Derek Carr is the starting QB for the New Orleans Saints. PHOTO USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES Life was nothing but good for the New Orleans Saints after they opened the season with a 47-10 drubbing of the Carolina Panthers ahead of a trip to Arlington, Texas, that saw them beat the Dallas Cowboys 44-19.
What a difference seven weeks can make.
Nothing has gone right for New Orleans since it left the Lone Star State, as the Saints have dropped all seven of their games since topping Dallas. They most recently fell 23-22 to Carolina on Sunday, a setback that may have single-handedly crushed any hope of turning things around.
A horrific pass from New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr put wide receiver Chris Olave in a dangerous spot on Sunday, and Olave paid the price, getting sandwiched between two Panthers defenders.
Olave was put onto a board and had to be carted off the field.
Carr deservedly got reamed on social media following the play, with former Saints wideout Michael Thomas among those criticizing the 33-year-old signal-caller the most.
“Dude scary and panic and just throw the ball. Get him the f out of here he so a–,” Thomas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It didn’t stop there.
Thomas reposted three tweets bashing Carr—and it could be even more by the time you read this—doing so after posting a video of him speaking with someone who appears to be a parking lot attendant of sorts.
“Tell me about Derek Carr, man,” Thomas said in the video.
After Thomas’ new friend makes it clear that he isn’t a fan of Carr by stating that “he doesn’t know how to play” before going on to do an imitation of him being scared in the pocket, Thomas gave some credit where credit was due in his eyes.
“Man, that’s crazy you know that,” Thomas told the man. “You smart, you get my respect.”
Not that we’re suggesting the stranger in Thomas’ video deserves a front-office position, but he couldn’t be more correct. New Orleans needs to make a permanent change under center.
Rookie Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round draft selection, has already gotten some experience under his belt this season. He made three starts for the Saints and completed only 59.6 percent of his passes for 571 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Although Rattler didn’t necessarily turn heads, you’d have to imagine anything is better than sending Carr out there for another week.
And if New Orleans is going to make a change, it has to do so right now. At 2-7, the Saints are tied with Carolina at the bottom of the NFC South with a Week 10 battle against the division-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-3) looming.
There’s virtually no margin for error for New Orleans from here on out, and it’s evident that Carr is not going to be the guy to help the Saints dust themselves off.
