Derek Carr talks about his developing relationship with pass catchers and the upcoming Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup.
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00:00 I did, did you?
00:02 Yes, very good.
00:03 Yeah, we had a great Christmas.
00:05 First Louisiana Christmas, and it was not too hot.
00:10 It was nice and cool, so I was warned that it could possibly be hot on Christmas.
00:15 But it wasn't, so that was good.
00:17 And my kids, just seeing their face light up, you know, made my whole weekend.
00:22 They were fired up.
00:24 Did you get snow in Vegas?
00:25 We have one time.
00:26 One time.
00:27 We got snow one time.
00:29 And the kids and I, we played outside football because it's stuck and everything.
00:32 We played outside all day, so it was fun.
00:34 That's gone now.
00:35 That is gone now.
00:36 Yeah.
00:39 Did the break do anything good for the psyche of the team, for a chance to study more?
00:44 I mean, I feel like we've asked you this three or four different times this season,
00:47 where you've got to get over something that's pretty disheartening.
00:50 Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
00:52 Yes, but I think the whole year has been tough.
00:56 But the one thing that our guys keep showing is that they just keep fighting.
00:59 And, you know, it hasn't been perfect or exactly what we wanted,
01:02 but, you know, guys that continually show up, smiling.
01:08 That's due to the leadership that's been here for a long time.
01:10 You know, Cam, T, you know, DeMario, all those guys, man.
01:15 They just keep coming.
01:16 They just keep working.
01:17 And coaches do a great job of that as well.
01:20 But I think it allowed a lot of guys to get healed up as much as they could.
01:24 You know, that time helps.
01:26 And then mentally you get to not put the tax on your body so much,
01:29 but mentally you can study, you know, you can get ahead on these, like we said,
01:33 these two opponents that we know that we need wins against.
01:37 How important--I mean, major decisions get made in the NFL at the end of seasons
01:42 about the fate of coaches, players.
01:44 How important is it for you guys to keep trying to show you're heading in the right direction
01:48 and that this whole thing wasn't going to work?
01:51 Yeah, we always want to do that.
01:53 You know, that's one thing I was told no matter what the situation that you're in
01:59 in the NFL, I was taught any chance you get to put a jersey on,
02:03 any chance a coach gets to walk out here, you've got to keep proving it every day.
02:07 Charles Woodson used to tell me that.
02:08 You're 18.
02:09 You know, he's like, I'm trying to prove it every day because it don't matter who you are.
02:14 This Charles Woodson is the best defensive player arguably ever.
02:17 And he's like, dude, if I don't show that I can tackle or cover or make a play,
02:21 he's like, that's it.
02:23 And so you always keep that in mind.
02:25 Us as players, whether it's been a great season or a tough season,
02:29 you're always trying to show that because you know there's always someone
02:33 waiting to replace you.
02:34 They've got hundreds of college kids about to come up that all want to take our jobs.
02:38 We all still want to feed our families.
02:40 Same thing, coaches, all that kind of stuff.
02:43 So that's something that we're taught.
02:45 Like when you first get in the league, that's something talked about by the older guys all the time.
02:48 Derrick, based on your experience, what's the difference between a team that stacks up a bunch of wins
02:54 and finishes top of the division and a team that's kind of in the position you're in now?
03:00 Just like how fine is that line?
03:02 The line is super close.
03:05 You know, there's some teams that I've played in my career where you play against them
03:11 and you're like, haven't been good in a couple years.
03:14 And then they end up with nine or ten wins.
03:16 And you're like, how did that happen?
03:18 And that's because these games are so close.
03:20 Look at how many games that we've had that have been so close.
03:23 Whether we have league or whatever the case may be, the NFL is designed for everyone to go 500.
03:31 And the way they do salary caps and the free agency and the draft and all this kind of stuff.
03:36 And you see the details of every assignment.
03:40 You can't have one guy on one play that it may cost.
03:44 And then you look back like, man, we needed that one win or we needed that one play.
03:48 And so, especially when you're growing something, you have to keep pressing as hard as it is.
03:54 We talk about as hard as it is after a tough loss.
03:57 You've got to keep pressing into that culture and keep pressing into doing things right.
04:01 Because eventually, I've seen when you keep doing right, those things can be great.
