Las Vegas Raiders: Josh McDaniels, not Derek Carr, should have fans concerned
The Las Vegas Raiders have a bigger issue than Derek Carr, injuries, the defense, and the change at head coach is a problem.
As most Las Vegas Raiders fans will remember, current head coach Josh McDaniels was a huge failure in his first attempt at the job. A
After an 11-17 start, the Denver Broncos moved on in 2010, eventually returning McDaniels to New England. Fast forward to 2022, and in his second head coaching job, the Raiders are struggling 5-8. This is a year after they made the playoffs. The expectation was that McDaniels would take the Raiders over the top. That won’t happen, at least not this year.
There’s potential, especially on offense, but teams often look flat and unprepared. Is it too early to judge McDaniels? No.
The Raiders have the talent to compete with any team thanks to the addition of DeVante Adams. Unfortunately, the constant absence of Waller and Renfro highlights the Raiders’ lack of depth at the position. Hollins shouldn’t be the NFL’s starting wide receiver. Foster Moreau is a suitable replacement for Waller, but the Raiders only have Jesper Horsted as TE2 and Keelan Cole as WR3, while Waller and Renfrow are absent. Yet, Josh McDaniels failed to make Josh Jacobs the focal point of the offense early on in the season.
Jacobs is a dangerous back that could easily be considered one of the best in the league. When McDaniels opted to maximize Jacobs, they went on a three-game win streak. Again, he waited late in the season to get the running game started. Another problem is the Raiders’ defense.
The Raiders gave Chandler Jones a massive contract in the hopes that he’d be the pass rusher to closeout games — he hasn’t been that guy. Teams average 365 yards per game on the Raiders’ defense. They rank 24th in points scored against with an average of 24.1, and their third down defense is one of the worst. Needless to say, the defense too often failed to live up to expectations.
If football is a team game, why are people pointing to the quarterback as the odd man out? You wouldn’t know it with Josh McDaniels as a head coach, but Derek Carr has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for a few years now.
Why Derek Carr is not the problem for the Raiders
The Raiders’ signal-caller doesn’t get a lot of positive media attention, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good quarterback. Carr is a good quarterback. The 31-year-old has thrown for over 4,000 yards in each of the last four seasons. He also has 96 touchdown passes and just 32 interceptions in that span. Carr’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is really good, and it’s one of the main reasons why he’s a good quarterback.
His 87.9 career passer rating isn’t elite, but it’s really good. Carr has also thrown for over 11,000 yards and 64 touchdowns in his career. Those are good numbers, and they show that Carr is a good quarterback. Let’s take a look beyond the numbers
The Raiders quarterback is also a good leader. He showed that through the tumultuous 2021 NFL season that saw his head coach get fired. Despite the controversy and noise surrounding the franchise, he was the man under center when the Raiders made it to the playoffs. In 2022, Carr doesn’t look the same. Sure, there are some injuries, and the defense failed to live up to expectations. However, the main change was the head coach, and the results speak for themselves.
Despite the naysayers, Carr is the face of the Raiders franchise, and he’s a good quarterback. The problem is, McDaniels and Carr aren’t a good match. Maybe it could change next season, but if the Raiders had to make a choice, they should keep the quarterback and fire the head coach.