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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is going to have a difficult time choosing a starting quarterback between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew. As the team’s top pass catcher, wide receiver Davante Adams could have an influence on that decision.
He wasn’t able to play in the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings but he did make note of how the quarterbacks played. He was impressed with what he saw.
“I mean, they both balled out,” Adams said during his August 13 media availability. “They both did their thing and Gardner came in and picked up where Aidan left off. You can see we’ve got two quarterbacks that are not necessarily the same … the O-line was doing a good job keeping both of those guys clean, as much as possible. I’ve seen a lot of good so, hopefully, we keep doing that and it’s going to make it hard on [Pierce] to figure out. But I’m praying for nothing but success for both of them.”
Minshew threw for 117 yards and a touchdown while O’Connell completed 7-of-9 passes for 76 yards in one drive. It was an impressive showing from the quarterbacks after reports from training camp suggested the two were struggling.
Maxx Crosby Contributing to Offensive Struggles
A big reason why the offense has had tough moments in practice is due to defensive end Maxx Crosby, who according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, “ruined several practices” during training camp.
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year finalist has cemented himself as one of the top players in the NFL and was rated as the 10th-best player in the league by his peers. Pierce appreciates the effort Crosby gives but admitted he needs to take him off the field at times so the offense can have a productive rep.
“It’s difficult when you have a player of his magnitude, the way he practices, the effort,” Pierce said during his August 14 press conference. “I mean, that’s where he gets you at. When guys get tired — and everyone in the league, it happens to them — and all of a sudden on play six, here comes Maxx.
“But … there are certain plays we want to see, and sometimes you’ve got to pull him off on those plays to get the look for the offense. I mean, he is that type of player now in his career where when he makes up his mind, he’s unblockable. And I think he understands that, and we understand that.”
The Raiders offense didn’t have to face Crosby in the first preseason game against the Vikings so that was likely a contributing factor to why they had a good game.
Gardner Minshew Praises Davante Adams
What works in favor of the Raiders offense is that they do have talented skill-position players. Even coming off a down season, Pro Football Focus ranked Adams as the sixth-best wide receiver in the NFL. Minshew knows how good Adams is and wants to get him the ball as much as possible.
“You know if you got him one-on-one, that’s a winner,” Minshew said about Adams during his August 14 media availability. “Knowing you have that on the field is huge. You’re just trying to find ways to get him the ball, keep him involved.”
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