“When you have that kind of confidence in your quarterback, it changes the dynamics on your squad,” said NFL Network Analyst Bucky Brooks about Derek Carr. Brooks made the comment after watching Carr lead the Raiders to a comeback victory over the defending NFC Champion Carolina Panthers despite a dislocated pinkie finger on his throwing hand.
Yes, on his throwing hand. Carr the’s primary reason that the Oakland Raiders stand tall at the top of the AFC playoff picture right now.
As we head into the fourth quarter of the season, Oaktown is right there with the New England Patriots in the battle for AFC supremacy and playoff home field supremacy.
In fact, Raiders versus Patriots was the Sunday NFL talking head show topic du jour this week, and then it carried over into the weekday debate desk SHOUTING match shows.
Barring a complete collapse, the Raiders will reach the playoffs for the first time since 2002. We’ve discussed Derek Carr taking the proverbial “next step” early in the season. now he’s looking a bonafide NFL MVP front-runner.
A former Raiders signal caller, and current CBS Analyst, Rich Gannon, sees Derek Carr potentially taking home the award.
His play after being injured) speaks volumes about his toughness and leadership… They are guaranteed their first winning season since 2002 when yours truly was there. It starts with Derek Carr who is having an MVP-type season,” Gannon said on his show NFL Monday QB this week.
“To go deep in the playoffs, your quarterback has to make plays up the field. Derek Carr makes them every single week,” added another former Raiders QB, Steve Beuerlein, on the show. Another former AFC West QB, Trent Green, discussed what it’s like to play QB in the NFL with an injured hand.
“I experienced this on my left hand, so my non-throwing hand, which is no big deal. You pop it in place, tape it together and away you go,” Green said. “But when it’s on your throwing hand, you have to make big adjustments. The adjustment that (Carr) made was putting a glove on… The ball comes out of your hand differently when wearing a glove. The fact that Derek Carr was able to continue to play in the game and continue at such a high level was very impressive. He’ll have time now to throw during the week and get adjusted to playing with the glove.”
Gutsy and inspirational performance by Carr this week. Definitely a moment in the mold of a most valuable player.
The passing game is no doubt the strength of the Silver and Black. The running game is solid too, but it’s not on par with the passing attack. The defense is still kind of leaky; with the pass defense being vulnerable. Still, this is really looking like the breakthrough year in Oakland; finally!
Could that result in Raider being named MVP?
Former Oakland star Charles Woodson, a year removed from his playing career, made some obvious attention-seeking click bait predictions in the preseason. Woodson picked the Raiders to win the Super Bowl, and Oakland Linebacker Khalil Mack to win league MVP.
Coincidentally, about that 2002 playoff appearance- Oakland went 11–5 that season, won their third-straight division title, and clinched the top seed in the playoffs. They went on to win the AFC, but lose to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.
The starting quarterback?
Rich Gannon, who was actually named MVP of the NFL by the way, after he passed for a league-high 4,689 yards.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.