On Monday, Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen named former Fresno State Bulldog Derek Carr as the starting quarterback of the club next weekend.
Carr beat out Matt Schaub, who had replaced Carr’s brother David in Houston in 2007, for the starting job.
“We’ve made the decision to go with Derek Carr as the quarterback,” Allen said. “There were a lot of factors that went involved in that. It’s not an indictment on Schaub, at all. I still feel very confident in Schaub. I think it says more about where we feel Carr is and his progression.
“After watching him all throughout training camp and in the preseason, you just see a guy that continues to develop and continues to be mature beyond his years as a quarterback. He’s a guy who we feel very comfortable putting out there and in helping us win football games. We’ve made that decision, and we’ll move forward with that.”
Carr saw action in three preseason games but was most impressive in the Raiders’ final preseason contest Thursday against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, as he completed 11 of 13 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
“To be honest, I was just excited,” Carr said. “I really wasn’t thinking about being the starter or being the backup. I was really focused on learning the offense the best that I could so that way, when I got on the field, whenever that time was, I could help this team win. Because that’s all I care about, is the Raiders winning.”
The Bakersfield native led the country in passing last season, accounting for 5,082 yards and 50 touchdowns before being selected by Oakland in the second round (36th overall pick) of this year’s NFL Draft.
The former Bulldog is set to kickoff his NFL debut Sunday against Rex Ryan and the New York Jets.