Graney: Good is great, bad is awful for Derek Carr

From the not-so-breaking quality department: When backmost Derek Carr plays good this season, the Raiders win. When helium isn’t truthful good, they don’t.

The evident sometimes is simply a important instrumentality by which to measure a team. Even much truthful erstwhile there’s specified a wide discrepancy successful thing similar Carr’s performances.

It’s not the be-all, end-all of wherefore the Raiders find themselves 6-5 portion preparing to conscionable the Washington Football Team connected Sunday astatine Allegiant Stadium. Never is.

More goes into wins and losses than the play of a quarterback. Carr mightiness pb the NFL successful passing yards astatine 3,414, but you scope specified a fig for assorted reasons.

(More connected those later.)

Still, consider: The Raiders are 6-0 erstwhile Carr throws for astatine slightest 300 yards. They person averaged 32 points successful those games.

They are 0-5 erstwhile helium doesn’t. They person averaged 13.2 points successful specified losses.

A beauteous important difference. The bully and atrocious and ups and downs of an eight-year starter.

Red portion woes

“There person been a mates games wherever we’ve been adjacent to 300 and we didn’t win,” Carr said. “I’ve talked to you guys this twelvemonth astir conscionable taking an assertive approach. I deliberation that stems from, one, you person to person clip to bash it, and two, you person to person the play-caller that wants to bash those things, and three, you person to person the guys to beryllium capable to bash that.

“We present person immoderate guys that tin truly fly. It’s nary concealed that we are trying to propulsion the shot deep. You are ever trying to amended the process.”

Carr is connected gait to propulsion for the third-most yards successful league history, helped by the information determination are present 17 regular-season games.

Problem: All those yards haven’t ever translated to touchdown passes. Carr has 17 connected the play to 9 interceptions. Which brings america backmost to the reddish elephant successful the room. The reddish zone.

It’s not bully for the Raiders and hasn’t been successful what seems similar forever. They fertile 28th successful reddish portion efficiency. Carr tin beryllium explosive arsenic each heck betwixt the 20s, but not truthful overmuch wrong a field’s astir captious area.

“It starts astatine practice, astatine preparation, astatine putting unneurotic a amended plan,” said violative coordinator Greg Olson. “We person to marque sure, depending connected the strategy we’re facing, that we’re (promoting) the strengths of our players. I request to bash a amended occupation with the readying and mentation and signifier and execution of it.”

It’s besides existent that Carr’s large passing games person been somewhat a effect of an anemic rushing onslaught (minus the crushed effort astatine Dallas connected Thanksgiving). If you can’t consistently crook astir and person assurance successful handing disconnected the ball, the evident alternate is to propulsion more.

The Raiders fertile 27th successful rushing among 32 teams, averaging conscionable 89.1 yards per game. There is besides the contented of an violative enactment that has struggled for astir of the play with show and injury.

Can’t tally each that well.

Can’t artifact each that well.

Neither the responsibility of a quarterback.

Focused, locked in

But specified a operation makes for much and much dropbacks and play-action passes, the second of which Olson has opted for since assuming play-calling duties six games ago.

“We got a large 1 this week,” Carr said. “If we don’t instrumentality attraction of concern successful meetings, don’t instrumentality attraction of concern astatine practice, past Washington is going to travel successful present and bushed us. You would deliberation this is the clip to get hot. We’ve done it the different mode successful the past. We’ve got to beryllium focused and locked successful and bring it connected Sunday.”

If they bash it to the constituent wherever helium throws for 300 oregon much yards, they should beryllium fine.

If helium doesn’t …

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.