Raider Fan 365

Raiders move on from Carr With the Raiders increasingly likely to move on from Derek Carr this off-season,  attention will soon turn to Carr's successor.  Not a rookie It's unlikely to be a rookie as Josh McDaniels will be under some pressure to win games next year. Although that's not to say Dave Ziegler won't draft a QB to redshirt for a year.  Familiarity The expectation is that Josh McDaniels will look to familiarity, which leaves four possibilities:  Tom Brady - although Brady may decide to retire and is also linked to the Saints and a returning Sean Payton Jimmy Garappolo   - set to become a free agent for the first time in his career. According to Spotrac.com, he is set to command a salary of $35m/year - a lot for a guy who regularly misses games through injury Jacoby Brissett - looked good standing in for Watson in Cleveland and a lot cheaper, but less experienced,  than other options Jarret Stidham - Carrs backup has very little starting experience and is al

Raiders will move on from Carr There is simply no way Derek Carr returns to the Raiders now next season. Carr has had a disastrous campaign - statistically one of his worst in the silver and black. Josh Jacobs expressed his frustration at the offense after the Steelers loss. "Everyday I come here and bust my ass and I see the guys busting their ass and the result is not there. "For me, the last 4 years, the result has not been there. And quite frankly, I don't know what else to do" Will Josh Jacobs be packing his bags to leave Las Vegas? A significant and poignant ending to the quote and sadly may indicate that Jacobs will be extra enthusiastic about free agency. After the game Washington Post NFL writer Jason La Canfora wrote in sombre fashion:- "Derek Carr ain't gonna be back in Vegas next year " The Raiders may now even cut Carr at the season's end, but this is unlikely. Despite his mediocre efforts Carr will likely comman

The big question hanging over the Raiders this off-season is what to do with Darek Carr?  DC4 is not the perfect QB. Statistically (and with some degree of regularity) he's around 10th best in the NFL.  DC4 is a tough dude, even though many of my Raider brethren will disagree on this point. But he has an impressive list of 4th quarter comeback wins, and his stats hold up with many an NFL QB (apart from the L column). Derek Carr's QBR this year, 89.3, is 10th in the NFL Personally I'd only move on from Carr if there was an obvious 'upgrade' at hand. Does Tom Brady fancy a final fling in Las Vegas? Will we show Lamar Jackson the money? Will we be in a position to draft the big 3 QBs in the draft (Young, Stroud, Leves)?  If the answer to these questions is no, then Derek Carr will be back in silver and black next season. 

Major Changes Ahead for the Raiders Roster "We play to win the game" said Herm Edwards famously many years ago. Well, not Josh McDaniels.  Just Don't Lose Baby The Raiders head coach plays not to lose. McDaniel regularly institutes conservative play calling whenever the Raiders have taken significant leads. The Raiders have blown four 13 point leads this season. A staggering number by any standard.  Rather than 'Just Win Baby', with McDaniels it's more a case of 'Just Don't Lose Baby'  16-25 All Time Head Coach Record I'm beginning to suspect Josh McDaniels is not a great head coach. His career head coaching record is historically bad - verging in fact on an all time worst head coaching record. The numbers don't lie and it  but don't expect any change. Mark Davis is stubborn and will not want to admit error.  So instead of firing McDaniels, I suspect Davis will ask McDaniels what he needs to succeed. McDaniels will assuredly

This is a very simple question. Should Josh McDaniels be fired?  The season has been a total trainwreck littered with blown leads, poor decision making and terrible QB play. My take is give him one more year but with a new QB With Jimmy G, CJ Stroud or even.......Tom Brady.... McDaniels would be a more confident, competent head coach. 

Earlier in the season Josh McDaniels faced a torrent of criticism and a deluge of pressure. And by earlier in the season, I mean last month. Blown leads, indifferent play calling and poor coaching adjustments contributed to a section of the Raiders fan base (me included) calling for coaching change. I was wrong. We were all wrong. Josh McDaniels is the real deal. The Raiders locker room is clearly tight, as evidenced by the post game locker room videos these past three winning Sundays.  Team morale is clearly high. And the players are settling into the new system. McDaniels has lead from the front and the players have responded. The season is still somewhat forlorn (we have to win all of our remaining games for a shot at the playoffs - which would ultimately be an 8 game winning streak). But the foundations are being laid and the optimism is increasing that maybe, just maybe, the Raiders have got themselves a progressive coaching regime with success on the horizon.