04:04 All of a sudden, man, it went our way.
04:06 Oh, man, we finished that one better. Oh, we won that game.
04:09 And it's frustrating to go through, but if you go the other way, you end up not having to work most of the season.
04:16 You've got to keep going after it.
04:18 How do you feel the relationship or maybe the on-field chemistry has kind of built between you and Jawan Johnson?
04:25 Yeah, I would say that my relationship with Jawan and really all the skill guys, chemistry-wise,
04:32 I knew it would take games playing together.
04:35 But I'm just so – that's one of the things I am proud of is that growth that we've all made.
04:41 Because at first, there were some rocky times.
04:43 There were times where I was expecting this, where they thought that, and I thought this, and all this kind of stuff.
04:48 And slowly, as we've talked about less – again, I forget how the number of weeks,
04:52 but the number of weeks where things are growing and getting better, especially with Jawan,
04:56 like his work ethic, his hunger, his practice habits, and another thing, he got healthy.
05:02 It's hard when your job is to be explosive and run.
05:06 It's hard for you to do.
05:08 And he's been able to get healthy, and he looks great on the press,
05:11 but he's looked good in games and some moments for us.
05:14 So I'm excited about him.
05:16 I've always loved him, and I think the world of him going forward.
05:20 I thought he was – halfway through that question, I thought he was going to be asking about Chris.
05:27 I mean, we've talked about the rocky times, given him the same league as Chris.
05:31 And then he has the flu, and then he has the ankle sprain,
05:34 and it seems like he's almost had his two best games even playing through that.
05:37 What do you like about what's really clicking in for him?
05:40 I think the number one thing that I've always loved about Chris, I said to you all, from the beginning, was his mentality.
05:47 And you can see the work ethic, you can see all the things, but then you see someone go through something.
05:52 He's been through a lot this season.
05:54 He's had a lot of stuff going on, and to see him continually come out here, work, communicate with me, get on the same page.
06:00 We may screw something up in practice.
06:02 In practice, we screw up our hair, but then we talk about it, and then we get in the game, and then, man, we hit it.
06:05 And that's a cool feeling.
06:07 That's awesome.
06:08 That's hard work.
06:09 And I've just continually seen that from Chris, to where now he's having – obviously, he's only had two years,
06:16 but he's having a better season.
06:17 He's doing more things.
06:19 And the frustration came from, we expect so much more.
06:22 I expect so much more for both of us.
06:25 But the fact that it's getting better, the fact that our communication is at all-time high, that part of it,
06:32 understanding each other, where we're coming from, how we see things, it's getting better.
06:37 You wish it didn't take until midseason, but it is what it is.
06:41 But I've seen that growth as well as Juwan and me, with Chris' relationship going on.
06:47 It just keeps getting better, and hopefully we can continue that in these last two games to finish strong.
06:52 Is that consistent through that little rough patch you had in the middle of the season,
06:55 just kind of the same guy before and after?
06:57 Or is there something different that happened at that time that propelled him?
07:02 He's always been the same guy.
07:04 He's always been the same guy.
07:05 I think I just need to learn a better way to communicate so that we can be on the same page,
07:11 because not everybody responds the same way to certain things.
07:17 And I think that we just got better at communicating together.
07:20 I think that was the biggest growth for us, was the communication.
07:23 Him texting me.
07:25 We jumped on FaceTime, like I told you all back there, and all this kind of stuff,
07:29 and just getting on the same page, because I really think he's so special.
07:33 We can all see the talent.
07:34 We all see the work ethic and all that.
07:36 And I just want for him so bad for that era just to keep going up.
07:40 And so he's been the same, but I think that him and I together, our communication got better,
07:46 which allowed us to do things better on the field together.
07:49 Eric, with Lelante, you were one of the guys who talked to him on the sideline
07:52 after he got pulled from the game.
07:53 What do you say to a guy in that situation, who's a young player and very frustrated?
07:58 Oh, man, yeah.
07:59 I just tell him, "Man, we've all been there."
08:02 I got benched in a seventh-grade game because I changed the play.
08:07 I didn't think the play was going to work, so I changed it.
08:10 And I got benched, and I wanted to be mad and sit on the sideline and do those things.
08:15 And I was like, "Man, I'm not going to do that."
