Until Sunday, Raiders backup quarterback Matt Schaub had thrown just one pass this season.
It was intercepted.
Then, against the Rams this past weekend, Schaub was sent in to give Derek Carr some relief late in a game that would end in a 52-0 defeat by the Raiders.
He completed 5-of-9 throws, but also threw an interception that went for a touchdown and fumbled twice while being sacked, losing one to the Rams.
Though the Raiders have fallen to 1-11 this season and are No. 1 in the race for the top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, at least the Raiders appear to have a young quarterback to build around in Carr.
The situation would be far worse if Schaub had been handed the reins to the Raiders offense this season.
Carr, however, did not want to come out of Sunday’s lopsided loss. He told Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group that he was “pretty hot” about being removed with 12:47 remaining in the gme and trailing 45-0.
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Head coach Tony Sparano had to explain to Carr that the time had come to remove him from the game, with all hope of a comeback gone and still four games to go in this season, plus his future to consider.
“It had nothing to do with what Derek did or didn’t do,” Sparano told the media after the game. “It was just the scenario. I had to be honest with myself at that point and take him out of the game and not risk him potentially getting hurt. I made the decision and it was the right decision.”
It’s become painfully obvious, however, that it wasn’t the right decision to bring in Schaub from the Texans in the offseason. Once one of the finest QBs in the league, Schaub doesn't have the arm strength to be successful any longer.
Fortunately for the Raiders, their deal with the veteran quarterback is guaranteed for only this season. Schaub is making $4.5 million this season, plus received a $3.5 million signing bonus. But his $5.5 million deal for next year is non-guaranteed.
So, this offseason, the Raiders won’t have to hunt for a No. 1 quarterback, but they will need a veteran backup for Carr.
Because as Schaub showed Sunday vs. the Rams, he’s no longer up to the task.
