Derek Carr Reminiscent of Oakland Raiders Legends

(USA TODAY Sports)

Mental Toughness: Jim Plunkett

Of all the Raiders legends, Plunkett is the only one (81-80) that has thrown more INTs than TDs. Yet he is the only Raiders quarterback that went to and won two Super Bowls. That’s because he had the mental toughness to overcome just about anything.

Plunkett had 23 game-winning drives for his career, 16 of them with the Raiders. But what was so special about his is a lot of them came because he didn’t play well throughout the game. He would come back and win after throwing 2-3 INTs in the first half.

Davis once told him, “It’s not important that you play well, it’s important that we win.” And Plunkett listened with all of the comebacks he had after throwing those INTs in the first half. He never got rattled, he just kept coming and won in the end.

Carr dislocated his pinky finger while turning the ball over to  Carolina Panthers in Week 12. When he comes back in, he makes a ugly, what-are-you-doing throw for an INT just like Plunkett. But in the end, he marched the Raiders down the field for the go-ahead score.