Derek Carr apologized to New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael after a tense moment in a recent loss to the Houston Texans, but even though the quarterback showed his class as a leader once again, the water in the Bayou may continue to boil if the talented signal-caller doesn't start showing his class as a passer soon.
On paper, the Saints should have one of the best offenses in the NFL. Chris Olave and Michael Thomas are two legitimate superstars at the wide receiver position, with Thomas having one of the most established track records in the league as a possession guy. Meanwhile, Rashid Shaheed is a heck of a talent as a deep threat. The running game behind Carr is plenty strong, too, with Alvin Kamara -- after missing the first few games of the year to suspension -- continuing to rack up the yardage as a multi-faceted weapon out of the backfield.
Even so, the Saints rank 24th in the NFL in points per game and 24th in net yards per pass attempt, which is nowhere near acceptable when looking at the overall level of talent on the roster. And if Carmichael or anyone associated with the Saints is pinpointing a specific player who needs to step it up the most, then they will focus on Carr.
The Associated Press's Josh Dubow shared a rather indicting statistic about Carr, comparing him with former Saints quarterback Andy Dalton, who is the baseline for a veteran stopgap. Basically, if a quarterback isn't outperforming Dalton, then it is debatable if they are a better option than a run-of-the-mill veteran backup. In the Saints' case, they have Jameis Winston on the roster behind Carr.
Saints offensive issues are obvious. Diagnosing them is a bit trickier
None of this is to suggest that people should bash Derek Carr or that the Saints should even consider benching him for Winston. Carr is still the best man for the job. However, his statistics are underwhelming and are reflective of subpar performances this season, which have not made full use of the talents of players like Olave and Shaheed.
Amidst the backdrop of all this is the pressure Carr faces. The four-time Pro Bowler signed a four-year contract worth $150 million, reuniting him with head coach Dennis Allen in New Orleans. He received this investment from the Saints organization despite being released by the Las Vegas Raiders. Carr wasn't released because he lacks talent. He was released because he lacks consistency. One season, he is an MVP candidate. The next season, he doesn't look like a starting-caliber quarterback. That's a huge swing in difference, and the Raiders were getting impatient with having to change the direction of their planning each offseason because they weren't sure what they would get from Carr.
It's hard not to feel for Carr. Since his days at Fresno State, he's been a bit of an underdog despite having obvious talent. Carr is the kind of player who is streaky and needs the full support of an organization to help him feel comfortable so that he can perform at his best. The Saints and Carmichael need to make sure they give that to him so he can find his best self at quarterback. Right now, he isn't meeting the expectations of his contract, and it's up to Carmichael to identify how to help his quarterback turn things around.
As for Carr, surely he'll be the first one to admit that he's falling short of his own expectations. He knows he needs to step up and doesn't need anyone else to harp on that fact. What he needs is someone who can point out the specific areas for improvement and work with him. That man is Carmichael. The NFL is a results-oriented business, so while Carr will have some more time to figure things out, he may not have a whole lot of time with Winston right behind him.