Attention may be on Derek Carr but Matt Schaub is Raiders starting QB

There has been a lot of talk and a lot of excitement about the Raiders 2nd round draft pick QB Derek Carr, but that neglects one very important point: Matt Schaub is the starting Quarterback on the Oakland Raiders.

It is understandable to get lost in excitement and hype at the selection of a QB in the 2nd round. In fact, that is especially true in a year where the draft was as loaded as this past draft was. Derek Carr might just legitimately be the future, but what about the present?

Presently, Matt Schaub is set to take the reins of the Silver and Black. Yes he is the recently proclaimed master of the pick six but not that long ago he was one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL. He had one year of terrible play on a team that fell apart at the seams and now all of a sudden he is the lost cause of the NFL signal caller world.

It is fair to wonder what type of reception Matt Schaub will get when he takes the field as an Oakland Raider. The recent past has led many to believe him to be a broken player at the tail end of his career, but we wont know for sure until he gets some game action in. There is one thing for certain already though, Schaub was not a unanimous selection by Raider Nation to take over the job.

The last time the Raiders had a QB with a similar approvement rate was Matt Flynn and it was about as ugly as an opening start could be for him. He was booed while taking the field for his first start as a Raider, before he could even prove himself to be a success or a failure with the club. He was booed because the fans wanted Terrelle Pryor on the field. In other words, they wanted the guy they believed to be the QB of the future on the field.

New season, new QB of the future in Derek Carr. History repeats itself but it doesn't have to if you learn from the past. Matt Flynn performed terribly in the pre-season and brought the wrath of the nation onto him because of it. Matt Schaub can avoid that in a very simple way, just do not play badly.

Terrelle Pryor is gone but there is a new QB of the future on the team and if Schaub struggles in the beginning it will open up the chance for history to indeed repeat itself. For Matt Schaub to endear himself to the Nation he will need to hit the ground running. The Raiders staff believes in Schaub and plan on him being their salvation, but the fans wont sign on unless they see something to grasp onto from him early and often.

The road is not going to be easy for Matt Schaub but the Raiders fans will happily embrace him if he gives them the reasons to. He has shown throughout his career outside of last season the type of consistency and skill that the Raiders have notoriously lacked. He is motivated, experienced and driven to prove last season was a fluke.

The focus is on Derek Carr currently but what about Schaub? Hopefully he will answer that question emphatically while taking the Raiders out of the dark and back into the light. Schaub has the ability to be the QB of the now, the one to throw the ladder down for this once proud franchise to climb out of the hole with. He also has the chance to solidify what his own legacy will be, and trust me when I say that he does not want to be remembered for his play in 2013.