Derek Carr pulled back the curtain for fans this week, appearing on the Harvester Sports Podcast with members of his family to discuss everything from his faith to his development as a quarterback.
It's a must-watch for fans of Carr and the Raiders — you can watch the full YouTube video here — and here were some highlights.
On having fans in the stands:
"It's awesome," Carr said. "Last year we would score and you would literally just hear your sideline roar. ... With fans, it just makes the game more exciting. And when you're winning, too, that makes it better."
Without fans, Carr said, "it didn't feel like how it should feel. ... That first game [this season], when they introduced me, the roar... like, 'Oh, yeah. Hopefully I can calm down and not throw this first ball in the stands.'"
On his teammates:
"Where would we be without him?" Carr rhetorically asked about tackle Kolton Miller. The left tackle is off to another terrific year, entering the bye with the team's fifth-highest overall PFF grade and the league's second-highest pass blocking grade for a tackle.
Carr also complimented receiver Hunter Renfrow's agility.
"Honestly, it looks like he's playing tag all the time," Carr joked, noting that when it comes to pool basketball, he tries to lock down Renfrow to work on his own agility.
On his shaggy hair:
"Honestly the truth behind it, one day in camp, I wanted to cut it and I was too tired, so I let it go. I was joking around with [punter] AJ Cole and [former Raider] Tanner Muse. I was like, 'I'm gonna have better flow than you.' And AJ Cole goes, 'You won't do it, you'll quit.' And I was like, 'Perfect.' It's more of a competition between me and AJ."
Carr also underlined his loyalty to the Silver and Black — something he's mentioned often in the past — with a simple message: "I'm not trying to play anywhere else."
