Oakland Raiders: The Preseason Madness – And So, It Begins

The Oakland Raiders posted a convincing victory over Arizona in their first preseason game, with Matt McGloin, in particular having a solid outing – and so began the annual preseason madness.

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The one thing you can say about the Oakland Raiders’ devoted and passionate fanbase is that they all desperately want to see their team win. And you can’t fault anybody for that. The only problem is, not a lot of them can agree on how to get there. That’s a face evidenced by the various reactions across social media following the team’s preseason opening win. Reactions that frankly, border on madness.

Despite the fact that Derek Carr played just 12 total snaps – hardly enough time for a player and an offense to get into a solid rhythm – some fans are calling for him to be replaced under center by Matt McGloin. It’s a debate that set certain sections of the Raider Nation on fire last season as McGloin posted a better preseason line than Carr did.

Last year, over the course of the preseason, McGloin completed 73.7 percent of his passes (42/57) with four touchdowns and a single interception. Carr in comparison, completed just 54.9 percent of his passes (28/51) with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

To hear some among the Nation tell it, Oakland had backed the wrong horse and that it should be McGloin should be the starting quarterback, not Carr.

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And their performances against the Cardinals have only added fuel to the fires of some fans who are vehemently pro-McGloin. Following a night in which Carr went 3/7 for 44 yards and McGloin went 5/11 with two touchdowns, the call for McGloin to be Oakland’s starter went up in earnest around social media.

It seems though, that a little context might be in order for this discussion to continue in a factual way.

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McGloin absolutely showed some nice touch on his touchdown tosses to Clive Walford and Andre Holmes – the pass to Holmes in particular. But let’s not get things all twisted. Thanks to two Cardinals turnovers – the first on a kickoff return after a field goal, and then an interception on Arizona’s very next play, McGloin had incredibly short fields to work with.

Starting inside the red zone on back to back drives makes it a little easier to find the endzone than having to drive the length of the field.

This isn’t to take anything away from McGloin. He absolutely made the throws and performed very well overall. He was lightly regarded coming out of Penn State and had to fight, claw, and scratch his way onto an NFL roster – and he’s managed to stick around.

McGloin is a talented quarterback and could battle it out for a starting spot on a lot of teams – is there anybody out there who thinks he wouldn’t be a vast upgrade over Mark Sanchez / Trevor Siemian in Denver, Robert Griffin III in Cleveland, or Ryan Fitzpatrick in New York, just to name a few?

Unfortunately for McGloin, he’s with a team that believes he has a lower ceiling than the guy the drafted and believe is their franchise quarterback – Carr.

Make no mistake, Carr’s progression hasn’t been smooth as silk. There have been some definite bumps and potholes in the road. Critics are quick to point out his 10-22 record as a starter and some bad interceptions at even worse times he’s thrown that have led to a couple of losses.

But with more than 7,200 yards and 53 touchdowns over his first two seasons – numbers that put him among some of the NFL’s historical elite, mind you – that anybody can think Carr isn’t the right quarterback to lead this team is mind boggling.

He’s young and he still has a lot of room to grow yet, but he has the mental make up, as well as the physical tools to be a foundation quarterback for this Raiders team for a long time.

McGloin is a gifted athlete that has character coming out of his ears. He’s a solid team guy and in the right situation, he could be a very serviceable quarterback – just as Alex Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick are. But that “right situation” unfortunately, isn’t in Oakland where he’s stuck behind a young quarterback who has all the tools to succeed – and help make this team a success.

Next: A Few Takeaways From Arizona Game

Preseason stats are meaningless and given that many of those numbers are piled up against lower tier prospects, can often paint a picture that isn’t exactly accurate. McGloin is a solid quarterback, there is no question. But Carr is the present and future of the franchise.