Quarterback Derek Carr
While Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr wasn't present in Houston for the team's 27-14 playoff loss, he felt every bit of it from his couch. Saturday afternoon, No. 4 spent the entirety of the game watching the Silver and Black take on the Texans in the AFC Wild Card game from the comfort of his home. Since breaking his fibula Christmas Eve, Carr has continually expressed his anguish at not being able to help his teammates.
Monday morning, the Fresno State-product took to the air waves to talk with 95.7 The Game's J.T. the Brick one final time and wrap up the 2016 season.
Here are the quick hits from his time on the air:
Carr shared that his recovery process is going well, and feels like his leg is healing nicely.
"Feeling really good, obviously now that we're not playing, taking it slow to make sure it heals properly and all those things… I'm doing very good, just listening to doctors and trainers orders, which is hard for me because I want to do more things, but obviously since we're not playing now they're all about slowing the process down and taking it slow. I'll be ready here very, very shortly."
The Raiders signal-caller broke down rookie quarterback Connor Cook's performance Saturday, and spoke about where he excels on the field.
"He's a very poised guy, coming in he's big, he's strong in the pocket, very poised, very calm in the pocket. That's very hard to do as a rookie, the game and that pass rush, TV does not do it justice. I can tell you by doing both, by watching the games on TV and watching from behind center, TV does not do it justice at all. For him to be poised and calm like that, no matter the mistakes, no matter what was happening, that's what fires me up, man."
Carr talked about his relationship with left tackle Donald Penn.
"Going back to the [Indianapolis] Colts game, that was never his fault, that was a freak thing. Quarterbacks get hit every week, and for whatever reason two quarterbacks on the same day did the same thing. It's just a freak thing. It is what it is, and he shouldn't feel bad one bit. Obviously, he never wants me to be touched or he feels bad about it, and I understand that, but I hope he never ever has a doubt or worry about me again with that day."
His message to Raider Nation was a simple one; be very proud.
"Be very excited, be very excited. We won 12 games, that hasn't been done here in a very, very long time, since I was in elementary school, as a matter of fact. That hasn't happened here in a while, enjoy it, know that we have a good football team, know that we have great coaches, know that we have great players. As Raider fans know, it doesn't come around all the time, and we just want everyone to enjoy the process."
Carr said he hasn't had much time to evaluate his game since season's, but thinks he can develop more in a multitude of areas.
"I feel like everything; me and [quarterbacks] Coach [Todd] Downing sat down yesterday after the team meeting and he told me… this was the first time I've even gotten this year and say, 'okay what do I need to get better at?' He wrote some things down, literally just, 'Here are some things, we'll talk about them in a couple weeks.' I'll have a better answer in a couple of weeks when I can study the film, and really break it down, and see what I can do better."
