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One former Raider QB on another former Raider QB . . .
QB Derek Carr, who visited the Jets last weekend, doesn’t have a great lifetime record as a starter.
And as Bill Parcells always said, “You are what your record says you are.”
Former Raider QB Rich Gannon of SiriusXM NFL Radio thinks Carr’s record matters.
“The bottom line, and what I can’t get over is, just look at the numbers – we get evaluated at quarterback by our won-loss record – he’s 63–79 as a starting quarterback for the Raiders in nine seasons,” said Gannon. “He’s never taken a team to a division title.”
Gannon’s not so sure switching teams is going to be a major fix for Carr and change who he is.
“I don’t think you all of a sudden switch team and become a championship-caliber player,” Gannon said. “I just don’t know it that has been in his DNA the last nine seasons.”
Gannon feels Carr has a lot of talent, but . . .
“I would simply say that guy has a lot of talent,” Gannon said. “If you worked him out and put him through a combine test, you would jump up and down and say, ‘This is the guy we want.’ But when you get him under center and get some pressure around him in a congested pocket, he’s not necessarily the same guy.”
But nonetheless, Gannon feels Carr is going to be paid a lot of money by some team in free agency.
“Don’t feel sorry for him,” Gannon said. “He’s going to hit the jackpot and make a lot of money this off-season. There are 10-12 teams that need help with a quarterback.”
And here lies the problem.
Some team is going to pay him likely between $30-$40 million per season on a multi-year deal, and based on the money, fans, and reporters are going to expect to perform like an elite QB, based on his contract, but it doesn’t work that way in sports.
Just because you pay somebody a fortune, it doesn’t make them better than they are.
A team’s desperation, and profligate spending, can’t make a player elite.
And if Carr is going to have any chance of having some success with his new team, he’s going to need a strong supporting cast – a good offensive line, running game, and defense.
And if you spent too much on his contract, you might have to short-change other positions, which could hurt his ability to have some success, whatever success truly looks like with this player.
I did an interview on VSIN this morning. The video is on YouTube, and I was asked about whether the Jets are one player away.
I said, “No.”
As you all know, maybe I’m in the minority, but I think their run defense was substandard during their six-game losing streak to end the season. People are so focused on the QB position, so this issue didn’t get the attention it deserved, at least in my humble opinion.
To me, a huge need is a massive, athletic run-stuffing defensive tackle.
They desperately need a coverage linebacker with big-time instincts. Tight ends continued to dominate the Jets’ pass defense last year.
They also need a ball-hawking safety to team with Jordan Whitehead, who does his best work in the box.
There are other needs.
They are not one player away.
My position on the Jets QB situation is if they can get Aaron Rodgers, go for it, but pass on overpaying any of the other guys.
If you can’t get Rodgers, go with Mike White.
Spending big bucks on a QB with a 63-79 record seems like a waste of money, money that needs to be spent on other positions of need.
February 21, 2023
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