Before the Oakland Raiders hit the field Wednesday afternoon to begin preparation for their Week 13 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, quarterback Derek Carr held his weekly press conference at the team's Alameda, Calif., facility.
Here are the highlights from his time behind the podium.
Carr shared his thoughts about Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith.
"He's very good. He takes care of the ball. He's very athletic. He can run. I remember watching him when he was in San Francisco when my brother was here, so I remember watching him then, too. So I've watched him a lot, but I think he's a great player."
Regardless of the situation, his mentality stays the same.
"I'll do whatever it takes to win. That's my mindset, though, is whatever it takes to win. In my preparation, in the weight room, on the practice field, on game day, that's my mindset and that's everyone's mindset. That's what makes this game so fun."
What a difference a year makes.
"Oh my goodness. A year makes a difference. I know what to expect. I think the experience is the biggest part, because you know how your body is going to feel at a certain time. You know how your body will react to certain things and all that. You just stay the course, really, is what we just talked about, is you know how to stay the course now, whereas at first, like last year, I was learning. I was learning on the fly, whereas now I know what I did that I liked and I just try to stay doing that."
He also spoke about the ascent of wide receiver Seth Roberts.
"It's his work ethic and there is no substitute for that. There is no trick or magic anything. The guy… I tell this story all the time, man. We threw right out here and the first time we ever threw together, it was us as rookies. We remember sitting there like it wasn't probably as pretty as he would have liked. You think back from that moment to where he's at to catching two game-winners now. The only way you get there is by hard work and that's what he's done."
