Derek Carr Agrees With Charles Woodson’s ‘We Suck’ Statement

Derek Carr agrees with Charles Woodson‘s assessment of the Oakland Raiders. However, it is not a positive one.

Woodson said “We suck” in the aftermath of Oakland’s 30-14 home loss to the Houston Texans on Sept. 14 — a statement Carr agrees with, per SB Nation’s Levi Damien (via Yahoo Sports):

“The always outspoken, pull-no-punches Charles Woodson was his usual self following the Raiders’ 30-14 loss to the Texans last Sunday. He made some headlines when he made the flat statement of the Raiders ‘We suck.’ He went on to say much more, including that he was embarrassed for the team and the fans.

“Wednesday Derek Carr had his chance to weigh in on Woodson’s statements, and he offered no disagreement to Woodson’s blunt criticisms.

“‘I understand what he’s saying,’ said Carr. ‘Obviously we didn’t play at the level to which we want to play and that we can play at. I probably wouldn’t word it that way, but he’s allowed to say things like that because he’s gonna be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He can say whatever he wants, in my opinion. We do neet to get better, obviously. There’s a lot of things we need to do better and I’m with him.

“‘We needed to play better in that game and we can play better. We hurt ourselves. That’s when it hurts. When you do things — I can only speak for the offense — when we do things where we’re moving the ball and then we hurt ourselves, that hurts. Because we see that it’s working, we see it moving down the field and then bam, something happens. And that’s where it’s hard. But that’s why you practice, that’s why we continue to work even when it’s hard, even when times are hard you just keep your head down and you work. So, that’s what we’re gonna do.’

“It’s refreshing in today’s NFL to hear a player show the kind of outward passion and frustration that Woodson showed in that interview. And in a game which features four turnovers, 212 yards rushing given up, two touchdowns on the first two possessions, and not a single sack on the opposing quarterback, Woodson is simply conveying the level of frustration the entire team is feeling. 

“And as Carr mentioned, the future Hall of Famer has earned the right to say it. 

“‘I think that’s something that is spoken out of frustration,’ Allen said on Monday. ‘When you watch Charles Woodson play in that game and the effort that he gave in that game and the passion in which he played in that game, it’s a tough pill to swallow. When you go out there and don’t perform like you’re capable of performing. He gave everything he had in that game and we have to get more guys playing like that.’ 

“This team doesn’t need eloquence right now. After getting dominated in their first two games of the season, they need to get angry.

“Carr said he and several veterans as well as young players have spoken to the team since that debacle on Sunday and he has seen it shown up on the practice field. Another thing Charles Woodson said was that it doesn’t matter what they do in practice because it hasn’t shown up on the field.

“The next chance they have to put on the field will be one of the toughest fields in all of football — Gillette Stadium in Foxboro to play the (New England) Patriots.” 

Derek Carr takes blame, but offensive struggles were widespread *VIDEO* (via @BairCSN) http://t.co/mcvVZPH9tA #NFL pic.twitter.com/twiznTfNmt

— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNAuthentic) September 15, 2014

In spite of the Raiders’ sluggish start, InsideBayArea.com’s Marcus Thompson hails Carr as “the Raiders’ silver lining”:

“Yes, there was a bright spot for the Raiders on Sunday. One that really matters in the long run. Derek Carr. 

“The rookie quarterback had more put on his plate and looked like he could handle it. The second-round pick looked more like the Raiders were right to think he had the talent to be a franchise quarterback. ‘He is obviously a very talented player,’ coach Dennis Allen said in his Monday presser. ‘He’s going to do nothing but get better. I’ve seen this guy grow in leaps and bounds and I think he’s got a chance to be a special player.’

“In Sunday’s loss, Carr showed off his arm some more. That late touchdown to James Jones was a good illustration of his arm strength and touch. But Carr also showed off his legs. A few designated bootlegs and scrambles showed a dimension to this game that would make any offensive coordinator salivate.

“…Carr was overbearing in his insistence he understood what was happening out there, apparently a preemptive explanation for his detractors. But it goes without saying those elements have to be worked out. Now the concern is how will he mentally handle cutting his teeth on chaos. The Raiders are even more of a mess than even their doubters expected. We all know where this is headed, what losing brings out of teams. Is Carr ready for that? 

“Making the right pass only for it to be dropped has to be so irritating. How does that wear on a quarterback? Who knows what kind of bad habits he could develop from having to do too much? Who knows if his confidence can handle an avalanche of embarrassing losses? It seems as if we’re about to find out.” 

For more of the hottest sports news, log on to Sport Balla today.