It doesn’t get any more obvious.
After Thursday’s performance against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in a 41-31 win—11-of-13 for 143 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions—Oakland Raiders rookie Derek Carr should start in Week 1 versus the New York Jets.
Head coach Dennis Allen tried to avoid a quarterback controversy by naming Matt Schaub his starter, but by sticking with him now, he’s only delaying the inevitable.
When the Raiders selected Carr with the 36th overall pick in May, they were making a statement that he was the future. The only question was when the future would arrive for a team that hasn’t had a franchise quarterback since Rich Gannon.
According to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle via Pro Football Talk, the chances Carr will start Week 1 are 100 percent. For good reason.
The Raiders brought in Schaub, 33, to give them a veteran option, but after the team selected Carr, he became a bridge to the future. So far this preseason, Schaub has been as incapable of carrying the team as the former eastern span of the Bay Bridge was at carrying traffic.
Schaub, who is nursing a sore elbow, sat back and watched Carr thrive versus Seattle's first- and second-team defense—a unit that embarrassed Peyton Manning's record-setting offense in last year's Super Bowl.
This is what the Raiders wanted when they selected Carr. This was general manager Reggie McKenzie’s vision. McKenzie and Allen just have to trust their evaluation and their eyes.
McKenzie is the protégé of former Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who summed up the situation the Raiders now face perfectly.
"I would think in the ideal world everybody says you need to groom them slowly....
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
