Derek Carr won the Oakland Raiders' starting quarterback gig with improved play throughout the preseason.
Following the rookie's performance against the Seattle Seahawks in the finale, the call for Carr wasn't a surprise, especially to some veterans within the Raiders' locker room.
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James Jones spent six seasons catching passes from Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and sees similarities in the quarterback's development.
"He's really calm, really cool in the pocket," Jones said of Carr, per the San Francisco Chronicle. "He acts like he's been there before. I've been calling him mini A-Rod since he got here."
Now, let's slow the similarity-roll and allow the rookie play at least one regular season game before this hypothetical game of compare and contrast gets out of hand.
Carr won't have the luxury of learning from the bench as Rodgers did to start his career. In fact, Carr will become the first rookie to start a Raiders opener, ever.
The most important point to take from Jones is that Carr's convinced the veterans he's up for the task.
"He's not your typical rookie," center Stefen Wisniewski added. "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."
The Raiders found a young signal-caller with potential. If he reaches even close to heights of Jones' hyperbolic (at this stage) nickname, Reggie McKenzie's game of quarterback roulette will be forgotten.
The latest "Around The NFL Podcast" previews the Packers-Seahawks opener and announces nominees for the new "Team of ATL."
