A section of Oakland Raiders fans affectionately refer to themselves as the Black Hole. While one can't argue with the fervent passion of Raider Nation, one could question the choice of name. You see, for the past several seasons, the Raiders team itself has been a black hole. There's been a severe lack of homegrown talent and a mass exodus of quality players who bolt out of town in free agency. Oakland has not enjoyed a winning season since 2002. It has not been a pretty sight.
But for the first time in over a decade, there is a small (silver) sliver of hope. Quarterback Derek Carr, who threw for 3,270 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with virtually no help around him in his rookie season, has the organization and fans alike thinking that they might have finally found their franchise quarterback.
But to help aide Carr's development, new head coach Jack Del Rio will have to put the right pieces in place. That includes a possible veteran quarterback to mentor the young signal-caller.
"It's ideal to have that, and if works and that is the case then that would be good," Del Rio said via Raiders.com. "It's not something that has to be. It's something that would be ideal for a young player to have, to have a veteran guy there that can help him as he prepares as a younger player, and really it's good to have a room that's strong and understands what it is to prepare every day. Everyone in the room approaches it like they're the guy and everybody works really hard at the process."
Some of the veteran backup quarterbacks set to enter free agency this offseason include Josh McCown, Matt Moore and Michael Vick. Whether or not Del Rio is interested in any of those players is unknown.
One other way the Raiders can help Carr reach his potential is by surrounding him with more offensive weapons. Oakland has been rumored to be interested in pending free agent receiver Randall Cobb. They've also been linked to Alabama star receiver Amari Cooper in the upcoming NFL draft.
Raiders fans shouldn't be surprised if their pass catching corps looks radically different next season and their young QB looks a bit more poised thanks to some off-field help. Who knows, maybe they'll even escape the black hole this season.
