Last year did not exactly go as expected for the New Orleans Saints after they added veteran quarterback Derek Carr. But it sounds like the team expects things to be a bit different this year for a number of reasons.
During a recent interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis revealed that Derek Carr was battling some injuries and physical limitations last year that went unreported.
“Look, one thing that’s been understated — it’s on purpose — is Derek had a pretty tough year last year, physically,” Loomis said. “He got rocked pretty good in the Green Bay game and it took a number of games for him to get feeling like himself. And, look, he played through it. He’s as tough as they come. But it affected him, particularly in the middle part of our season.
“I thought he played really well toward the end. He got comfortable with the receivers and the skill position guys we have. And we’ve got to do a better job of protecting him as well.”
Carr will obviously be healthier this year, but he’ll also be more familiar with the team and the offense.
“The surroundings are more familiar, the coaches are more familiar, the environment that we have in our building is familiar,” Loomis said. “So, I think the arrow is up and we’re excited about what Derek brings to the table. And I know he’s excited.
“Look, it’s hard to take that leadership role when you first come into a building — no matter how good you are, no matter what position you have. So now a year in, he’s going to feel more comfortable about the leadership that you need from the quarterback and we’re expecting great things.”
It sounds like they have high expectations for him this upcoming season.
