Derek Carr Praises Marcus Mariota and Alec Ingold
The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of stars who do not receive much praise for their hard work on and off the field.
Starting quarterback Derek Carr brought up two teammates who have done beyond what they have asked from them and deserve to get the recognition they deserve.
Carr mentioned fullback Alec Ingold and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.
This training camp has been one of the most competitive camps Carr has ever been part of and seeing how these players are continuing to add to the work they put in last season.
"Probably the most thankless job," Carr said of Ingold. "From the outside looking in, your fullbacks block the guy. He has to see and hear the call, standing behind me with his hand in the ground, and he has to know the fronts, he's got to know where the safeties are, he's got to know so much to hit the right gap so that Josh (Jacobs) can hit the right gap."
The physical toll showed when Ingold played through rib injury last season from the collisions and blocks he had to encounter. If there is a reason a player wears a neck brace, it's because of the one-on-one battles he goes against with opposing players to extend and gain extra yards, and have a chance to put points on the board.
"(Ingold is) very vital to us and not only that, he's extending his role," Carr added. "He's trying to play running back, just in case someone's hurt he can go play running back, he knows all the assignments. He goes and plays tight end some days, he'll go with the tight ends and he'll run all the routes and know the protections and all that kind of stuf."
On the other hand, we all know what Mariota went through in Tennessee.
There are great guys in this league, and Mariota is at the very top of that list.
"So when he got to play last year when I pulled my groin, I couldn't have been more happy for him. I wish he would have won the game for himself because he was so down," Carr said.
After all, he went through, all the hard work he has put in is why Mariota is were he is today.
"For him to get back out there, I hope he doesn't play too much because then someone's gonna want to try and come get him, and we enjoy having him around," Carr said.
Now that Mariota is healthy, he has shown that he can play at the high-caliber level he did when he first entered the league.
Coming off surgery is tough, but everyone in the Raiders organization, including Carr, is rooting for him and hoping that he gets everything he wants in life.
The Raiders have two great players, Ingold and Mariota, who have put in the hard work after injuries set them back a bit.
To be where they are today, these two players have made a significant impact on the team and will continue to do so when called upon, and if the media doesn't write much about them, you know the locker room appreciate them very much.
Tell us what you think when you make sure you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Want the latest breaking Las Vegas Raiders news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Raiders Nation newsletter when you CLICK THE FOLLOW button on the main page. Don't miss any of the latest up to the second updates for your Las Vegas Raiders when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter
