Derek Carr’s willingness to publicly blame his teammates will strain his relationship with them

Saints quarterback Derek Carr could soon find himself on the wrong end of code red.

On Thursday night, Carr repeatedly expressed his frustration after plays that didn’t work. The message has become unambiguous.

It’s someone else’s fault, not mine.

That’s not what good quarterbacks do. This is not what good leaders do. They raise concerns with others in private, away from the prying eyes of Amazon Prime HD cameras. And imagine this, sometimes they accept blame when they probably shouldn’t.

“I showed my emotions a little too much on my sleeve,” Carr admitted to reporters after last night’s 31-24 loss to the Jaguars. “You know, I kind of relaxed, and that’s what makes me hold myself accountable. Because that’s not going to help anything. And so just trying to have a calming influence in those moments, especially when it happens a few times, leads to increased frustration. I can “I do a better job as a leader to calm everyone down.”

That’s fine, until he added: “There were some things that happened today that led to some big negative games that should never have happened, and I think that’s where my frustration comes from.”

Compared to his facial expressions and overall histrionics, it’s clear that he believes he can never be blamed for “big negative plays that should never happen.”

How will players like receiver Chris Olave feel about what happened last night? It has been publicly worn with “What are you doing?” From Carr. (Carr tried to say after the game that his comments weren’t directed at Olaf, which, frankly, is a whole lot of bullshit.) Other players also discovered some last night.

Beyond whatever these players are thinking about Carr’s antics right now, think about the texts and calls they have received or will receive from family members and/or friends, expressing their anger at Carr for treating his fellow players this way on national television.

It’s not a good thing quarterbacks do. Remember when the Colts lost to the Steelers in the playoffs after the 2005 season? Quarterback Peyton Manning was dragged for a relatively tame effort to point out the obvious.

“I’m trying to be a good teammate here,” Manning said. “Let’s just say we had some problems with security. I will give Pittsburgh credit for their blitz and rush. These men rushed. But we faced some security problems.”

This was nothing compared to Carr’s constant airing of grievances against his teammates. It was embarrassing. It was unfortunate. It will take Carr to do some real work to mend fences. If he is inclined to do so.

And that’s the free (and worth the money) advice we’ll give Derek Carr. Don’t even try to do it, unless it’s real and authentic. Don’t say what you think a man in your situation should say. Say what needs to be said to repair the obvious damage you have caused to those all-important relationships.