Antonio Pierce, A Raider, Speaks Candidly About Aidan O’Connell…
The offense of the Las Vegas Raiders has had a dismal season. The offense is 25th in the NFL in scoring even with All-Pro players like Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams in addition to fringe players like Kolton Miller and Jakobi Meyers.
The main cause of the difficult year was the quarterback’s patchy performance. There have only been two occasions when the Raiders have scored more than 20 offensive points in a game since rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell assumed the starting position in Week 9. In two of the previous three games, the offense has failed to score even one touchdown.
Despite O’Connell’s lackluster performance, interim head coach Antonio Pierce has been pleased with the quarterback’s reaction to his rough play.
During his media availability on December 29, Pierce stated, “I really think that takes a lot for a young quarterback to understand that and have that emotional balance of not getting into the highs and lows of the National Football League, and then to read the press good or bad.” “Because he was Joe Montana two weeks ago, correct? Align him with the Bears of Bad News now.
“We’re not doing that. He’s the starting quarterback and he’ll have his ups and downs. We got to do a better job around him from the coaches, play callers, players around him to bring him along. I never thought any day we will win a game because of Aidan, that was not the plan and is not the plan going forward.”
These are some blunt comments from Pierce but it’s clear that the team’s expectations for O’Connell aren’t very high. However, with the Raiders back in the playoff race, it’ll be interesting to see if the rookie has a shorter leash.
Antonio Pierce Praises Gardner Minshew
The Raiders are playing another team fighting for a playoff spot in Week 17 as they head to Indianapolis to face the Colts. Similar to Las Vegas, the Colts are playing a different starting quarterback than they did in Week 1 with Gardner Minshew.
Minshew has played well this season and has been a big reason why the team is still in playoff contention. Antonio Pierce had praise for the veteran quarterback.
Pierce remarked, “He can get away, and he feels the pocket well.” “Good awareness and pocket presence there.” Additionally, it differs slightly from what we experienced or dealt with with Patrick [Mahomes] last week in that this guy has his eyes down the field, is capable of making plays, and occasionally turns to off-script plays. And that presents a challenge for the defense since we don’t want to live there while you’re covering for four, five, or six seconds.
Antonio Pierce Updates Josh Jacobs’ Injury Status
Josh Jacobs would be helpful if the Raiders were to defeat the Colts and hope to remain in the playoff hunt. Due to a quad injury, he has missed back-to-back games, and Antonio Pierce reports that he may miss a third.
Just be honest with you, that will be a decision made during the game, Pierce said. Really, there’s no need to hurry. I won’t mind if he leaves on Sunday at one o’clock.
In Week 16, Zamir White, who replaced Jacobs, had 145 rushing yards, demonstrating his ability to fill the void in the near future.