Las Vegas Raiders Derek Carr Week 13 Update
HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders (4-7) are ready to take on the Los Angles Chargers (6-5) this weekend as they return to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Moments ago, quarterback Derek Carr talked about the state of the franchise and looked ahead to this weekend.
You can watch the entire press conference below, and read the transcript as well:
Quarterback Derek Carr
Q: Last game, it seemed like all 11 guys did their job on offense and defense. Is that kind of what you guys are trying to preach around here?
Carr: “Yeah, absolutely, and that's a perfect picture of football. Like, we see eight-yard gains, and we say: 'Wow, what a great run,' and all that kind of stuff. That's what happens when everyone does the right thing all the time. Defensive guys get paid, too, and make good plays and all that kind of stuff all the time. So, for something to come together like that, it doesn't happen often, but it was great timing for us."
Q: The first meeting with the Chargers, we knew their defensive line always is a handful. You saw Khalil Mack maybe a little more up close and personal in that game more times than you expected. What has the conversation with him been like since that game because I know you guys talk every week usually?
Carr: “Honestly, the amount of times we talk football compared to what we talk about when we talk about life is completely different. At the end the day, we're friends. We'll be friends forever. He's one of my favorite teammates I've ever had, one of my closest friends I have ever had playing football. Not this week, obviously. But we always check in on each other's families and things like that and wishing each other well, is really what it usually is."
Q: What can you and the offensive line learn from that last game that is going to benefit you this game?
Carr: “Well, any time you're playing a Hall of Fame type player, it's going to be hard. He's (Khalil Mack) someone who has made plays his whole career. And not just plays, but game-wrecking, game-changing type plays. Not only him, but their whole front. They've got guys all over the place, great depth all across that line, and that allows him to play freely and move around and do the things that he's best at."
Q: There are traits with quarterbacks who have fourth-quarter drives or game-winning drives, the obvious traits. What are some of those intangibles?
Carr: “I think you have to be extremely confident and you have to understand that it's not going to work out every time. You watch those basketball players take the last shot; they’ll be the first ones to tell you how many they've missed, and I'm the same way. But I think it's the confidence that every time you're in a situation, that you can do it. I think it starts with the mentality, the confidence. You know you have four downs really to throw for a first down or go run with your legs. So, making just good decisions. I wish I had like some big secret, but it really just comes down to taking the big moment and just simplifying it into: ‘OK, just doing my job on this play hopefully will lead us down the field and into the end zone.’"
Q: How much can the team improve just because it's getting on a win streak?
Carr: “I think for us the main word is improve, even if we do win games. Like I’ve been saying all year, I felt like we had a good football team, we just don't have a good record. We felt like we were doing good things. We felt like we were competing against some of the best teams in the NFL and all that kind of stuff. So, for us, it's just constant, never-ending self-improvement. You look in the mirror every day and I'll go watch our film and say: ‘OK, what did I do wrong here.’ And if everyone's doing that, then our team will do better down the road. And we can have plays like Josh's [Jacobs] long run where everyone hits their block exactly right and the checks and the blocks and the fits and the helmet is on the right side. So many little things in football, but when everyone is trying to improve and do it the right way, things like that can happen. So, hopefully for us we continue to do that. But just because we won last week or the week before, it doesn't guarantee anything going forward, and we know that."
Q: What do you remember about that crazy game last year when the Chargers came here?
Carr: “Oh, man, I remember there was a lot on the line. I remember it was two different teams. There’s lot of different faces on both sidelines, which is crazy. But I loved the atmosphere that our fans brought that day. It was a lot of fun."
Q: Have you seen growth from your team from where you guys were at that starting point of the season to where you are now?
Carr: “Oh, absolutely. When I went back and watched that game this week, you just look at it and you’re like: 'Oh my goodness.' It's really cool to see the growth, but at the same time you're like: ‘Man, the fact that we're doing some of those things in the game, you hit your head, like what are we doing.’ But you see the growth in our team, you see the growth in each person within the schemes, within what's being asked of them, and hopefully we're getting better. I feel like we are when you turn the tape on. But we still don't feel like we've arrived by any stretch. We still feel like even if we've had some success the last couple of weeks, that we still feel in the building, like, yeah we had success and we won a game, but our process just makes us feel hungry for more."
Q: Do you feel like you guys have a more balanced offense these last few weeks with Josh Jacobs running the ball?
Carr: “Yeah, I think all season we've wanted to be balanced. That's any offense you watch with Josh [McDaniels]. He's always wanted a balanced attack. Even when the Patriots were winning big, they were still running the ball super efficiently in the playoffs and down the stretch and all those things. It's something that we want to do, but some game situations get you out of that a little bit because of the clock running and not been able to get out of bounds as easy and all that kind of stuff. So, for us, we're always trying to be a balanced attack. I don’t know, probably all Wing-T this week though, and triple option. (laughter).
The Raiders' game on Sunday is in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. It kicks off at 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST. You can see that game on CBS.
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