Aidan O’Connell Gets Strong Backing From Raiders Star

Getty Aidan O'Connell, Raiders rookie quarterback

Just a few short days after he was battered for the rancid performance of the Raiders offense in the 3-0 loss to the Vikings on Sunday in Las Vegas, there was Aidan O’Connell back on top with four touchdown passes and no interceptions against the same Chargers defense that had stifled him and sacked him seven times in his NFL debut back in Week 4. For Maxx Crosby, who was distraught on Sunday, that was rewarding.

Crosby was on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday and was asked by McAfee, “Tell me about Aidan O’Connell, what a hilarious moustache.”

Unfortunately, Crosby did not get into the stache, but he did deliver a strong message in support of O’Connell, the 25-year-old rookie whose future as the starter is very much in question. Crosby, for one, seems to want him around, and Crosby carries serious weight in the organization.

“No question, we love Aidan O’Connell,” Crosby said. “You just see him getting better and better every week, as you see, he is dropping dimes out there. He is getting more and more comfortable. It’s hard. Playing quarterback is the hardest position in football and as a young guy, coming in halfway through the season and do what he is doing has been incredible. We fully believe in him, we got his back. He just exudes confidence in the locker room. Guys definitely have bought in on that.”

Yes, Aidan O’Connell Is a Rookie

In what has been a pressure-packed and tumultuous season going back to the end of training camp (remember the Chandler Jones controversy?), it is hard to bear in mind that Aidan O’Connell is, in fact, a rookie. He played well in the preseason, which raised hopes around the team for his future, especially as free-agent signing Jimmy Garoppolo showed that he is  still … well, Jimmy Garoppolo.

When coach Josh McDaniels was fired on Halloween, veterans like Davantae Adams and Maxx Crosby made clear that they wanted Aidan O’Connell as the quarterback. The expectations were probably too high, though, especially after the Raiders won two games against the Giants and Jets, two subpar football teams.

Rookies struggle in the NFL. But O’Connell, along with rookies like Tre Tucker and Michael Mayer (who each had TD catches in Week 15), has taken that in stride and gotten better.

“I came in with those guys and we were talking today and yesterday about how far we’ve come and how different it is from when we first got here,” O’Connell said. “The NFL is really hard and it’s hard in your first year. To be able to go through it with those guys and share similar experiences has been awesome.”

Maxx Crosby Reveals AP Message

While Aidan O’Connell was racking up a huge first half en route to a 42-0 lead over the Chargers on Thursday, coach Antonio Pierce wanted to make sure he did not take the pressure off the defense. Even in a rout, a rookie can learn. And in general, the Raiders need to be better about finishing games.

“His main message was, don’t let off. Keep your foot on the gas,” Maxx Crosby said. That was what everyone was preaching because 42-0 at half, which is nuts, at the same time, it was only one half of football and for us, even a couple of weeks ago, we play the Chiefs and we are up 14-0, and we don’t finish the game well and we wind up losing.

“Then you got the Dolphins game where we lose by a touchdown and we didn’t finish the game the way we wanted to. So, regardless of the scoreboard we want to be at our best, you know, from start to finish. I think we did that.”