With the Raiders’ offseason schedule wiped out due to COVID-19, players gathered in Las Vegas to run simulated practice on their own. It was undoubtedly beneficial for the team’s progress, even if all they did was bond.
But judging from videos produced at the scene, the players were running a fairly tight ship, and it was clear that quarterback Derek Carr was running the show.
And that’s no surprise. It’s Carr’s seventh year with the club and the franchise is about to enter its first year in Las Vegas. Carr knows it’s crucial for the Raiders to set a winning tone in their new town.
Coach Jon Gruden was so impressed, he used a phrase made famous by the late, great owner of the Raiders, Al Davis, in praising Carr during a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday.
“It’s a credit to Carr,” Gruden said when asked about the workouts. “It’s a credit to his passion for the game, his will to win and his leadership.”
That phrase, the “will to win” is part of a famous line from Davis: “The fire that burns brightest in the Raiders’ organization is the will to win.” The line is etched onto the Al Davis Memorial Torch displayed proudly at Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders’ new home.
The fact that Gruden worked closely with Davis during his first stint as Raiders coach from 1998-01 is one of the most remarkable aspects of the franchise today. It’s a truly unique and special circumstance.
Especially because Gruden knows more about Davis than most and keeps his legend alive. Gruden seems to enjoy upholding the Raiders’ tradition, which Davis created.
As far as Carr, though Gruden says he has the will to win, not everyone in the NFL believes that’s the case. He was recently ranked the 20th-best signal-caller in the NFL by a survey of anonymous league sources.
But Carr was No. 7 in the same survey just a few years ago. With an influx of versatile talent on offense, including first-round draft pick, Henry Ruggs III, Carr has a golden opportunity to prove his will to win can carry the Raiders to contention.
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