Forget interceptions in training camp. The mistakes. The bad days.
Jimmy Garoppolo is a better fit for the Raiders than Derek Carr.
Familiarity is not always bad. It should prove positive with Garoppolo as the team’s quarterback this season. His dominance of Josh McDaniels’ offense, no matter how much it’s evolved. His close relationship with the coach. His understanding of what is expected of him.
It’s true that Garoppolo has been on a roller coaster pretty quickly so far in camp. There have been times when he seemed solid. Many others in which he did not seem so. His last quarter on Thursday was some of his best work yet, coming in a joint practice against his former 49ers team.
Rusty to begin with
It was always going to take time. Garoppolo hadn’t played or practiced since December when camp opened, recovering from a foot injury he suffered against the Dolphins.
Things would always be somewhat rusty to begin with.
“I think we are moving in the right direction, getting our feet under me, literally and figuratively,” he said.
You can’t blame Carr for the entire 6-11 record last season. Hardly. The Raiders were again lousy defensively, ranking 26th in the NFL in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed.
But the quarterback struggled big, Carr completing just 61 percent of his passes while tying his career high with 14 interceptions. He never seemed comfortable.
He never quite fit into McDaniels’ scheme, in part due to injuries to key options like wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and former Raiders tight end Darren Waller.
But the divorce between Carr and the Raiders was inevitable, since the former is now the quarterback in New Orleans. Both he and the Raiders needed a change of scenery.
As much as the offense has changed since Garoppolo worked with McDaniels in New England, its basic tenets remain the same. There’s some mix and match, some additions to the way Garoppolo executed when he played for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. It is a process.
He said reprogramming the brain might be the best way to describe it. That there is a learning curve. But that this is the offense from which the NFL was born.
“I knew it was going to be a period of time,” he said of his return from injury, “you just have to string together days. Move on quickly, because if you cling to things and start thinking about all the bad things, it’s going to accumulate and you’re not going to last long.
Direct like one more. His classmates adore him. They constantly talk about his consistency. How he handles himself in the locker room. How he is never up or down.
“Just be yourself and take charge,” Garoppolo said. “Guys can see through the fake. Be yourself and be motivated to win. At the end of the day, that’s what people expect.”
getting better
He and Carr aren’t far behind in ability. One (Garoppolo) has been more efficient in his career and the other (Carr) much more durable and left as the leading passer in Raiders history. He was a starter for nine seasons.
But last year was not good. The Raiders weren’t good. A change was needed. It has not been the best of camps for Garoppolo, but familiarity in this case is essential. He understands what is expected.
“Jimmy just gets better and better and better,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “It’s not easy, dealing with the injury and a new team. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s the same guy every day. That’s what I respect the most about him. His confidence is growing. Today we have seen it”.
Some fit and some don’t in certain situations.
For this particular team, at this particular time, Garoppolo is the best for the Raiders.
