LAS VEGAS — Derek Carr, rocking back and forth on the podium with tears in his eyes and a hesitant voice, apologized for being “emotional” in the wake of the Raiders’ 25-20 loss to Las Vegas against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Allégiant Stadium.
The Colts arrived with an interim coach who had never coached above the high school level in Jeff Saturday, an offensive coordinator who had never called plays before in Parks Frazier and a veteran quarterback who had been benched earlier in the season to Matt Ryan.
Carr needed several breaks to pull himself together as the Raiders quarterback addressed what happened during the loss that dropped Las Vegas’ record to 2-7 in a season that started with so much promise a year after making the playoffs for only the second time since 2002.
“I love the Silver and Black and will give it my all every time I go,” Carr said. “And I can’t speak for everyone, for every man, what’s going through their head, but I can tell you what’s going through my head and I’ll give it my all, every time. .”
Carr paused for 12 seconds before being asked if there was a “disconnect” between him and freshman coach and offensive player Josh McDaniels.
“I don’t think so,” Carr said, through tears. “I love Josh. I love our coaches. They’ve had nothing but success. Way more success than I’ve ever had. And I’m sorry…”
A muffled Carr paused again, for eight seconds.
“Sorry to be emotional,” he continued. “I’m just pissed off about some of the things, you know, that a lot of us try to do just to practice. What we put our bodies through, just to sleep at night.”
Carr paused again, for nine seconds.
“And that this is the result of all this effort, it pisses me off,” he said. “It pisses a lot of guys off. It’s hard to know what some guys do…just for practice. What they put in their bodies just to sleep at night. Just so we can be there for each other. And I wish everyone in this room felt the same way about this place. And as a leader, that pisses me off, if I’m being honest.
It was the sixth single-score loss of the season for the Raiders, tied for third most winless losses in single-score games since 2000 with the 2017 Cincinnati Bengals, behind the New York Panthers. the 2001 Carolina (0-9) and 2019 Bengals (0-8), according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
This after the Raiders went 7-2 in one-scored games last season and won four straight to finish 10-7 and fight their way into the playoffs under the interim coach. Rich Bisaccia and General Manager Mike Mayock. Raiders owner Mark Davis opted to replace them with New England Patriots stalwarts McDaniels and Dave Ziegler, respectively, saying the steps had been taken to take the Raiders “to the next level”.
Instead, and after landing an All-Pro receiver in Carr’s college teammate Davante Adams, the Raiders have the second-worst record in the NFL, Carr sometimes looks lost in McDaniels’ offense and the locker room. post-game was plagued with frustration and apparent divisiveness. , with several players swearing out loud and apologizing to each other.
Carr said the team captains spoke in the locker room after the game.
“There’s no magic message,” said Adams, who had nine catches for 126 yards, with a 48-yard catch-and-run touchdown. “We’re going to keep what was said internally. It wasn’t crazy, just we had a conversation as a team.”
When asked if the players didn’t “agree” with McDaniels’ system, Adams shrugged.
“I don’t think we’re like, ‘F what is he talking about’ or ‘I’m going against the grain,'” Adams said. “It’s just a matter of execution when it’s time.”
“It’s hard to know what some guys do…just to work out. What they put in their bodies just to sleep at night. Just so we can be there for each other. And I wish everyone in this room felt the same way about this place. And as a leader, that pisses me off, if I’m being honest.
Raiders QB Derek Carr
Carr, who went 0-for-5 in the first quarter, the first time a quarterback had thrown at least five passes in a quarter this season without completion, then went 11-for-11 in the second quarter. He went 24 of 38 for 248 yards and two touchdowns, but his last shot, a fade into the left side of the end zone for Adams in fourth and 7 from the Colts’ 16-yard line with 52 seconds left, was been separated by cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
The ninth-year veteran said he wasn’t “perfect” after the game.
“I’ll never be perfect,” Carr said. “But the love I have for this place and the effort I will put in will be unmatched, every time.
“The emotion of just nine years of stuff hit me today, how much I really love this place. It won’t change a thing. I’m going to come here and fight and compete next week, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Still, he was heavily booed by fans when his image was shown after the match as he was leaving the pitch.
“I never take it personally,” he said. “I’m just the one who’s been here the longest.
“I’m mad about that too, so don’t worry about it.”
And while speculation is rife over McDaniels’ job security, the coach said: “It starts with me.
“So, you know, we’re going to have to find something different to do to try and break free from some of these close scores and close games, and/or make enough plays at the end to win. So it always starts with us, starts with me, so I’m going to do everything I can to try to figure out what we can do to better change the results.”
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