Aidan O’Connell has had a rare opportunity as a fourth-round pick quarterback to start multiple games as a rookie. However, it has not been fruitful for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The offense has played very poorly the last four games culminating in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14. O’Connell completed 21-of-32 passes for 171 yards and an interception in the scoreless effort.
There were many calls from fans for the Raiders to bench the quarterback but the team decided to stick with him. After the game, a reporter asked O’Connell if he was overwhelmed and if he is the “right man for the job right now.”
“I have confidence in myself to execute and to do my job properly,” O’Connell said in his December 10 postgame press conference. “I haven’t done it good enough so I gotta be better about doing that. I still have full confidence in myself to do this. I’m learning every week what it takes. I’m working extremely hard to put a good product on the field. I’m not doing it right now, so I gotta do better.”
O’Connell isn’t ready to give up the starting quarterback job without a fight but that decision will be interim head coach Antonio Pierce’s to make.
“I haven’t done good enough….I still have full confidence in myself to do this…I’m Working extremely hard to put a good product on the field…I’m not doing it right now and I gotta do better.”
Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell on if he’s still the right man for the job after a 3-0…
Antonio Pierce ‘Evaluating Everything’
The Raiders are 5-8 and are in 13th place in the AFC. The team is not eliminated from the playoffs yet but Antonio Pierce is still auditioning for the full-time head coaching job. He decided against making a quarterback change during the Vikings loss but acknowledged that all options are on the table heading into Week 15.
“We’ll evaluate everything going forward,” Pierce said in his December 10 postgame press conference. “The whole football program. Our whole program, everybody. Got to win — it isn’t good enough. So, got to win.”
Jimmy Garoppolo was the starter at the beginning before getting benched following the Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions. O’Connell hasn’t faired much better but he’s still a rookie and it’s still worth seeing if he can improve. The Raiders already know what they have in Garoppolo.
If the goal is for the team to simply see what they have in young players for the last four games, then O’Connell should continue to start. If Pierce believes the team can win out and compete for the playoffs, then he should consider seeing if Garoppolo can turn things around after getting several weeks off.
Antonio Pierce Makes No Excuses
The Raiders’ 3-0 loss to the Vikings was the lowest-scoring indoor NFL game in NFL history. Both defenses came to play but it was one of the worst offensive performances in NFL history. Though Antonio Pierce has a defensive background and doesn’t call play, he took accountability for the ugly performance.
“No excuse there; it is shocking,” Pierce said. “Plenty of time to prepare for the opponent. We knew what they did. Nothing new. Just, again, poor coaching, poor performance by the players. Starts with myself.”
Pierce is a first-time head coach and offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree is calling plays for the first time so it’s not a surprise that the team is struggling but they certainly aren’t making a compelling case that they should keep their jobs next season.
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Aidan O’Connell Has Strong Response to Raiders QB Job Being Questioned