ALAMEDA, Calif. – Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carrhas been selected as the Raiders 2017 Ed Block Courage Award recipient. The Ed Block Courage Award is presented to the player who exemplifies a commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.
Additionally, the award recognizes a player's efforts on and off the field, as well as their ability to overcome great adversity. The recipient is selected by a vote of his teammates.
Carr overcame a broken leg late in the 2016 season to enter 2017 as one of the league's elite quarterbacks, starting his first career 60 games. In Week 15, he crossed 3,000 yards for the fourth consecutive season to begin his career, just the sixth quarterback in NFL history to do so in each of their first four seasons (Andy Dalton, Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton and Ryan Tannehill).
In 2016, he became the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for 3,000 yards in each of his first three seasons and led seven fourth-quarter comebacks en route to winning the NFL's Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Year award.
Carr has enjoyed one of the most prolific starts to a career in NFL history, especially when it comes to finding the end zone. His 53 touchdowns rank second most by any NFL player through his first two seasons, trailing only Dan Marino (68). And although his 2016 season was cut short due to injury, he continued his stellar start to his career by throwing 28 more touchdowns in his third season. His 101 touchdowns are also 10th-most in the NFL since 2014.
Carr crossed the 100-touchdown barrier just 60 games into his NFL career, the quickest to reach 100 passing scores in Raiders history. By doing so in his first four seasons, Carr joined Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to toss 100 touchdowns through their first four seasons in the league.
Carr was named the Raiders' starting quarterback heading into the 2014 season, becoming the first rookie quarterback in team history to start in Week 1.
The Ed Block Courage Award annually honors one player from each NFL team. The award has become one of the most esteemed honors bestowed upon a player in the NFL, primarily because his selection is based upon a vote of his peers.
The Ed Block Courage Award is named in honor of Ed Block, the longtime head athletic trainer of the Baltimore Colts who was a pioneer in his profession and a respected humanitarian. In 1989, the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation formulated the Courage House National Support Network for Kids.
