From his rookie season in 2014 to his second full year in 2015, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr made a huge jump.
Sunday, in fact, he made his debut in the NFL’s Pro Bowl and will be remembered for making a spectacular throw for an apparent touchdown (that eventually was ruled incomplete).
Now Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie expects to see his team make a similar jump in 2016 in Jack Del Rio’s second season as head coach.
In a recent SiriusXM NFL Radio interview, McKenzie said he believes the players are responding to Del Rio and his staff and believes the “coaching is going well.”
As the free agency and draft approach, too, he said he sees good communication with Del Rio.
“The chemistry is even better moving forward, and when you’ve got the continuity from Year 1 to Year 2, with no staff changes, no system changes, that’s great for the players and it’s great for the coaches, also,” McKenzie said. “Now they just tweak whatever they need to do and get these players going. It’s the same with us, being able to go through it one year together with the entire staff and the continuity and the chemistry is going to be even greater.”
For his part, Del Rio recently said he’s eager to get going on thorough evaluations of the roster – with his staff and McKenzie’s -- in preparation for a crucial offseason of improvement.
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“You just want to attack it and look for ways you can improve and anywhere you can, look to do that,” said Del Rio.
