Quarterback Derek Carr
Derek Carr played one heck of a game last Thursday, as the Oakland Raiders quarterback helped the team defeat the Kansas City Chiefs by throwing for 417 yards and three touchdowns, with the final result being a 31-30 nail-biting thriller. This Sunday, Carr will need to step up once again, and help propel his group against a stout Buffalo Bills defense. With practice getting underway Wednesday, he met with reporters for his weekly press conference to recap last week's win, as well as the Raiders' Week 8 matchup.
Here are the quick hits from his time at the podium:
No. 4 talked about the versatility of wide receiver Amari Cooper, and how he can beat you in a variety of ways.
"People just can't set their watch to where he's going to be. If you can move him around, there's been times this year where he's been in the backfield. There's times he's out wide, he's inside, he's on the two-receiver side, he's on the one-receiver side, he's in the three-receiver side but he's inside, he's the second guy, he's the first guy. We definitely try and have something planned where he's all over the place. It makes it easy on me because I don't focus on, 'OK he's in this spot, I have to get him this ball.' I just still go through my reads the way it takes me and those kind of things."
With the Raiders embarking on a two-week road stint, Carr shared what being away from home that long is like.
"One thing for me is even last year, my family's going to be there. They're way more important than football to me. I'll definitely fly them out so that they're there so I can see my wife and my babies. But the advantage is, one, you don't have to wake up earlier because of traffic or drive, you just walk downstairs. And two, you get to eat every meal with your teammates. It's almost like another, I think I said it last year, it's almost like another camp where we're all together. We're all doing things together."
Ever since quarterback EJ Manuel arrived in the offseason, Carr's relationship with the former Florida State Seminole has continued to grow.
"That was the joy that I had when he got here, is I'm going to make sure that he knows every day what I think about him. He told me that he thinks a lot of what I have to say, so I said 'OK, I'm going to tell you what I think of you and this is what I think of you: I think you're one of the most talented people I've ever been around. I think that you have a very bright future. I'm glad that you're here, I'm glad that you're here with us. Just keep working. I'm glad we added another great player.'"
He stated second-year running backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington will play an important role this Sunday.
"They're going to have to play a big role, which is fine for them, they've done it before in games for us. They can both do the same things. It's not like, oh man, only Jalen can do this or only DeAndré can do this. Even Jamize [Olawale], only Jamize can do this. All three of those guys can come in and play ball. As we've talked about with coach Downing, everyone has a role, yes, but at the same time, you have to know everything. You're responsible for every bit of information at your position so that if it happens, if someone is not able to play, you can jump in and be the next man up."
Carr reflected on last week's game against the Chiefs, specifically tight end Jared Cook's performance.
"That fourth down was huge. Obviously, we needed it, for him to be able to get big and make that play against a coverage where he's not really supposed to get in there. That right there using his size and then the go-ball which we thought was the last one, to be able to have a guy that we can put out wide and run receiver routes and have a one-on-one and say I'm going to give him a chance, then him to make that play. To have that while you have 'Coop,' Seth [Roberts], 'Crab' [Derek Carr] on the inside, to move them and do different things, it changes things. It's so crucial to have. I'm glad he was able to make the plays that he did."
