Oakland Raiders: 10 Reasons Healy’s Take On Carr Is Dead Wrong
By Kevin Saito
Dec 7, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) reacts after throwing a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the 49ers 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Conclusion
Given that these are just ten on a much longer list, it seems safe to conclude that Andrew Healy’s take on Derek Carr being “overrated” is premature at best, or is flat out idiotic at worst.
Another reasonable assumption to make is that all of these advanced analytics that Healy constantly refers to – or in actually, cherry picks from – do not give you the full context nor show you the full picture when talking about a player’s career. One has to wonder what Jim Plunkett‘s career DOVA might be. Or Terry Bradshaw‘s?
Regardless of what those advanced metrics may or may not say about Plunkett and Bradshaw, both were proven winners. They led great squads and performed well in the clutch. It may not have always been pretty – and it often wasn’t – they won the big games and performed well on the biggest stages.
The number of first round quarterback flameouts is extensive. And if you really start parsing through the history of the NFL, you would find that the later rounds are also filled with terrific names who have had very productive and successful NFL careers.
The numbers don’t lie, but depending on how you spin them, they can tell you a hundred different stories. Such as Healy’s piece on Carr. While we are going to have to wait a few years yet to see how Carr pans out, one season – a rookie season at that – does not paint a complete picture.
By most common metrics, Carr had a very good season, one that should give Raiders’ fans quite a bit of hope. Cherry picked numbers don’t take a good number of things into account, and they do not provide the full context of Carr’s performance – nor factor in, based on his incredible work ethic, desire to be great, and a fantastic ability to learn and adapt – what appears to be a very high ceiling.
Healy should stop looking at the computer screen and parsing numbers a million different ways. Instead, he should perhaps get outside, breathe in a little fresh air, and maybe even go take in a real, live game so he can see Carr in action with his own two eyes – rather than relying on what his fancy charts, graphs, and statistical data tells him about Carr’s performance.