Aidan O’Connell had a solid debut last Sunday. Still, not impressive enough to take the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback gig. Yet, there’s more to this—at least as far as one anonymous player is concerned.
Despite the disappointing loss, O’Connell had some notable moments—perhaps none bigger than punching it in for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Chargers. In one play, AOC4 showed he’s willing to do what it takes to get the score; putting his body on the line is no issue. The Purdue product also looked better as the game progressed, getting through his reads much quicker and showing off some of that much-heralded pocket presence that scouts pointed to prior to the draft. At the same time, it’s fair to say that O’Connell really did look like a Day 3 pick at times.
All of that notwithstanding, players were mostly impressed and had O’Connell’s back afterward, namely, Davante Adams. The question has now shifted to whether starting O’Connell from here on out is the right call. Jimmy Garoppolo has cleared concussion protocol and will be back on Monday night, so now what?
Aidan O’Connell has support, but Raiders remain firm with Jimmy Garoppolo…
During a recent episode of his show, Raiders beat writer Hondo Carpenter shared that an anonymous Raiders player expressed support for O’Connell.
“You got to keep it 100. There ain’t no place on the field Aidan can’t put the football.”
Of course, it’s easy to read this as some sort of shot at Garoppolo. However, that could be stretching it, if we’re being honest. At the same time, we live in a time where people cling to any little tidbit and run with it—can’t AOC4 receive a little praise without it being perceived as disrespectful to Garoppolo? Not to sound hypocritical, but one of the biggest criticisms regarding Jimmy G has been his inability to get the ball downfield. He’s simply not that guy.
What to make of all of this—something or nothing, Raider Nation?
*Top Photo: AP Photo/Alex Gallardo