Raiders’ Derek Carr sat out postseason after his injury, but missed something even more

Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is thankful to be doing the things he would normally do, especially at home with his kids.

When the ex-Fresno State star broke his right leg in a Christmas Eve game against the Indianapolis Colts, it bothered him well beyond the field.

Eight months later, Carr reflected after Wednesday’s practice on what it was like to be unable to do all that he wanted for sons Dallas and Deker.

“It made me realize just how thankful I am,” he said. “Not for the football stuff, but to be able to walk my kids and put ’em in bed. To be able to have my son bump his knee and I can go walk over and pick him up. Because there were times when I broke my ankle, he’d fall down or do something, and I couldn’t get there.”

The Raiders are preparing for their first exhibition game of 2017 against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday in Glendale, Ariz. Carr said he hasn’t been told by coaches if he’s going to play, even for one token series as is common for the starters to begin the preseason.

“I hope I do,” Carr said. “That’s up to the coaches. To be back out here going into our first preseason game, I’m just having so much fun. That’s all I tried to do this camp. Honestly, my main focus every day coming out here is just have fun because like everyone knows, it can go just like that.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2017 at 11:38 PM with the headline "Raiders’ Derek Carr sat out postseason after his injury, but missed something even more."