The Oakland Raiders are trying to bounce back from a miserable 2017 campaign, and Derek Carr seems very pleased with new head coach Jon Gruden.
Derek Carr is the man in Oakland. That should never, ever be disputed. What is up for discussion, however, is just how he will perform under the very demanding Jon Gruden, who was brought on to push Oakland’s pirate bunch to contender status.
Well, judging by what is coming out of California’s wine country, it seems as if Carr is adjusting quite well. Actually, he’s grateful to be learning how to better his game under Gruden’s tutelage.
According to ESPN, Carr had nothing but positive reviews from the first two weeks of training camp, saying that he’s grateful that the Raiders “believe” in his ability to lead this team to the promised land.
He also had glowing reviews for his new coach, going as far as thanking Raiders owner Mark Davis for bringing him aboard the ship.
“I just said thank you for, you know, for believing in me,” he told ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez after the Raiders held a joint practice with the Detroit Lions.
Okay, there are some out there who will read this and think that Carr has thrown his former coaches to the side, especially Jack Del Rio, who gave Carr every opportunity to be the player that he is today.
He didn’t, though, as he took time to give his former coaches some love as well.
“After you let a coach go, it is always tough, because I love coach Del Rio, I love coach (Todd) Downing (why?) and it’s like, ‘Dang, man, what’s next?”
What’s next is Gruden pushing this team to its potential.
As good as Del Rio was, he couldn’t coax this team to fulfill its true potential, which is why Gruden was brought in. It’s time for the Raiders to return to glory, and Carr is the guy that will lead them there.
Or else, he’ll face the wrath of Gruden, which is a terrible thing in itself.