Most Oakland Raiders fans would agree upstart quarterback Derek Carr played some of his best ball while calling the shots out of a no-huddle offense.
Carr is about to call the shots more than usual in 2017.
New offensive coordinator Todd Downing isn’t afraid to give Carr more control of the attack, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez:
“There’s been a lot made about his command at the line of scrimmage. There’s certainly going to be opportunities for Derek to do that. … Where I see him needing a little bit more command is just being able to share his thoughts of game plans. Being a student of the game, as he already is, but vocalize what he likes and doesn’t like. I think my relationship with him is something that’s going to give him the opportunity to voice his opinions. I look forward to him really taking charge of expressing his thoughts on the offense.”
Smart move by the Raiders—Carr just finished third in MVP voting while completing a career high 63.8 percent of his passes with 3,937 yards, 28 touchdowns and a career low six interceptions.
Going into his fourth season, Carr has steadily developed into the franchise player the Raiders hoped he could be. The obvious next progression was handing him more control of the offense he is comfortable running.
If brief glimpses of Carr in control of the offense last year are any sign, the trust is well deserved and the offense should be even more effective. It’s not what the rest of the AFC West wants to hear, but great news for the Raiders.
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