It isn't often that we've witnessed an NFL coach and the quarterback that they now coach square off as players. Yet, that's exactly the unique scenario that will play out with the New Orleans Saints this season.
New Saints coach Kellen Moore is just 36 years old, the youngest coach in the NFL. The Saints quarterback, at least currently, is 33-year-old Derek Carr.
Moore and Carr both had outstanding collegiate careers. Moore was a four-year starter at Boise State between 2008 and 2011. His record as starter was 50-3, an NCAA record. In the process, he'd complete 69.8% of his throws for 14,667 yards with 142 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
Carr was an equally productive starter at Fresno State from 2011 to 2013. His 24-15 record wasn't as impressive. However, he'd have a 66.7% completion percentage for 12,843 yards with 113 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
Derek Carr vs. Kellen Moore
The college careers of coach and player would actually intersect on October 7 of the 2011 season. Fresno State, then in the Western Athletic Conference, hosted Boise State of the Mountain West Conference.
Boise State rolled to a 57-7 win that day. Moore would complete 23 of 31 throws for 254 yards with three touchdowns in the victory. Carr countered with only 126 passing yards on 17 of 30 attempts with no touchdowns and an interception.
Kellen Moore and Boise State rolled to a 12-1 record that season, with Derek Carr and his Fresno State squad stumbling to a 4-9 finish. Moore went on to the NFL in 2012 as an undrafted rookie, but went on to a six-year career as a backup quarterback with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys until 2017.
Carr played two more seasons at Fresno State, leading his team to a combined 20-6 record. He faced Boise State twice more, a team that included Kellen's brother WR Kirby Moore. In the second of those two contests in 2012, Carr threw for 460 yards and four scores in a 41-40 Fresno State victory.
In 2014, Derek Carr was selected with a second-round choice in the NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He was the Raiders starter for the next nine seasons before becoming the New Orleans starter for the last two years.
Carr's Raiders would actually face a Dallas Cowboys team that had Kellen Moore on their roster in 2017. Dallas won that game by a 20-17 score, with Carr throwing for 171 yards and two scores. Moore, in the final year of his career, was on the Cowboys practice squad.
In 2021, Carr's Las Vegas Raiders would square off against a Dallas Cowboys squad with Kellen Moore as it's offensive coordinator. The game was a shootout, with the Raiders pulling out a 36-33 overtime victory.
Moore's Dallas offense put up 437 total yards in that contest, including 375 through the air from QB Dak Prescott. Carr countered with 373 passing yards, which remains the ninth highest total of his 11-year career.
This past season, Carr's New Orleans Saints faced off against a Philadelphia Eagles offense led by new coordinator Kellen Moore. Carr managed only 142 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. Nevertheless, the Saints still held a narrow 3-0 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia pulled out a last-second 15-12 win during an explosive fourth quarter. The Eagles put up 460 yards of total offense, getting 147 on the ground from Saquon Barkley and 311 passing from QB Jalen Hurts. Philadelphia won with timely big plays and standout performances from their star offensive players, the same strategy that fueled them to a Super Bowl title.
Now on the same side, at least currently, Kellen Moore and Derek Carr will work together for hopeful success with the New Orleans Saints.
