Getty Antonio Pierce with Aidan O'Connell.
The Las Vegas Raiders decided against making any splash additions at quarterback this offseason, which means Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew will compete for the starting job. Head coach Antonio Pierce recently said that O’Connell will begin offseason practices getting the first-team reps.
Pierce has been a big champion of the young quarterback since he was promoted to the head coaching job and that’s something O’Connell is very appreciative of.
“Since really AP started, he’s put a lot of confidence in me,” O’Connell told Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on May 18. “He’s given me a great opportunity. I’m just trying to make the most of the opportunity. It really is a privilege and an opportunity to get to play on the team and get reps at the quarterback position.”
Minshew will certainly see a lot of first-team reps in practice as the two quarterbacks are going to have a real competition to see who will be the starter. One thing that works in O’Connell’s favor is that he’s been with the team for a year and Pierce is clearly a fan of his.
.@Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell on dealing with the pressure of the upcoming QB competition
Luke Getsy Praises Aidan O’Connell
While Pierce is likely to get the final say on who will start at quarterback, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will have a lot of influence over the decision. He’s still figuring out the team but he’s been impressed with what he’s seen from O’Connell.
“[For] him to get thrown into the way … and to see the adversity,” Getsy said during his May 21 press conference. “I mean, I think it was like a zero, they didn’t score [against the Minnesota Vikings] and then they go score all those points [against the Los Angeles Chargers]. I mean, that’s a really cool reflection of the type of kid that he is and the approach that he brings. I mean, there’s one thing that I would definitely pat him on the back for at this point is just the willingness to be taught and willingness to be vulnerable in this opportunity to get better. I mean, that’s really cool to see a guy who’s had success now really excited to learn some new stuff.”
O’Connell has the support of the coaching staff early on but Minshew has more experience. The competition between the two should be very interesting to watch.
Las Vegas Raiders Looking to Establish ‘Brotherhood’
The Raiders were able to maintain many of the coaches from the previous staff, especially on defense, but there’s definitely a completely new culture being built. The team is in the midst of organized team activities and Getsy explained why these practices are important.
“It’s important to lay a foundation,” Getsy said. “If we can establish our style and the brotherhood that we have in that room, we’re going to be just fine. The schematic part is the second element of it. Guys got to be comfortable being able to react to things that happen. Because the reality of it is that we prepare them and we say it’s going to look like this and we called it for this, but there’s often something that’s slightly different and those repetitions that you get with one another, that’s how you become elite.”
