If Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is the face of the franchise, then linebacker/defensive end Khalil Mack is its body. Carr and Mack not only share a bond as the Raiders first two picks in what now can probably pretty safely be dubbed the highly successful 2014 NFL Draft, they're also bonded as the leaders on their respective sides of the ball. It's good news for Raider Nation then that Carr and Mack seem to both be embracing their roles as torchbearers and simultaneously developing a strong connection with one another.
"We're always talking, tweeting, texting," Carr said after a recent Raiders training camp practice, via Bill Williamson of ESPN. "We've really hit it off. We became close pretty quickly ... it's kind of rare for offensive and defensive guys to become so close because we're not around each other a whole lot, but yeah, we're pretty close friends."
Carr believes the two have become close because they share a common goal and will need one another to achieve it - making the Raiders relevant in the Lombardi conversation again.
"We both want to get to the same place," Carr said. "And we both want to do it together."
While Mack, the stud defender everyone expects to rush the passer even more in 2015, is a man likely not wanting for motivation on a daily basis, he credits Carr with buoying the spirits of all the Raiders players are the team trudged out to a 0-10 start last year.
"He was the leader of our group," Mack said. "DC kept us all together. He just kept our heads straight and told us things will be getting better ... DC's a great friend."
The collective eyes of Raider Nation may be on Carr and newly minted first-round pick Amari Cooper - and there's no doubting that Cooper's development and ability to establish a rapport with Carr will go a long way toward turning the Oakland offense around next year - but it could be that the young franchise quarterback's relationship with a stud defensive end may wind up being the catalyst for a Raider resurgence that has been far too long in the offing.
