Las Vegas Raiders rookie head coach Josh McDaniels announced this past Wednesday that quarterback Derek Carr would not play the final two games of the season. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham would replace him as the starter.
Head Coach Josh McDaniels addresses the QB position. pic.twitter.com/1rdhTSsNKr
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 28, 2022
McDaniels brought Stidham with him from the New England Patriots. It’s safe to say Stidham is McDaniels’ guy, Carr is not.
With McDaniels’ guy behind center, the Raiders lost to the San Francisco 49ers yesterday 37-34 in overtime.
I wouldn’t say the Raiders lost the game because of Stidham’s play at quarterback, but I also wouldn’t say Carr was responsible for the Raider’s losing record this season. I would put most of the blame for the Raiders’ record this season squarely on the defense. Derek Carr isn’t responsible for defenders missing tackles.
It’s true that Carr is having a down year. It’s also true that he currently holds just about every franchise passing record for the Raiders. Also, it was announced during the game that receiver Davante Adams broke Tim Brown’s franchise single season receiving record of 1,408 yards. That record has stood for 25 years. If Carr has been such a giant bucket of suck this season, how was he able to throw the ball to Adams enough to break a 25-year record?
Carr can’t be as bad as some want people to believe.
I think until the Raiders make major changes on defense, it won’t matter all that much who’s behind center. The Raiders are going to lose more games than they win. That’s just my opinion, but I’m a football mastermind.*