Former NFL General Manager and Senior Personnel Executive for the Raiders Michael Lombardi spoke to Silver and Black Today and said there is reason to be concerned about Derek Carr.
Derek Carr has generated much of the scorn of Raider Nation for the team’s poor start in 2018 almost as much as his coach Jon Gruden. While the fans often vent frustrations with Carr as their whipping boy, the media has equal scorn for the NFL’s first $100 million coach.
Michael Lombardi, long-time NFL executive, and former Raiders personnel boss believes the success or failure of both men are interdependent at this point. So if you’re looking to blame one person, it’s most likely not the answer.
“Jon’s (Gruden) biggest challenge, I think, is by far the quarterback play and it’s s the hardest thing to overcome for him right now,” Lombardi told us. “They’ve been so competitive in games, except for the last one (Chargers.) If the quarterback play was better and more consistent, things could be very different.”
While Lombardi hasn’t talked to Gruden himself about Carr, he intimated in his The Athletic column the coach could be arriving at the conclusion he might need a better quarterback – in addition to lots of other holes on the Raiders.
“I think the one thing that people thought of when they saw the Raiders was at least they’re good at the quarterback position,” Lombardi told Silver and Black Today. “Now that he’s (Gruden) got in there, the work that it’s going to take to fix the quarterback position is more than they initially thought. After five weeks that’s fairly clear.”
It’s clear Carr’s biggest issue has been errors in decision making at critical times. He currently leads the NFL in interceptions (8) and has thrown too many of those in the red zone and it’s cost the Raiders dearly. He often checks down too often and appears more than nervous in the pocket. The added pressure after the trade of the defensive face of the franchise, Khalil Mack, seems to have exacerbated the situation.
For Lombardi, the biggest red flag is not Carr’s high number of interceptions, but his lack of improvement from week to week.
“The biggest concern after five weeks is Carr hasn’t really improved,” Lombardi said. “He keeps making the same mistakes over and over again. Poor decisions in the red zone especially. He gets rid of the ball too quickly. He’s not been able to take that next step. Maybe he will over the next 11 weeks but so far, I haven’t seen it.”
When asked what, if anything, Gruden can do to help Carr take that next step, Lombardi wasn’t sure as he believes Gruden is still one of the best quarterback coaches out there.
Lombardi says Gruden’s troubles at the QB spot have been the coach’s biggest issue in 2018.
“You know, Jon is a really good quarterbacks coach. Jon makes quarterbacks better,” Lombardi said. “Look, Andy Reid got Alex Smith to play a lot better, so it doesn’t mean the end is near. It’s a work in progress. But Jon is damn good at making even marginal quarterbacks play better.”
Is it time for Gruden and the Raiders to start thinking about Plan B? After all, when Gruden was hired he made it known to the world one of the reasons he was returning to Oakland was Carr. Gruden said Carr was the face of the franchise. For Lombardi, it’s too early to make that choice but it is coming and the coach and the Raiders franchise are closing in on a time where they will have to decide if Carr is the right quarterback to take them to the promised land.
“You have to give it more time,” Lombardi said. “That being said, there are always avenues to explore. They have AJ McCarron as the backup and there’s nothing from stopping them from taking a Dak Prescott-type guy in the fourth round and maybe he works out and maybe he doesn’t. But for the next 27 games, they’ve got to see where they are.”
Lombardi added Gruden sees more film of Carr than anyone since he has access to practice tapes, etc. Only Gruden and his staff have a better idea of where Carr is truly at than even his game tape and performance suggest. That’s not to say Carr couldn’t pull out of it and make his coach and Raider Nation believers once again.
“I don’t think you can make that decision until you have all the data,” Lombardi said in closing. “That’s going to take the next 27 games and that will be the key. The coaching won’t change, the continuity is there now so it’s really on him to show he can get the job done or Jon will have to make a choice.”
Buy Lombardi’s best seller: Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in the NFL