Graney: Why Jimmy G is a better fit for Raiders than Derek Carr

Forget about the training camp interceptions. The mistakes. The bad days.

Jimmy Garoppolo is a better fit for the Raiders than Derek Carr.

Familiarity isn’t always a bad thing. It should prove a positive with Garoppolo as the team’s quarterback this season. His grasp of Josh McDaniels’ offense, no matter how much it has evolved. His close relationship with the coach. His understanding of what’s expected.

It’s true Garoppolo has ridden a pretty speedy roller-coaster so far in camp. Times when he looked sound. Many when he hasn’t. His last period Thursday was some of his best work yet, coming in a joint practice against his former team in the 49ers.

Rusty to start

It was always going to take time. Garoppolo hadn’t played or practiced since December when camp opened, recovering from a foot injury he suffered against the Dolphins.

Things were always going to be rusty to start.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction, getting my feet under me, literally and figuratively,” he said.

You can’t put all of last season’s 6-11 record on Carr. Hardly. The Raiders were again awful defensively, ranking 26th across the NFL in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed.

But the quarterback struggled mightily, Carr completing just 61 percent of his passes while tying a career-high with 14 interceptions. Never really looked comfortable.

He never clicked in McDaniels’ scheme, some of that having to do with injuries to key options like wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and former Raiders tight end Darren Waller.

But a divorce between Carr and the Raiders was inevitable, the former now the quarterback in New Orleans. Both he and the Raiders needed a change of scenery.

As much as the offense might have changed since Garoppolo worked under McDaniels in New England, its basic principles are the same. There is some mixing and matching, some additions to how Garoppolo executed when playing for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. It’s a process.

He said reprogramming one’s brain might be the best way to describe it. That there is a learning curve. But that this is the offense of which he was born into the NFL.

“I knew it was going to be a period of time,” he said of coming back from injury.“You just have to string days together. Move on quickly, because if you hang onto things and start thinking about all the bad stuff, it’s going to pile up on you and you won’t last very long.”

He leads in a way that he’s one of the guys. Teammates love him. They constantly talk about his consistency. About how he handles himself in the locker room. About how he’s never too up or down.

“Just be yourself and own it,” Garoppolo said. “Guys can see through fakeness. Be yourself and want to win. At the end of the day, that’s what people expect.”

Getting better and better

They’re not far apart in ability, he and Carr. One (Garoppolo) has been more efficient in his career and the other (Carr) far more durable and left as the all-time leading passer in Raiders history. He started for nine seasons.

But last year wasn’t good. The Raiders weren’t good. Change was needed. It hasn’t been the best of camps for Garoppolo, but familiarity in this case is critical. He understands what’s expected.

“Jimmy is just getting better and better and better,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “It’s not easy, dealing with the injury and a new team. It’s not going to happen overnight. He’s the same guy every single day. That’s what I respect the most about him. His confidence is growing. We saw that today.”

Some fit and others don’t in certain situations.

For this particular team, at this particular time, Garoppolo is best for the Raiders.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.