “He’s got a really quick release, good decision maker; he’s shown some of that grit we’re looking for, some of that toughness, so he’s a guy that we feel like we have an opportunity to build around.”
During the 2014 season, Carr ended up throwing for 3,270 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He already looked very solid in every aspect of his game, and his decision-making was also impressive for a rookie. Oakland has quite a bit of potential, but there are still a few moves that need to be made before they are playoff contenders.
There are a few holes offensively that the Raiders need to fill, especially at the wide receiver and running back positions. Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden weren’t very consistent last year, and they aren’t going to get the job done long-term either. As for the wide receiver position, they could use a player like Randall Cobb or Jeremy Maclin to be Carr’s number one target.
It is going to be an interesting season to watch Carr develop and see what he can bring to the table after a year of experience.
Del Rio will be an upgrade at head coach for them, and he will have a different system for Carr to work in as well. Perhaps this will actually take the Raiders over the hump quicker, but either way a lot of pressure will be on the second-year quarterbacks shoulders.
[H/T: Jim Rome]
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