Derek Carr Loves Josh McDaniels Already
Spider Two Y Banana is out. Genius is in. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr seems to be enjoying his new head coach. It’s fair to be skeptical of Josh McDaniels at this point. The Tim Tebow Broncos thing was weird and he straight up bailed on the Colts on the drop of a dime.
Maybe we should be higher on this McDaniels thing than we think? McDaniels openly admits he wasn’t ready for that Broncos job.
Check out what Derek Carr had to say today about his new head coach. He even used the word “Genius”.
“The depth of the conversations that we’re having is encouraging,” Carr told Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. “It’s fun for me. The best part of my game has always been the mental side. And that’s how Josh is. He’s a genius when it comes to scheming things up and teaching his system and getting the best out of his players.”
“I feel like a better football player,” Carr said of his time with McDaniels. “And I’ve had a lot of great coaches. He’s come in, he’s seen those things, ‘Wow, that’s awesome. What about this, too? What about this here?’ It’s helping me grow. It’s been really fun to be around him.”
It’s probably safe to say McDaniels is the best offensive mind Carr has ever played for. Even during Carr’s MVP caliber year in 2016, that was with defensive head coach Jack Del Rio. Regardless, it’s quite the endorsement for McDaniels. Carr seems thrilled with the decision to hire the former Bill Belichick disciple.
Don’t come with your water pistol in the AFC West. Even if the Raiders are good, it may not be enough in this division. It’s a high bar but if McDaniels proves he’s a smart and capable head coach, the Raiders certainly appear to be in the mix for the division crown. Garrett is one person that seems to be higher on the Raiders than others.
Carr hasn’t crossed the 30 touchdown threshold since he did so in 2015 (32). The hope is that the former Fresno State quarterback can have a career year with McDaniels. That’s why they traded for his college teammate Davante Adams, right?
It remains to be seen whether McDaniels can shine away from Belichick. There haven’t been a long list of New England assistants minus Mike Vrabel thrive elsewhere. The good news is Carr says that McDaniels appears to be carving his own path with the Raiders.
“One thing Josh has done is he’s come in and he says, ‘This is not New England. This is Las Vegas,’” Carr told Perry. “‘We’re gonna do things our way.’ I’ve learned a lot of great things there that we’re going to implement, but I also have some things that I want to do my way.”
