3 big questions for Raiders Updated 11:49 pm, Tuesday, September 2, 2014 Can the Raiders push defenses around? That's the plan, and one reason the coaches weren't losing sleep early this preseason when quarterbackMatt Schaub was struggling. The running game could take pressure off rookie starting QB Derek Carr and the passing game, and the Raiders plan to run a lot behind an offensive line that averages 327 pounds. Running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden both seem poised to bounce back from seasons in which they averaged less than 3.5 yards a carry. Bruiser Latavius Murray might be the best No. 3 back in the NFL. Will Khalil Mack and Derek Carr be impact players? Mack has been compared to Von Miller and Clay Matthews, and the Raiders are more excited about the pass rusher than any draft pick in recent memory. Carr looked very good in the preseason and, along with Mack, could give the Raiders some much-needed foundation players. Their development, along with rookie guard Gabe Jackson and injured second-year cornerback DJ Hayden, will go a long way to determining if general managerReggie McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen are back next year. What do the 'old' guys have left? One would not call Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley, Antonio Smith, Charles Woodson, James Jones or Jones-Drew old to their faces, but they are all on the wrong side of 28. Most of them were added this season to help bridge the gap until the young players are ready, and to make sure McKenzie and Allen aren't explaining another 4-12 season to owner Mark Davis. The Raiders need for those players' former teams to be wrong about them - and that doesn't happen as often as one would think in the NFL. - Vic Tafur
Raiders' Matt Schaub says switch to Derek Carr surprised him Vic Tafur Updated 8:42 am, Wednesday, September 3, 2014 1 of 8 Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for three touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks during an NFL preseason football game in Oakland last week. Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press The Raiders' Matt Schaub watched Thursday night as his backup, Derek Carr, threw one, then two, then three touchdown passes against the Seahawks in the final preseason game. Wait a minute ... Schaub said Tuesday that he wasn't concerned that he might be watching someone taking his starting job. (Which happened Monday.) "No, I didn't look at it that way," he said. "I looked at it as our fourth preseason game and our team, and players on our team, getting better and improving and making plays." Schaub said he was surprised when head coach Dennis Allen told him the rookie, Carr, would start the opener against the Jets in New Jersey. "I was, yeah, absolutely," he said. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. Yeah, absolutely." Schaub was acquired from Houston in March to be the starter. Two months ago, Allen went so far as to say that Schaub was still one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL and something "catastrophic" would have to happen to displace him as starter come the season opener. Oakland selected Carr in the second round of the draft, and he has looked better - especially his arm strength. Receiver James Jones, who spent the past six seasons catching passes from Aaron Rodgersin Green Bay, had high praise for the rookie. "It didn't surprise me at all," Jones said. "He's really calm, really cool in the pocket. He acts like he's been there before. I've been calling him mini A-Rod since he got here." Rodgers sat for three years behind Brett Favre in Green Bay. Carr is the first rookie quarterback to start an opener for the Raiders. He and his older brother, David, are the only brothers to both start the opener as rookies since at least 1950, according toStats LLC. David Carr was the first overall pick in 2002 and won his debut for the expansion Houston Texans against Dallas. But he either held the ball too long or was the victim of a bad line, depending on whom you ask, and is considered a bust. Derek Carr idolizes his brother and credits him, and watching NFL game film at the age of 11, with his development. "I learned everything that he did right and everything that he did wrong," Derek Carr said. "He told me that if he could do anything, he hopes he made the path smoother for me as I transition into the NFL." Center Stefen Wisniewski said Carr surprised him on the first day of training camp by knowing every offensive call in the playbook. "He's not your typical rookie," Wisniewski said. "He's got an NFL quarterback older brother that's been teaching him for years. He understands defenses at a very advanced level more than most rookies would. I think Derek gets way more prepared than most rookies would be." Carr worked on his footwork during training camp and then showed off his arm. Of 18 preseason pass attempts more than 10 yards downfield, he completed 11 for 234 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His first test Sunday is a tough one, as Jets head coach Rex Ryan is 8-1 against rookie quarterbacks making their first start against his defense. "He's got a great blitz package," Carr said. "He's got, obviously, a lot of different looks that he'll show. Me being a rookie, he's probably going to want to show them all." Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vtafur@sfchronicle.comTwitter: @VicTafur
Receiver Denarius Moore's consistency catches his coach's eye Vic Tafur Updated 11:27 pm, Tuesday, September 2, 2014 The Raiders kept Denarius Moore and other receivers on the final roster over former BrownGreg Little because, head coach Dennis Allensaid, Moore again looks like the player he was two years ago. "D-Mo, I think, has really kind of gotten back to where he was maybe a couple of years ago when we first got here," Allen said. "I saw a different demeanor out of Denarius Moore this year, and he's been a lot more consistent. I think he's beginning to take that next step, which is really a positive sign." Moore caught two touchdown passes from Derek Carr in the preseason finale to cap a consistent preseason. "I came in here this year with the mind-set that I am not going to try to control things that I really can't control," Moore said. "Just catch the pass. That's something that I can control." Moore had 618 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games his rookie season, then 576 yards in his first eight games with Allen's staff in 2012. Moore has flashed hot and cold since then. "I was worried about being the go-to guy, building up that pressure on myself when I didn't have to," Moore said. Though the Raiders were intrigued by Little's big-play ability, Allen said Brice Butler was kept for his consistency and Andre Holmes for his special-teams play. Briefly: Middle linebacker Nick Roach (concussion) and cornerback Chimdi Chekwa(knee) remain out. Rookie TJ Carrie will be the nickel corner if Chekwa can't go Sunday. ... Cornerback Taiwan Jones (knee) was back at practice. Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
