Tuesday for the first time this offseason Bo Jackson Jersey , Derek Carr stood behind the podium to field questions from local media. He didn’t speak with the media prior to the draft amidst swirling rumors the R..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Raiders StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Raiders NewsYahoo Raiders Team PageYahoo Raiders ReportYahoo Raiders Depth ChartYahoo Raiders TransactionsYahoo Raiders PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Derek Carr claims he never doubted his place as Raiders starting QB ‘This is my team and it will be for however long I want to play’New,121commentsPDTShareTweetShareShareDerek Carr claims he never doubted his place as Raiders starting QB ‘This is my team and it will be for however long I want to play’Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsTuesday for the first time this offseason, Derek Carr stood behind the podium to field questions from local media. He didn’t speak with the media prior to the draft amidst swirling rumors the Raiders were considering trading him and drafting a quarterback, so he never had to address any of it.The closest he came to making a statement was when he got angry with First Take hosts Max Kellerman and Stephen A Smith for saying Carr “Didn’t want it” and that Gruden was looking at replacing him. Carr challenged them to a televised fight. He was obviously not serious about the televised match per se, but he wasn’t joking around either, calling them “clowns” and saying “You don’t know me, stop lying.”Now that the draft has come and gone and Carr is still right where he was when it all started, he stepped to the mic and pronounced what we all knew he would — that there was never a doubt in his mind.“Honestly it got annoying after a while because I’m like…literally they don’t have nothing else to talk about? And I didn’t help the situation trying to challenge people to fights (laughs). I shouldn’t have said nothing.“But to be honest with you, it was like the owner, the GM, the head coach and the quarterback, I don’t know about other places, but here, we’re all on the same page. I talked to all three of those guys all the time. They tell me good, bad, and ugly. We are always on the same page because that’s what our team needs. That’s what the good organizations do. So, from the beginning I met with all of them, talked with all of them, and when I watched the draft there was like negative 47% chance that they were going to draft somebody in my mind. Hopefully those guys didn’t have their hopes up, but it wasn’t going to happen. They pretty much said that every time it came up, if it even came up. We’re not just planning for this year. I’m honestly going to be here a long time.”Carr is right in so far as he is the QB of the immediate future of this team. That much has been decided. It’s hindsight now. But the pressure is on. He is entering his second season in the same offense for just the second time in his NFL career and Gruden stocked the offense around him. He will need to show vast improvement this season.It’s in his hands in as much as his performance this season should be the determining factor as to whether he is the QB of this team heading into Vegas. But it’s not his decision. Should he not ball out in his second season, he will undoubtedly be replaced. Even though Carr knows that conversation is coming https://www.raiderslockerroom.com/authentic-antonio-brown-jersey , it’s a concept he claims is a whole lot of nonsense.“Let’s just get through this year first and then we’ll play that game again and I’ll probably have some more fun with it, but I’m not going anywhere,” Carr reiterated. “This is my team and it will be for the next however long I want to play.”His head coach shows moments of confidence in his quarterback, but never to the level Carr displays. The Raiders finished 4-12 last season with Carr throwing 19 TD’s with 10 Interceptions and was sacked 52 times. Regardless of any other factors, no QB should feel their job is safe after putting up those kind of numbers.“Derek did a lot of good things [last season],” said Gruden. “We’re trying to obviously work on a couple things we think he can get better at. We’ve also tried to improve his supporting cast at every level. We tried to improve our defense, hopefully we can get the ball to him more often and in better field position. We’ve added some receivers, we added a running back, we’ve added a couple linemen, so hopefully a lot of these things will show up and he’ll be a great quarterback which I know he will be.”Carr said himself just today that James Jones told him “Once you think you’re good, you’re definitely not good.” It’s a way of saying he always needs to prove himself. That’s very true. And all of his confidence about being here “However long (he) want(s) to play” is meaningless in that light. If he doesn’t prove himself, there will be more than just rampant rumors about the Raiders plans at quarterback. Jack Del Rio never shied away from giving his opinion as a player and a coach. He isn’t about to change his approach as an ESPN analyst.ESPN announced the hiring Thursday of the former Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders coach. His first appearance will be Friday on “NFL Live.”Del Rio appeared as a guest analyst on ESPN during March. He’ll appear on various programs as well as analyze some games on ESPN Radio during the season.“This excites me about being able to learn about myself and the media business,” Del Rio said during a phone interview. “I’m not going to be afraid of having an opinion and something to offer.”Del Rio said he talked to Arizona State coach Herm Edwards about his nine years at ESPN before deciding to take the position. He also joins a roster that features former coaches Rex Ryan and John Fox. Ryan and Del Rio were assistants at Baltimore, where they won a Super Bowl in 2000, and Del Rio was Fox’s defensive coordinator at Carolina and Denver.Del Rio spent a year away from the game after being fired by Oakland following the 2017 season. d the game through his family’s fantasy football league.Del Rio has quickly plugged back in during the preseason, visiting Saints, Rams, Cowboys and Chargers training camps.Seth Markman, the network’s vice president for NFL and college studio shows, said in a statement that Del Rio’s ability to see the game as a player and coach makes him a great addition.“I think it was healthy to unplug and get away last year. I made the best of a situation that was awkward and abrupt,” Del Rio said. “I haven’t said I am done coaching. This allows me to still talk about and cover the game while reviewing game tape and providing an opinion.”