New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen was a big reason people linked quarterback Derek Carr to the Saints after his release from the Las Vegas Raiders. Allen drafted Carr in 2014 during his first head coaching stint. One of the reasons the Saints might have been the best location for Carr is his familiarity with the offensive system. This system is most similar to the one Carr ran between 2018 and the beginning of the 2021 season with Jon Gruden.
Gruden’s tenure with the team was abruptly cut short after emails of his were leaked to the public. Those email contained anti-gay and racist remarks. That was week 5 of the 2021 season and the last time the football world had heard of Gruden, until now. The Saints made the questionable decision to invite Gruden to the facility to help mold the offense around Carr. Is this a baby step for Gruden easing back into the NFL? Only time will tell.
Gruden was brought in because Carr has previously stated he feels his best work came when paired with Gruden. It’s easy to see why he would feel that way. Between 2018 to 2020, Carr’s passing yards and touchdowns increased each season. His completion percentage and passer rating in those years were also some of the best in his career.
Carr’s past experience makes switching teams “not as big of a curve as it could be in a different system or a different offense.” The majority of learning for Carr will be understanding the slight differences between the systems and getting adjusted to new teammates. Though the system he’ll be in may feel familiar, it isn’t a carbon copy. There will still be some concepts that are new to him and slight terminology differences he will need to adjust to. He’s also been studying and working with his teammates to better understand how they can maximize their connection.
