The Oakland Raiders, and especially quarterback Derek Carr, have enjoyed a breakout season in 2016. The team currently sits atop the AFC West with a 9-2 record with an opportunity to exceed preseason expectations.

Although Carr didn’t enter the league with the glitz and glamor of the first overall pick (he was a second-round selection), he still experienced the challenging expectations placed on first-year quarterbacks.

His development was slow and painful during his rookie year, as the team collected only three victories the whole season. However, Carr and the team began to show signs of life last season. The squad and its quarterback had a remarkable turnaround and went 10-6, while Carr flashed signs of his game-breaking potential.

If the Raiders can win against the Buffalo Bills this weekend, Oakland can match its win total from the previous season, with four games still remaining.

This season has proven that the Raiders will go as far as Carr can take them. The team’s success is absolutely contingent on the young signal-caller because he is the driving force behind the gridiron renaissance currently taking place within Raider Nation.

As the season has progressed, the rest of the NFL has taken notice of Carr’s performance. As a result, he has been considered one of the Top 5 quarterbacks in the NFL. He may even be in the conversation as the best quarterback in the league before the end of the season. He is one of the top quarterbacks in the fourth quarter this season and has notched eight fourth quarter comebacks since the start of the 2015 season.

Oh, and his teammates are not shy about campaigning for the quarterback to be selected as the league MVP this season.

So how did a quarterback who endured a 3-13 losing season just two years ago, turn it around so quickly?

Footwork.

Todd Downing, the 2015 NFL Quarterback Coach of the Year, is also Derek Carr’s guru and mentor. When Carr was recently asked how he has been so effective this season with his throwing accuracy, while protecting the ball and mitigating turnovers, he specifically pointed to Downing and the development of more effective footwork mechanics.

“The biggest thing is your footwork. You want your footwork to lead you to completions…Honestly, I just try to do exactly what coach Downing tells me, because I know that if I do that, it will lead me to good decisions,” Carr said to Raiders.com.

The purpose of this drill is to teach the quarterbacks the footwork necessary to throw a shotgun play-action deep out throw.

Drill Setup

Place a quarterback in his pre-snap stance at normal shotgun depth across from a coach or player who will act as the center.

Place a second coach or player approximately 14 yards downfield to mimic the specific location during the out route where the receiver will begin to break toward the sidelines. 

Key Coaching Points

After receiving the shotgun snap from the center, the quarterback will pivot on his foot that is nearest to the running back and step forward with his foot that is furthest from the running back.

This initial footwork puts the quarterback into the proper body alignment so his hips and shoulders are squared to the nearest sideline, which allows the quarterback to present the ball for a quality run fake.

After the fake has been completed, the quarterback will pivot on the same foot again and kick his other foot back into a modified three-step drop.

When the quarterback has reached the apex of his drop, the player acting as a wide receiver will start his run toward the sideline.

The quarterback will pick up the receiver, find the proper timing and deliver a strike toward the sideline.

 

Photo courtesy of Panthers.com