Yahoo Sports Derek Carr asks Dana White to set up Octagon fight with ESPN 'clowns'
Derek Carr had a difficult NFL season.
And now he’s ready to fight someone.
The Raiders quarterback watched the core of the team he led to a 12-4 record just two seasons ago dismantled around him. New boss Jon Gruden has a vision of his own, and it doesn’t include the stars or the general manager from the previous regime.
Angst starts with Jon Gruden talking Kyler Murray
Except Carr’s still standing. For now. Gruden appears to be taken with Heisman Trophy-winning former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, who is projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
The Raiders just so happen to own three first-round picks in that draft.
“I used to think that a lot until I saw Drew Brees twice a year in Tampa,” Gruden told reporters Tuesday about his thoughts on smaller quarterbacks. “Then I met Russell Wilson coming out of N.C. State, and now I’m watching this kid, Murray, coming out of Oklahoma and I’m putting away all the prototypes I once had. I used to have a prototype for hand size, height, arm strength, all that stuff.”
“We’re looking for guys who can play. They come in all shapes and sizes.
So yeah. Gruden sounds interested in Murray.
Max Kellerman blasts Carr, endorses Murray
Max Kellerman of ESPN’s “First Take” used the premise of a potential Raiders-Murray pairing to put Carr on blast on Wednesday.
“You can see when a quarterback don’t want it,” Kellerman said on Wednesday. “And Carr didn’t want it. I think Gruden knows they’ve got to move on.
“The question is, can they get anything for him? Is he a placeholder until they find the next guy? How long will it take to develop the next guy?
“And Kyler Murray. If you can grab him in the draft. Hell yeah.”
Kellerman didn’t question Carr’s abilities with that take. He took on his character as a professional. Those can be construed as fighting words, which is exactly how Carr took them.
Carr wants to get in the Octagon with ‘clowns on TV’
Later Wednesday, Carr reached out to UFC boss Dana White on Twitter about setting up a fight with “a couple of these clowns on TV.”
@ufc @danawhite hey how do I challenge a couple of these clowns on tv to a fight? I think we should start a business together. Where pro athletes can challenge some of these people to an octagon fight until they give us an answer…. You don’t know me… stop lying.
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 23, 2019
One of those “clowns” is clearly Kellerman. The other is presumed to be his “First Take” mate Stephen A. Smith.
Carr went on to confirm that Kellerman was the target of his ire while insinuating that the ESPN host was due some accountability via his fists.
Yes..say what you want but don’t question somebodies character as a man if you don’t know them. Our job as NFL athletes is to try and leave the game better for the next generations. So let’s start an octagon business to give some accountability to these kinds of people. 😉😂👊🏼
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 23, 2019
Carr would also like the opportunity to embarrass Kellerman and Smith about their presumed lack of real knowledge about the game of football.
😂it’s because I blocked them both for talking trash about our team. Those 2 clowns don’t know anything about this game. Would love to actually sit and break down film with these two on tv just to show their viewers how incompetent (lacking qualification) they are about our game.
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 23, 2019
So yeah, Carr is sensitive right now. His team is in shambles, his job is in peril and a TV talking head just put his integrity as a professional and a leader on blast.
It’s hard to blame him for wanting to step into the cage.
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