Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

With Brees showing the way, Derek Carr happy to play the short game

Raiders Scrimmage at Allegiant Stadium

AP

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) trains during an NFL football training camp practice Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

If there’s one criticism that Derek Carr has heard enough of, it’s that he loves the short stuff.

No matter how well Carr might perform in a particular game, he can’t seem to escape the knock that he prefers throwing safe, high-percentage passes, even when the situation may call for a deep heave. Last year, that approach led Carr to complete 70.4% of his throws, the second-best mark in the league.

Some critics have held that risk-averse mindset against him, but the Raiders’ Week 2 opponent is proof that launching home-run balls isn’t a prerequisite for winning football games.

The New Orleans Saints have built their entire offensive philosophy on Drew Brees’ ability to hit short pass after short pass with mechanical precision. Last year, Brees connected on 74.3%, the second-highest rate in NFL history; the record is Brees’ 74.4% from 2018.

At his Thursday news conference, Carr espoused his appreciation for Brees’ style of play.

“I love his game,” Carr said. “He keeps the ball moving, he’s efficient, they stay on schedule. He’s one of the best to ever play the game.”

Carr and Brees both subscribe to the theory that when it comes to the passing game, less can often be more.

Last year, Carr ranked 30th out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks in Pro Football Reference’s intended air yards stat, which measures the distance of each pass whether it’s completed or not. Carr averaged a paltry 6.6 intended air yards per pass, while the league leaders were noted deep chuckers Matthew Stafford (10.6 yards) and Jameis Winston (10.4).

The good news for Carr, however, is the two quarterbacks who finished behind him: Jimmy Garoppolo (6.5 intended yards per attempt) went to the Super Bowl while Brees, whose individual and team successes put him beyond criticism at this point, checked in dead last at 6.4 yards.

The Saints have won 37 games over the last three years and fielded a dynamic offense throughout the length of Brees’ 14-year tenure in New Orleans, so aiming short must be working.

Carr would be more than happy to follow the Brees template for winning football games one short throw at a time.

“We model a lot of what we do as quarterbacks based on what he does,” Carr said. “He’d rather throw a completion than throw a 40-yard pass for an incompletion. And he has a Super Bowl ring, so he doesn’t care much about it.”

Carr mostly stayed short in the Raiders’ Week 1 win at Carolina, as he completed 22-of-30 passes for 239 yards. He did connect on a 45-yard bomb to rookie receiver Henry Ruggs, but at the end of the day Carr averaged a paltry 5.5 intended air yards per attempt.

Still, the Raiders put up 34 points and came back to Las Vegas sporting a 1-0 record.

Of Carr’s 22 completions against Carolina, eight went to running backs, and those plays accounted for 84 yards.

Carr believes the Raiders can win that way because he has seen others — like Brees — win that way.

“It’s all about yardage,” Carr said. “We’re not about where the ball is put, we’re about the yards it gains. And that’s just the offense. That’s how we play and I believe in it. If we throw accurately, little plays like that after you show them those deep shots, the run game should be there and accurate balls underneath, that’s what this offense has built on for years. And a lot of great players have made a living doing that. And we’re trying to do the same thing.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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