Raiders QB Derek Carr Credits Disgraced Ex-Coach Jon Gruden After Thanksgiving Win Over Cowboys

Marred by a three-game losing streak, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr ignored fans calling for him to be benched and turned to words of wisdom from his disgraced ex-coach Jon Gruden.

Carr desperately needed a strong performance against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and he delivered, leading the Raiders to an overtime victory on the big stage. After the win, Carr told reporters he leaned on advice from his former coach.

“Gruden used to tell me, ‘don’t ever take your arm out of a game,’ so when we call these things, let’s rip em,” Carr said, referring to the need to stay aggressive with their vertical game.

Gruden and the Raiders parted ways last month, after leaked emails showed the head coach using racist, sexist and homophobic language between 2011 and 2018. Rich Bisaccia took over as head coach of the Raiders after Gruden’s unceremonious exit.

But Carr listened to the old advice of his former coach on Thursday, the quarterback stayed aggressive and relied on his arm during a shootout with Cowboys star Dak Prescott, converting 24 of 39 passes for 373 yards.

“One thing I’ve tried to do this year, especially when 11 was here, was I was going to be so aggressive,” Carr added during his postgame press conference. “Eleven” was referring to former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III who is currently facing felony charges of DUI resulting in death.

Following Gruden’s scandal and Ruggs’ tragedy, Carr remains loyal, supportive and forgiving, almost to a fault.

Without Ruggs and Gruden, Carr managed to convert five passes for 30 yards or more against the Cowboys, two of them exceeding 50 yards, showing the Raiders are still capable of being explosive on offense.

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