Quarterback Derek Carr
The Oakland Raiders are officially 8-2 and sit atop the AFC, but didn't get there without facing a tough Houston Texans team Monday night. Quarterback Derek Carr led the Silver and Black's offense and helped the team overcome a seven-point fourth quarter deficit, en route to their 27-20 victory. Tuesday, Carr chimed in for his weekly update with 95.7 The Game's J.T. the Brick to break down the showdown in Mexico City.
Here's the quick hits from his time on the air:
**Carr talked about playing at a high elevation and how the team battled through it.
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"Honestly walking up that long walk to the locker room, it wasn't that bad when we were playing the game. We were so focused I don't think anybody noticed, but you could definitely feel it. I think our guys did a great job of not letting it affect them."
He broke down the Texans defense and what makes them such a challenging group to face.
"I think they do a great job with their scheme, I think they put people in position to make plays, and obviously they have a lot of talent on their defense. They're definitely one of the best defenses I've ever played."
The Fresno State-product shared that the team knew they needed to play better in the second half and they were prepared.
"I think what was really cool was our whole team understood that we hadn't play our best, we weren't doing things at a level we really though we should, and the score was still 10-10. That alone gave us a lot of confidence in what we were doing and we knew that if we could just clean it up, and keep believing, it was going to turn at any moment."
**Carr praised Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie for providing the coaching staff with the tools necessary to be good.
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"What I think is so cool is that our front office, [Head] Coach Del Rio, and everybody have gotten players that can do a lot of different things, they're not one dimensional. Like you said, all of our running backs, our fullbacks, they don't just run, they don't just block, they can make explosive plays in the pass game. Our receivers, they don't just catch the ball and make these fantastic highlight reel plays, they also go downfield and block their tails off. Our tight ends can block, they can catch, they can run. I think Reggie has done a fantastic job of giving our coaches players that can do a lot of different things."
The third-year quarterback discussed what wide receiver Amari Cooper brings to the huddle and commended his knowledge of the game.
"He's got the perfect personality I think, he's always motivated, he always knows that he's winning, after every play. If I don't throw it to him or anything like that, he's coming back to the huddle, he and I are talking even after run plays… He's such a smart player, he's always engaged, and he always knows that at any moment, even if it's the last play, he can get the football. He stays confident in all of those things and he honestly just comes back to the huddle and plays the mental side of the game."
