Derek Carr’s rookie season was an outstanding success statistically as the second round pick out of Fresno State in the 2014 NFL Draft exceeded expectations as the first quarterback in franchise history to start Week One, becoming a fan favorite for the Oakland Raiders. Carr ended up throwing for over 3,000 passing yards and 21 touchdowns, guiding the team to three consecutive home wins to end his rookie season and earning league wide respect as a young quarterback to watch for the future.

Carr closed 2014 with a disappointing loss to the Denver Broncos, but before closing shop for the season the rookie gave his year end press conference to the media on hand to wrap up the 2014 season. With uncertainty at the head coach position, Carr remained optimistic about the future of a franchise that showed glimpses of being headed in the right direction in the quarterback’s first season while also shedding light on his mission to get even better before a sophomore season in the NFL.

Following is a transcript of Carr’s year end interview courtesy of the Oakland Raiders official website:

Q: What was your overall assessment of your first year here?

Carr: “Yeah, obviously you want to win more. That’s really all I care about is winning, so as a player’s standpoint, progressing through the year, I met with the coaches, met with [General Manager] Reggie [McKenzie], had meetings with everybody and I progressively got better and that’s what we wanted to see. Now it’s all about building, building this team, continuing to build, taking the guys we’ve got, getting better and adding new pieces to it and going from there. Obviously we want to win more, so that’s where my mindset is at.”

Q: What advice did they give you for the offseason?

Carr: “Really right now it was just going through the season and just saying thanks for how I was, how I carried myself and the support that I was able to show and the positivity I was able to show. Those things are so important and it’s hard to stay positive through the tough times, but these times aren’t going to last. I’m going to continue to stay positive and praise God for it because it’s such a blessing to be here and I know that it’s not always going to be like this.”

Q: The head coaching job here has been described as an attractive job because of your play this season. How do you take that compliment?

Carr: “It’s a huge compliment. It’s very nice. Again, with that whole deal, that’s above my decision making abilities, but I know Mr. Davis and Mr. McKenzie will do the best thing for our organization and for my teammates.”

Q: What did you learn about yourself as a quarterback this year?

Carr: “I learned that I could play in this league. You never know until you do it. I know I can play and I know I can play at a high level and so now it’s just about the consistency. Obviously as a rookie there are going to be ups and downs, that’s going to happen, but now, having that experience, you try to limit it each year now and so that’s what I’m going to work on. Take what we did good, take what we did bad and just be more consistent with it. That’s what I’ll be working on.”

Q: How do the experiences you went through this year hone in on what you want to work on?

Carr: “I know what to work on. It’s so nice that I was able to start from Day 1 and play the whole thing through because I was able to get different experience in every game, whether it was pocket movement, whether it was placement of the throws, all those things. The different looks that you see. Especially, it was nice being a rookie quarterback because you’re going to see every blitz, every different coverage, they’re going to disguise everything, so I gained a lot of experience in a lot of things that you can only gain by playing. That was nice. I’ll be able to go back and look at those things, there’s so much I’ll have to go back and look, but there’s a lot of great things that happened this year that we’ll be able to build on.”

Q: What does your offseason look like?

Carr: “I’ll be here. I’ll be here and I’ll be in Bakersfield with my brother. That’s how I’ve always been and if it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it. That’s what I’ll be doing. Him and I push each other better than any two people can push each other so that’s where I’ll be and really, just back and forth. Wherever I’m at my teammates will be there, I’m going to make sure that we’re all together and growing as an offense and even the defensive guys, just making sure this team is always staying together and making sure we’re going in the right direction.”

Quotes courtesy of Raiders.com