A closer look at Derek Carr

Ed Szczepanski/USA TODAY Sports

This Sunday the Patriots will host the Oakland Raiders in their home opener and it looks like a possible easy win for Brady and the boys. The Raiders are 0-2 and looked terrible in their loss to Houston. There is one x factor to consider and that is their rookie quarterback Derek Carr.

The younger brother of former Texans quarterback David Carr was drafted in the second round this year and was considered a top tier quarterback. He was able to unseat the struggling Matt Schaub for the starting job due to his excellent pre-season performance. Before being drafted Rob Rang of CBS Sports analyzed Derek Carr's abilities stating:

NFL-caliber arm strength to sling the ball all over the field, with the ability to throw the deep fade and fire passes into tight windows. Shows the ability to square his shoulders and fire passes with velocity and accuracy. Demonstrates a combination of arm strength, accuracy and underrated athleticism. Astute ability to read coverages and recognize pressure at the line of scrimmage with several pre-snap adjustments based on obvious film study.

The Patriots are going to learn how to contain Carr from running down the field. In the Raiders game against Houston last week Carr was able to scamper 41 yards down the field. The Pats could run more sub packages to have speedier lineman going against him, and because it doesn't seem like MJD or Darren Mcfadden pose much of a threat in the run game.

What shouldn't concern the Patriots is who Derek Carr will be throwing to on Sunday. Right now the starting lineup for Raiders receivers are James Jones, Rod Streater, Denarius Moore and starting tight end Mychal Rivera. As Jerry Seinfeld would say "Who are these people?"

James Jones was able to gain over 100 yards receiving against the Texans but struggled against a depleted Jets secondary only gaining 34 receiving yards.

What I personally like most about Derek Carr is his maturity. He came off as the anti-Ryan Leaf when after the Jets loss he said:

“You can put it all on me, because I am going to go ahead and work my tail off and we’re going to fix things.”

Carr may be a quality quarterback someday but when you consider his supporting cast he looks to have a long day in Foxboro. The Patriots were able to intercept Matt Cassel four times last week and don't be surprised if they repeat that performance against Carr. Another point to consider is that Carr's season completion percentage (63.5%) is better than Brady's (56.4%).

How do you think Carr will fair against the New England defense? Let us know in the comments section.

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