08:17 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:19 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:21 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:23 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:25 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:27 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:29 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:31 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:33 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:35 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:37 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:39 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:41 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:43 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:45 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:47 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:49 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:51 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:53 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:55 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:57 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
08:59 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
09:01 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
09:03 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
09:05 And I was like, "I'm not going to do that."
09:07 And that's one thing I really appreciate about this team.
09:09 We're always just trying to help each other.
09:11 We all know how hard it is to be successful
09:13 and do things right in this league.
09:15 So when it doesn't go your way, it's good to have
09:17 brothers there for you.
09:19 And how have you seen him respond to that this week?
09:21 He's been great.
09:23 I heard B.A. yelling just an amazing play,
09:25 like on one of the plays he made today.
09:27 I haven't seen a change in him.
09:29 He came in still smiling.
09:31 He joked with me again this morning.
09:33 So I saw his personality.
09:35 So I saw his personality.
09:37 And so that was a good sign to see,
09:39 especially bouncing back.
09:41 And a weekend can do that for you.
09:43 Sometimes we just need a little time.
09:45 And yeah, it was a great day to play with Mark Sadler.
09:47 When you say you changed your communication,
09:49 is it you kind of have to tailor that to each guy?
09:51 Is that something you learn and you've got to figure out
09:53 how to piece that puzzle together with each individual?
09:55 how to piece that puzzle together with each individual?
09:57 Yeah, that's a great question because I had to learn that.
09:59 I just did things my way.
10:01 I just did things my way.
10:03 I grew up watching those older guys in the 90s.
10:05 I grew up watching in the early 2000s.
10:07 I was like, "Okay, that's how it's supposed to be."
10:09 And then you learn not everybody responds to that.
10:11 And one thing, if I'm just being honest,
10:13 And one thing, if I'm just being honest,
10:15 that taught me that the most was being a dad.
10:17 that taught me that the most was being a dad.
10:19 I was like, "My 10-year-old does not respond the same way
10:21 as my 7-year-old.
10:23 My 10-year-old will outwork anybody.
10:25 My 7-year-old got all the talent in the world
10:27 and he's like, 'Ah, I just throw it like this.'"
10:29 And I got to go after him a little bit,
10:31 but as a 10-year-old, I just have to be like,
10:33 "Hey, it's okay to screw up.
10:35 He's a perfectionist."
10:37 So the tone is different.
10:39 And once I learned that as a dad,
10:41 that they're not all the same.
10:43 You got to treat them all fair
10:45 but not equal.
10:47 And I have done the same thing
10:49 And I have done the same thing
10:51 with my growth as a leader
10:53 with different positions, not just receivers.
10:55 But not everybody responds the same way.
10:57 I've had guys tell me,
10:59 "If I screw something up, I want you to yell at me
11:01 in the middle of practice."
11:03 I've had other guys be like, "Hey man, just come talk to me.
11:05 I don't like that." "Okay, cool.
11:07 No problem."
11:09 And so you're making little logs in your mind
11:11 and you try your best to react the right way.
11:13 But yeah, being a dad has helped me the most.
11:15 learning that, just how to love
11:17 each kid individually
11:19 and how they respond best.
11:21 Same thing with my team. How do I love them the best
11:23 and get the best out of them individually
11:25 rather than just throwing a blanket over the whole thing?
11:27 But do you find out that information
11:29 in the moment or do you have to go
11:31 behind and find it out?
11:33 How do you sift all that through?
11:35 Man, it takes time.
11:37 It takes time. One, it's communicating
11:39 together.
11:41 You can absolutely see if I were
11:43 to respond a certain way,
11:45 some people in our circle would be like,
11:47 "Whoa." And then some people would be like, "Yeah, I like that."
11:49 And then you kind of see the body language
11:51 and you kind of feel that in the moment.
11:53 And so for me,
11:55 I just have always tried to
11:57 do my best to learn as much about each individual
11:59 as I can. Whether that's
12:01 watching, talking to them,
12:03 getting to figure out what makes them tick, what
12:05 motivates them.
12:07 Because what motivates them is a direct correlation
12:09 on how I can talk to them too, how I can push them
12:11 and try and get the best out of people too.
12:13 It really is
12:15 not an easy, simple answer.
