Matt Schaub opened the door to lose the starting quarterback job in Oakland after his rough preseason and a sore elbow that kept him out of practice this week. Rookie Derek Carr did the rest on Thursday night.
The Raiders rookie quarterback finished 11 of 13 for 143 yards and threetouchdown passes in an electric performance against the Seattle Seahawks. Carr led the Raiders on a long touchdown march against Seattle's defensive starters and then threw a beautiful touchdown when the Raiders got the ball back seconds later.
A brilliant quarter and a half in the fourth preseason game doesn't mean Carr is ready to be a quality NFL starting quarterback. But we've seen enough this preseason to know he's a better option than Schaub, who simply doesn't have arm strength or confidence.
In his postgame news conference, Raiders coach Dennis Allen said "We have three guys that can be starting quarterbacks. We'll have to see where Matt (Schaub) is on Monday."
NFL Media's Albert Breer reports that Schaub did a little light tossing with trainers on Thursday. The team will have him throw on Monday to see how his arm looks. For all we know, Schaub won't even be ready to play next week. Or anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Breer reported before Thursday's game that the Raiders believe Carr can start. He validated that belief against Seattle. We'd be surprised if Schaub, the Raiders' $8 million offseason pickup, is starting in Week 1. It's a carbon copy of the Matt Flynn fiasco in Oakland a year ago.
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