It took less than a month of the 2023 regular season before quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo found himself in a very familiar situation. Another fan base is already calling for his unheralded backup to take his starting gig. Jimmy G arrived in Las Vegas with head coach Josh McDaniels personally rolling out the red carpet for him. “Skinamax Jimmy” was supposedly the correct guy to properly execute the illustrious “JMD system”. A new era for the Raiders.
But after three lackluster weeks and a missed game due to a concussion, it might not be long before the Raiders decide to give Purdue rookie Aidan O’Connell the keys to the castle.
Aidan O’Connell Showed Flashes In His First Start
Despite a shaky first half against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4, O’Connell refused to crumble under the pressure. Las Vegas made it a game late, and with a better play call on first and goal, the Boilermaker product may have led a game-tying drive. The stats weren’t eye-popping. Neither was the athleticism. But at no point in time did it feel like the moment was too big for O’Connell.
He developed quick chemistry with Davante Adams and took what the defense gave him underneath. Don’t let Josh McDaniels’ ego-fueled post-game presser clip fool you; he’s fully aware of what ‘AOC’ brought to the table. Raider Nation would’ve had to be blind to miss the obvious.
Was there anything Garoppolo does that O’Connell couldn’t?
Jimmy’s Shaky Start Only Hurts His Case As Raiders QB1
Garoppolo was cleared from concussion protocol on Friday, paving the way for his return on Monday Night Football. However, things could get ugly in Green Bay unless the Babe Ruth of the Bunny Ranch is a new quarterback after his head injury. Jimmy Garoppolo was supposed to take care of the football while distributing to the multitude of weapons the Raiders deploy. Sadly, even that didn’t come to fruition. The veteran quarterback has thrown more interceptions (6) than touchdowns (5) on the year.
O’Connell had his own issues with fumbles due to his lack of movement in the pocket. But the difference is Jimmy isn’t a rookie. He’s a seasoned veteran who is well-acclimated with the offense he was handpicked to run. If Garoppolo takes the reins back against Green Bay and gets off to a poor start, the little remaining confidence in No. 10 will all but dissipate.
Josh McDaniels May Have To Put His Ego To The Side
We would be foolish to ignore this element within the situation. Coach McDaniels has an ego. It got him in trouble when he got chased out of Denver, but it was said to have subsided in subsequent years. How he handles this quarterback situation will be the true test, though.
Josh banished the former franchise signal-caller in favor of an option that was dismissed by a Super Bowl contender. The message was clear: His system just needs “his guys” to find success. But after three games, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Las Vegas has yet to score over 20 points, and now fans are calling for a fourth-round rookie to run the show over the guy McDaniels, himself, anointed as the answer. The irony is that neither quarterback is a realistic solution to what ails this team in the long term. AOC is exciting; Jimmy Garoppolo is damaged goods. It’s easy to see the appeal for a fan base starving for excitement and any reason for hope.
Josh McDaniels has to decide what he truly wants. Does he want to be right? Or do what helps the team’s chances to win? When the dust settles, McDaniels may play the role of Paulie Cicero while Jimmy G is a strung-out Henry Hill begging for another chance.
Top Photo: Steve Marcus/Getty Images
