Is it time for A.J. McCarron to get his chance to impress the Oakland Raiders faithful?
The current situation in Oakland is dire. The 1-5 Raiders have the bye this week and coach Jon Gruden has put everyone on notice. He is prepared to part ways with anyone and everyone.
Let’s be real for a minute. The Raiders were in the first three games of the year until halftime then fell apart to lose all three. Week four, they came home with a wet sail in the fourth quarter to roll the Cleveland Browns in overtime. Week five they were destroyed by AFC West division rival the LA Chargers who were 2-2 at the time. Last week in London, the Seattle Seahawks made them look like a high school football team.
The Time For Change Is Now
Derek Carr is struggling in every aspect of the game this season. He has so many quality players around him, including Marshawn Lynch, Jared Cook, Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson, some teams would kill for that sort of offensive talent. The problem is Carr cannot seem to connect with them when it counts.
The offensive line isn’t helping the situation, Carr has been sacked 17 times through five games for a total loss of more than 95 yards.
He has completed 167 of 233 passes at 71 percent for seven touchdowns and eight intercepts. Any established quarterback who throws more intercepts than touchdowns needs to be sitting on the sidelines.
He has a QB rating of 89.4, the league average is 103. The worst stat of all, his QB rating inside the red zone is 14.8. A rating that low in one of the most important areas on the field to succeed in is grounds for benching even if the relationship between Gruden and Carr is solid.
McCarron may not be the answer to everyone’s problems but Derek Carr certainly isn’t working.