Oakland Raiders coach Dennis Allen insisted last week that he had no concerns about Matt Schaub's elbow soreness preventing the veteran from starting in Week 1.
Conceding the obvious, Allen has now chosen rookie Derek Carr as his starting quarterback for Sunday's game versus the New York Jets, making the announcement at a Monday news conference.
"We have seen signs of Derek Carr's development the day he stepped on the campus here, until where he is at right now," Allen said. "We have seen him grow by leaps and bounds, and I think he is ready to accept the challenge."
Raiders coaches pulled Carr aside this morning and told him to be prepared to start, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. Later in the day, they informed the players that Carr was the starter. The rookie was then handling first-team reps in Monday's practice.
This is a move the Raiders had to make. If the 2013 game film suggested that Schaub's days as an effective starting quarterback were behind him, the preseason tape slammed that idea home with authority.
Allen was forced to acknowledge what he outright denied less than 10 days ago: Schaub's arm strength is simply not NFL-caliber right now.
Whereas Schaub cannot throw convincingly beyond 10 yards, Carr was 11-of-18 for 234 yards and three touchdowns on preseason throws over 10 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
Although it's somewhat surprising that Carr has beaten Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater to the starting lineup, NFL Media's Albert Breer reported in early June that the Raiders' coaching staff expected their second-round draft pick to push Schaub.
We suspected all along that Carr would end up being a plug-and-play draft pick.
Should Carr struggle to adjust to NFL defenses early in the season, look for the Raiders to turn to Matt McGloin rather than to their $8 million boondoggle.
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