Pinpoint: Carr’s Laser Focus Leads Raiders
Derek Carr is throwing the ball at a blistering average of 1.91 seconds. That miniscule amount of time from snap to throw, is not only indicative of how quickly the Oakland Raiders franchise quarterback reads and reacts to the defense, but also the team’s desire to impose its will.
“The good thing is coach (Jack) Del Rio doesn’t want to come off the gas,” said Raiders Offensive Coordinator Todd Downing during Wednesday’s media session. “We stay aggressive with our game plan.”
Same goes for the other side of the ball.
“Be physical and go get the ball,” said defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. “It’s important to us to get the offense the ball as much as possible. That’s one of our big goals.”
At 2-0, the Raiders are afforded the chance to force their will on the Washington Redskins on primetime this Sunday night.
For Downing, offensive success starts where it always has been: the offensive line.
“It’s impossible for us to do anything offensively without those guys,” he said. “Those five guys, they’re the straw that stirs the drink.”
The fiery five — Donald Penn, Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson and Marshall Newhouse — that compose the Nation of Domination offensive line has given Carr ample time to operate and the holes for runners to exploit. While the play design and concepts dictate Carr flick the ball early, he could drop back in a five-step drop be safe to scan and dissect the field.
But it’s that speed and tempo that allows both Carr and Downing to throw a barrage of different looks and formations at the opposition. It’s akin to the quick-paced dink-and-dunk offense that carried the 2002 Raiders to the Super Bowl, albeit, a bit more explosive.
“We want him to play fast,” Downing said of Carr. “I think he’s done a nice job. We’re not trying to make it a scenario on every play he’s walking up to the line of scrimmage and evaluating something.
“If he sees something that makes me look like a better play caller, (I tell him) have at it.”
Flip to Norton and defensive success is continued collective rhythm and harmony.
“It’s important we get our execution down and our game plan together and our ability to play hard and work hard as a team,” Norton said. “And if we play our style of football, it won’t matter who we play.”
The Redskins offense should give the Raiders a stiffer test than the New York Jets provided last Sunday. Like Oakland, Washington boasts an intelligent gunslinging quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Raiders’ cornerback David Amerson noted the defense needs to make Cousins uncomfortable and back up that pressure with sticky coverage on the outside.
Norton, whose defense saw safeties sprint towards the quarterback routinely on well-disguised blitzes against the Jets, shared what makes for a successful extra rush.
“Timing and a guy who knows how to blitz and a guy who knows how to finish,” Norton said. “But it’s all about timing and how bad do you want it.”
Sunday’s tilt is perfect timing for the Raiders to show how badly they want another Vince Lombardi Trophy.
