ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Rich Gannon, the former NFL MVP quarterback for the Oakland Raiders and current CBS-TV analyst, has some advice for Derek Carr should Jon Gruden become the Raiders' head coach.
Basically, strap in.
"He has no idea what's in store for him, just in terms of the level of preparation, attention to detail," Gannon said of Carr on KGMZ-FM 95.7 The Game on Thursday. "He's going to be as prepared as any quarterback could possibly be to go out and really play championship-caliber football. But he has to do it.
"If [Carr] doesn't want to come in and spend eight hours on Tuesday, his day off, then you can't make him. If he's not a guy that's going to come in and grind away on Monday nights, or stay late on Friday, then you get what you get. You're going to get out of it what you put into it. I always say that those that invest the most are the last to surrender. We're going to find out how tough this guy is, and how hard he's willing to work to really take his game to the next level, but more importantly, to take the Raiders to the next level."
Carr, who finished tied for third in NFL MVP voting in 2016, regressed badly last season, his Total QBR falling from 54.6 to 47.2. He returned from a broken pinkie finger and fractured fibula suffered in late 2016, then dealt with broken bones in his back suffered in Week 4.
Gannon, meanwhile, avoided radio host Greg Papa's question about whether he would leave the television booth to become Gruden's quarterbacks coach after playing under Gruden in Oakland from 1999 to 2001. Gruden, currently an ESPN analyst, is calling the playoff game in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday between the Chiefs and Tennessee Titans (4:20 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
"My focus is just on ensuring that [Gruden] will take the job and that he'll get to Oakland after this playoff game," said Gannon, 52, who last played in 2004. "Then, at that point, I think will be an appropriate time to sit down if, in fact, he has interest in me being a part of [his staff], to sit down and have a conversation."
Still, in calling Raiders games the past four seasons, Gannon had several production meetings with Carr. Gannon said he got the sense the quarterback was frustrated with a lack of attention to detail by his teammates.
Carr not necessarily having a Type-A or in-your-face personality will have to be addressed, Gannon said.
"I really believe you've got to be more demanding of your teammates, and you've got to hold them to a higher standard," Gannon said he told Carr. "They lack a sense of identity on offense. More importantly, they don't have execution. They don't have precision, the attention to detail.
In Gannon's opinion, Carr has to fix that.
"You're the captain of the ship," Gannon said.
"Sometimes you can't change a person, the way they're wired or even their personality or their demeanor. I just think that all the great ones have a little bit of jerk in them, if you know what I mean. He's got to find a way. Not saying to be abusive or to embarrass somebody. It's just a question of saying, ‘Guys, I've got to be able to hold everyone to a certain standard. And if it's not done the way I want it, I'm going to tell you, in no uncertain terms.' That's leadership. That's what you want at that position.
"I think all the great ones do it. All the great ones have it. And he's going to have to find a way to get it out of himself. Jon can't do that. I can't do that. You can coach him up a little bit differently."
And if Gannon were to be Carr's position coach, where would he start in "fixing" the man with a five-year, $125 million contract?
Think lower body.
"He gets lazy with his feet at times," Gannon said. "He doesn't push away from center. He gets lazy when he's in the [shot]gun sometimes. His change-of-direction skills can and will improve."
Gannon said he would encourage Carr, 28, to use his legs to extend plays more because he has the athleticism to do so and showed flashes of it before the 2017 season.
No, Gannon does not want Carr to be a 500-yard rusher -- Carr ran for a career-high 138 in 2015 -- but he wants him to be a threat because, as Gannon said, there is a difference between understanding offensive football and being a master at it, knowing what everyone on the field is doing.
"He has to be willing to be criticized," Gannon said. "You can't have thin skin when you work with Jon Gruden. He's not interested in you being good; he wants you to be great.
"I'd be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I'd have at least one Super Bowl, maybe more, if Jon never left Oakland. I embraced the opportunity. I took advantage of the opportunity. I hope Derek will do the same."