How will Jets take Advantage of Carr's Issues Under Pressure?

Oakland Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr will be making his first NFL start Sunday against the New York Jets. Drafted early in the second round (36^th overall), Carr was expected to watch and learn behind veteran Matt Schaub for a few weeks until getting a chance to start sometime after Oakland’s Week 5 bye.

The preseason showed us that there wasn’t much for Carr to see or learn from Schaub, unless throwing wounded ducks and making questionable decisions have suddenly become desirable traits as an NFL quarterback. The Raiders then came out and said Schaub had an “elbow issue” and was uncertain for Week 1, leading to Carr being named starter. Schaub is now reportedly healthy and practicing in full.

It seems likely that the Raiders made up the injury to Schaub to avoid the perception that their $13.5 million man couldn’t beat out a second-round rookie. Regardless of speculation about Schaub’s “injury,” Carr did play well in the preseason (30-for-45, 326 yards, 4:1 TD:INT ratio) and his performance in the final game against Seattle (11-for-13, 143 yards, 3 TD) sealed the deal. Carr is still a rookie, however, and one likely to experience significant growing pains.

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