It looks as if the Raiders acquisition of Matt Schaub in the offseason isn't as essential as the team originally thought. Head coach Dennis Allen has given the nod to rookie Derek Carr over the 11-year veteran for Week One against the New York Jets.
It's been no secret that Carr has been making it tough for the Raiders to pass him up for the starting quarterback job after his three solid performances in the preseason this August. His final campaign on Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks was the icing on the cake for Oakland coaching staff, when he went 11-of-13 passing for 143 yards and three touchdowns in the team's 41-31 victory.
But the former Fresno State quarterback was also fairly impressive in his other two games against the Vikings and Lions (he missed the third week of the preseason with a concussion and rib injury). In his first ever NFL game, the rookie threw for 74 yards on 10-of-16 passing and an interception against Minnesota, but showed his ability to come back stronger when he went 9-of-16 in his second game for 109 yards and a touchdown in a 27-26 victory over the Lions.
And after his Thursday performance, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported earlier today that the Oakland Raiders' players were informed that Carr will be starting against the New York Jets on September 7 over Matt Schaub. This will be Schaub's first season as a backup in seven years, where he previously served as the starter for the Houston Texans. The veteran will now likely help develop Carr, mentoring him for the rest of his time in Oakland if the rookie doesn't get benched.
Carr has compiled 326 yards, four touchdowns and a 108.2 QB rating in his three performances (30-of-45 passing), which clearly bested Schaub's 24-of-47 effort for 218 yards, zero touchdowns and a 55.1 QB rating. The Raiders were hoping that Carr would be the future of their franchise, and were probably not expecting it to happen this fast, but now they're glad his development has exceeded expectations.
"Not indictment on Matt Schaub, Derek Carr is mature behind years," said Allen after Monday's practice, in this ESPN article. "We feel very comfortable with him helping us win football games. ... Derek is the starting quarterback. He is ready to accept the challenge."
You can read more about Derek Carr's promotion in this NBC Sports ProFootballTalk article.
