Derek Carr, named the Oakland Raiders' starting quarterback six days before the team's Week 1 clash with the New York Jets, enters the first game of his NFL career carrying the weight of two families on his shoulders.
The first family is obvious. Derek Carr is the brother of former NFL quarterback David Carr, widely recognized as one of the biggest quarterback busts of the 21st century. As the first pick in the 2002 NFL draft by the expansion Houston Texans, David Carr was supposed to provide the one thing every franchise—expansion or otherwise—needs: a franchise quarterback.
Instead, the Carr name became synonymous with NFL failure.
Turned gun shy after taking beatings that should have resulted in a call to children and youth services, David Carr devolved into a checkdown artist and leader of a constantly sputtering offense. The Texans were never better than the 15th-best offense in football during Carr's tenure, per Football Outsiders' DVOA metric, ranking outside the top 20 in four of his five seasons at the helm.
Houston paid more than $20 million for a quarterback who never threw more than 16 touchdowns in a season and accumulated more turnovers than scores.
Derek is not David. He was not the first overall pick—he wasn't even a first-round draft choice. Taken No. 36 overall, he comes with neither the heavy burden of a massive contract nor the statistical likelihood of superstardom. As Grantland's Bill Barnwell wrote, "the second round seems to produce about one superstar quarterback and nine busts each decade."
David and Derek are incomparable. Except that everything about both of their careers invites comparison.
Houston moved on from David Carr before the 2007 season. His replacement? Matt Schaub, the man who Derek Carr beat out for the Raiders' starting gig. The synergy—David's NFL exit, Derek's NFL arriv...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