12:17 It's really just a big picture of
12:19 being in a relationship with my teammates.
12:21 Does that calibration kind of multiply
12:23 when you're dealing with injuries along
12:25 the offense as well? I mean, think about a couple weeks
12:27 ago where you had A.T. and Lynn
12:29 and Keith out there and a set of the guys that you had been with
12:31 throughout most of the season. Is that something you kind of have to
12:33 recalibrate in those moments?
12:35 Absolutely. It helps
12:37 that me and Lynn were
12:39 together before.
12:41 And it
12:43 helps when you have pre-existing relationships.
12:45 But when it's all new and new
12:47 guys are playing that you're not used
12:49 to talking to every rep at practice
12:51 about certain things and texting
12:53 back and forth, absolutely.
12:55 You've got to figure out how to
12:57 get the best out of them, how to motivate
12:59 them, how to get them excited.
13:01 And honestly, that part to me
13:03 is fun. That part of the leadership
13:05 is fun to me because
13:07 just being a teammate,
13:09 being a brother,
13:11 I've always been someone that wants to be super
13:13 close to everybody. And so
13:15 once I can figure out what makes your heart go,
13:17 what gets you excited, all those things,
13:19 I kind of want to figure that out
13:21 for each guy. What's the team
13:23 mindset now that you're in this awesome situation
13:25 you guys got?
13:27 Playoff mindset.
13:29 One thing we've been talking about is
13:31 this playoff mindset.
13:33 You would hope. Me and
13:35 RC talk about this all the time as quarterbacks.
13:37 And really it's just everybody.
13:39 Me and RC always talk about
13:41 that should be our mindset all the time.
13:43 We always talk about that from the beginning.
13:45 Rudin, same thing. Coley, same thing.
13:47 We always talk about that should be our mindset
13:49 in OTAs. And when you carry
13:51 that mindset, it's easy. My wife
13:53 asked me this the other night,
13:55 just a general football question.
13:57 She was like, "How do you handle the pressure?"
13:59 I was like, "Well, when you're in it,
14:01 you've worked so hard and you've put
14:03 so much into it, you don't even really think about it
14:05 in that moment. You're just
14:07 out there and you're just playing."
14:09 And so for some guys,
14:11 the younger guys, you teach them how to be
14:13 in that mindset early. And now they're going
14:15 to get a real taste of it.
14:17 For me individually,
14:19 experience helps.
14:21 I've been in this situation a couple of times
14:23 and you know what it takes.
14:25 I'm going to go out there and give everything I have
14:27 all week long and then on Sunday give my best
14:29 that I can give.
14:31 I know if I gave everything I had,
14:33 you can live with that.
14:35 It may hurt. It may be really exciting.
14:37 I don't know. But you can't think about
14:39 that. You just got to stay focused on that process.
14:41 And that's kind of what keeps my mind focused
14:43 when I just focus on that.
14:45 Do you have a relationship with Russell Wilson
14:47 or would you reach out to him at all?
14:49 I don't know if you saw the news that
14:51 they're moving on permanently from him, but for the rest
14:53 of this season.
14:55 I've been there.
14:57 I understand. He's got a big number.
14:59 If he gets hurt, they don't know if he's staying or
15:01 leaving.
15:03 It's frustrating.
15:05 Everyone knows he can
15:07 play. Everyone knows he can complete passes.
15:09 Everyone knows
15:11 when you surround
15:13 any good quarterback,
15:15 you're surrounded with a lot of talent
15:17 and a lot of good guys.
15:19 The results come.
15:21 For us, as quarterbacks,
15:23 it's so hard to do.
15:25 Anytime anyone reaches out, it means something.
15:27 I've known Russ
15:29 for years.
15:31 We used to play in that same preseason game every year
15:33 because Oakland-Seattle, the last game of the year, we'd always play.
15:35 For years, we would see each other
15:37 for years, different events.
15:39 Little NFL commercial, whatever.
15:41 We've seen each other and had that.
15:43 My heart goes to him.
15:45 Is Stiddy going to play?
15:47 I think that's the plan.
15:49 I love Stiddy.
15:51 Me and him, great relationship last year
15:53 and still do.
15:55 I wish him the best.
15:57 I know Russ wishes him the best.
15:59 It's so hard to do.
