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'It's a chess game' between Carr, Dennis Allen in Raiders opener

Dennis Allen wasn’t Derek Carr’s head coach for long. There was a draft phone call, an offseason program, a preseason and four meaningful games before Allen got the axe.

That’s about it, roughly five months in sum. Not much fun in that run, though, Allen made one decision as Raiders head coach Carr won’t forget. He named the rookie starting quarterback for his first real game as a pro. Allen had an underwhelming veteran in former Pro Bowler Matt Schaub, but went with the young gun.

“I’ve expressed it to him, how thankful I am that he not only gave me a chance to play in the NFL but gave me a chance to start and had trust in me to do that,” Carr said.