Derek Carr focused on football, not Tom Brady
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had more pressing concerns this weekend than monitoring the latest developments in the two-year-old saga of Tom Brady’s flirtations with the franchise.
UFC president Dana White and former Patriots and Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski confirmed Saturday that Brady had settled on signing with the Raiders in 2020 before then-coach Jon Gruden decided he wanted to stick with Carr at quarterback, allowing Brady to sign with Tampa Bay and win the Super Bowl that season.
Carr said Tuesday he was helping a friend deal with a tragedy when White and Gronkowski made his name trend on social media.
“It is what it is for me,” Carr said after a joint practice with the Patriots at the team facility in Henderson. “I didn’t even hear about it (at first) because we actually had a death within the building where someone lost a family member, so I was so immersed in that and talking to that person. It really was a moment to put things in perspective. Like, it really doesn’t matter.”
Carr said he has become immune to dealing with outside noise, particularly after the last couple tumultuous seasons.
“By now, I would hope so,” he said.
Carr declined to directly address the story, which was told on the UFC 278 broadcast.
“At the end of the day, anything I say will just be blasted out there, so I’m just going to completely remove myself and just keep trying to play football,” he said. “It’s been nice answering just football questions, so hopefully no more drama in the city. That’s what I hope.”
Great expectation
Maxx Crosby says there has already been discussions about a plan in case his fiancee Rachel goes into labor with the couple’s first child on a game day.
“I’ve already talked to Coach (Josh) McDaniels as far as planning for that,” Crosby said. “We have an emergency team who’s going to call me if she goes into labor and stuff like that. We’re already ahead of the curve. I feel like it’s just going to happen the way it’s supposed to happen. I’m not stressing about it.”
Crosby’s daughter is due on Oct. 3. The Raiders host the Broncos on Oct. 2.
“It’s unreal,” Crosby said of the anticipation. “Rachel is giving me updates, sending me videos. Freaking seeing a baby kick around her stomach is the craziest thing. But it’s incredible. It just gives me the extra bit of motivation having a daughter on the way. We’ve been talking about it for so long and finally it’s about to really happen. I can’t wait until she gets here. We’re going to have a blast. It’s going to be great.”
Roster Moves
The Raiders released cornerback Chris Jones and wide receiver Chris Lacy on Tuesday to get the roster to the mandated 80-player limit.
Running back Kenyan Drake was also formally released after the team was unable to find a trade partner.
Cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc was released from the injured list on Tuesday, as well.
Participation report
Defensive end Clelin Ferrell was on the field for the first time since leaving practice with athletic trainers on July 27 with what appeared to be a leg injury.
Offensive tackles Brandon Parker and Thayer Munford were once again absent on Tuesday, as was tight end Darren Waller.
Waller has now practiced just one time since July 30.
High praise
The first of two joint practices allowed McDaniels to be back on the same field with his mentor, Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
McDaniels has often expressed the high regard with which he holds his former boss. Belichick returned the favor on Tuesday, though he noted none of the past success either coach has had will count for anything in the standings this season.
“Nobody has more respect for Josh McDaniels than I do,” he said. “(Raiders general manager (Dave Ziegler) did a great job for us, but none of that really matters. It doesn’t mean anything. This is 2022. Nobody’s done anything this year. I haven’t done anything, our team hasn’t done anything. So we have to prove what we are this year.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