16:01 Anytime this stuff happens, you always wish
16:03 whoever's playing it, you're rooting for them.
16:05 You pull for them because they've got families too.
16:07 This is tough to make a career out of.
16:09 You root for Russ
16:11 and Stiddy at the same time,
16:13 but the messages are different.
16:15 If I can, I'll reach out
16:19 to him and make sure he's doing all right.
16:21 He's a competitor. He'll be fine.
16:23 It feels like you've mentioned
16:25 Ronald Curry quite a few times
16:27 over the course of the past few weeks. Can you just talk a little bit
16:29 about the impact that he's had
16:31 for you?
16:33 Oh man, Ronald, you know where to put him.
16:35 I'm glad you asked about him because he is
16:37 an amazing football coach.
16:39 Not only on his
16:41 preparation, his work ethic,
16:43 the communication he has with the quarterback.
16:45 He understands.
16:47 He played.
16:49 He knows. He's been
16:51 literally the best
16:53 athlete ever to come out
16:55 of high school. He understands
16:57 being on a big stage and the pressures
16:59 and all that. He's just
17:01 so cool and calm all the time.
17:03 As a quarterback, that's what we need.
17:05 While the chaos is going on,
17:07 it's good to have someone who's just cool
17:09 and honest.
17:11 I've been watching the last two weeks.
17:13 Your left foot on these throws,
17:15 that's not good enough. You've got to put it home.
17:17 Man, I appreciate that. He's like, "Got you. Let's work
17:19 on that today."
17:21 He's always pushing me. Even today,
17:23 "Hey, if this happens
17:25 on that throw, it's not on time. Don't throw that late.
17:27 That's going to be a problem for you. Do this."
17:29 Great reminder.
17:31 He doesn't miss.
17:33 He doesn't let anything go by.
17:35 As a player, that's all you can ask for from a coach.
17:37 They give you your best. Give us
17:39 their best. He does that.
17:41 I think he'd
17:43 be a heck of a coach.
17:45 Head coach someday.
17:47 Whatever aspirations he has, I think he'd be amazing
17:49 because I know just personally
17:51 how much we love him.
17:53 How much have you guys discussed the margin
17:55 of the previous meeting with Tampa Bay?
17:57 I think it might have been the most
17:59 offside of the game. I guess the extent
18:01 to which you really feel
18:03 that margin may be
18:05 misleading relative to how the teams match
18:07 up or wanting to prove that or anything like that.
18:09 We are what we've
18:11 earned. We earned
18:13 a loss that day, which it wasn't good.
18:15 They got after us.
18:17 I'll never take that away from anybody.
18:19 They did a great job.
18:21 We needed to do better that day.
18:23 We're excited for another challenge.
18:25 They're leading our division.
18:27 They've got an amazing team with amazing coaches.
18:29 They've got talent everywhere.
18:31 They've got champions on that team all over the place.
18:33 It's another tough
18:35 challenge for us, but it's one we're excited
18:37 for. You never back down from a challenge. You go out there,
18:39 face it full,
18:41 head on, and give it your best shot.
18:43 We're excited to play against them.
18:45 The margin on it, you don't really talk about that.
18:47 Even when you win a game, when you lose a game,
18:49 when you watch the film, you're just making corrections
18:51 on how to get better.
18:53 You're not necessarily saying, "It was 11 points
18:55 or it was 16 or it was 2."
18:57 You don't really do that.
18:59 These are the three things. We've got to do
19:01 these better in practice this week so we do it better in the game.
19:03 That's just been
19:05 my experience for the last 10 years
19:07 of football games. Is that why division
19:09 sweeps seem to be
19:11 difficult
19:13 because of the ability to make those
19:15 corrections and then do it over?
19:17 Just in my experience,
19:19 it's rare where a team is
19:23 so lopsided that they have no chance.
19:25 Eventually,
19:27 it comes back.
19:29 It's back and forth.
19:31 That's what we talked about earlier about the NFL.
19:33 It's made to be so even.
19:35 Especially in the division, you're drafted
19:37 against, "Oh, they have that. We need this.
19:39 We're a free agent. We need this. They have that."
19:41 That's why it usually
19:43 goes pretty much back and forth as
19:45 the years go on.
19:47 Thanks, guys. Appreciate it.