Raiders’ passing attack struggles in first look under Jon Gruden
NAPA, Calif. — Derek Carr probably won’t be under center for more than a drive in Friday’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, if he somehow persuades Raiders coach Jon Gruden to let him play.
It’s unlikely the quarterback will see any action with the left tackle position occupied by rookie Kolton Miller, and the right side patrolled by a to-be-determined player.
Carr made his snaps count Tuesday during his two 11-on-11 drives against the Lions in a joint practice.
With the pocket collapsing, Carr got risky on his second pass attempt by scrambling to his right, where he found a wide-open Ryan Switzer.
Carr overthrew his new teammate, and the ball landed in Lions cornerback Darius Slay’s hands. That was Carr’s first interception this training camp.
“On a stupid scramble drill, too,” Carr said.
Defenders weren’t allowed to hit the quarterback during the joint practice.
“Like out of all the places, that was the easiest time not to get one,” he said.
Carr said the mistake happened because he was “on a different page” than Switzer. That could be a recurring theme throughout the preseason and early in the regular season with the Raiders having a new offensive coaching staff and the majority of the receiving corps being first-year Raiders.
“I’m glad that happened today,” Carr said of the interception, “so that now me and the receivers can look at it and I can tell them, ‘Hey, that’s my fault. I should do this.’ Or, ‘Hey, next time do it like this.’”
After backup quarterback EJ Manuel threw an interception — his first of three on the day — Carr led the Raiders to the Lions’ 40-yard line but had no points to show for it after kicker Mike Nugent was short on a field goal attempt.
That prompted an assistant coach from the Lions to shout “0 for 3” to Raiders fans in the stands, who responded with boos.
The Raiders’ revamped offense could be a complex one under Gruden, with receivers often rotating in and out during the 11-on-11 portion.
On multiple three-wide-receiver sets, Gruden had Jordy Nelson and Amari Cooper on the outside with Switzer lining up in the slot. Other times he had tight end Jared Cook join them for a spread-out attack, and Seth Roberts received a handful of snaps.
“(Gruden) gives me the freedom to do what I feel is necessary at the line of scrimmage because we’ve talked about things,” Carr said. “Again, he also trusts me. That’s not from anything I’ve done before; that’s from what I’ve proven to him since he’s been here.”
Last week, Gruden demanded a better effort from wide receiver Martavis Bryant, who was acquired in a draft day trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bryant didn’t see the field during the 11-on-11 plays with the first-team offense and received a limited number of snaps throughout the day.
He’s listed on the second team of the Raiders’ first depth chart of the year, which was released Monday.
Carr said he has seen improvement with Bryant learning Gruden’s offense.
“Just his level from where he got here to where he is now, he’s really picked it up; he has,” Carr said. “You can definitely tell that he has a sense of urgency for him to pick things up and learn them. He wants to do right; he really does.”
The Raiders’ passing attack looked promising on paper in the spring, but as the dog days of training camp continue, it’s clear the Carr-led offense still has a long way to go.
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Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.
