Derek Carr Must Make Major Strides to Make Raiders Relevant Again

Derek Carr landed in a perfect situation last year.No, the Oakland Raiders didn't have 10 All-Pro players sharing the field with him or a dominant defense with a brilliant supporting cast to alleviate the pressure on him. Instead, he had no expectations to meet on a team that would keep him out of the spotlight.

Carr had no expectations for a couple of reasons. For one, he wasn't a first-round pick. He went in the second round and wasn't expected to start ahead of Matt Schaub during his rookie season. Carr took Schaub's job, but it appeared to be more of a reflection of Schaub's decline than Carr's ascension.

As somewhat of a surprise starter on what was considered one of the worst teams in…