New Raiders OC Todd Downing:
Downing was taking part in a conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday, his first media appearance since being promoted from quarterbacks coach on Jan. 14, and he gave his vision of running the Raiders' high-powered offense as a first-time coordinator.
Mainly, Downing sees himself as an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it kind of guy. And since the Raiders had the No. 6 total offense in the league last season (No. 13 passing, No. 6 rushing), that should be a good thing, no?
Downing will continue to work with Carr, who finished tied for third in NFL MVP voting. Carr’s older brother David recently said the unique relationship between player and coach will only help, suggesting Carr was stifled by Musgrave.
“He wanted to give Derek freedom, but at the same time, [Musgrave thinks], ‘I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I have a certain way of doing things,’” the elder Carr told 95.7 The Game during Super Bowl week. “I think you’ll see a lot more freedom for Derek at the line of scrimmage, some more flexibility there.”
Downing did not dispute that notion. Rather, he said Carr made “big strides” this past season in his command of the offense, in being the field general and going through progressions more efficiently and getting his footwork on point.
“I certainly want him to remain focused on all of those attributes,” Downing said.