The competition between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew at quarterback this offseason promises to be exciting for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Since he has played for five seasons, Minshew has spent more time in the league. He is now with the Raiders after leading the Indianapolis Colts the previous season.
After participating in 12 games for Las Vegas in the previous season, O’Connell is starting his second season. Rich Scangarello, the quarterback coach for the Raiders, is satisfied with the way the offseason has started thus far. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell are improving one another.
“Very happy with it. Rich Scangarello stated this week, “I mean, it’s competitive,” as per an NBC Sports piece. They both have wonderful, endearing personalities. They are a good counterpoint to one another.
Though their methods of playing and approaching it differ, their mentalities are similar. They are enhancing each other’s best qualities. They’ve taken a lot from us, and they’ve handled it admirably.
However, I think one of these guys has a wonderful opportunity to lead us to accomplish some amazing things. And I believe they are both capable; their playing styles are probably a little different from one another, but they both contribute a lot, and the play is interesting.
Having to step in and take over the bulk of the QB responsibilities for the Raiders last season put O’Connell in a difficult situation. How he handled that impressed Scangarello.
“I was really impressed with how he handled the situation last year, even though I was only watching from a distance,” Scangarello continued.
“They were really impressed with both of the quarterbacks in the room with him last year, with whom I had already cultivated connections and contacts. After seeing him up close, I simply get the impression that he is everything you could have imagined. .. He aspires to greatness. He’ll put effort into it.
He aspires to greatness. He’ll put effort into it. Everyone in the building, including his teammates and the coaching staff, greatly admires him for his altruism and regard for others. It’s difficult to succeed in this league and, most obviously, to be the best at the position without that, so I give him a lot of respect for being able to achieve that as a rookie given how he was. It’s exciting to work with it, then.
Gardner Minshew has ‘grit’
During the 2019 NFL Draft, Gardner Minshew was selected in the sixth round. Rich Scangarello is impressed with the manner he has established himself in the NFL.
It takes that when you’re not 6-foot-4 and don’t have the biggest arm, but [late picks] have amazing moxie and just like baller in him, Scangarello said. “You must possess the grit and the right attitude. That is what he is built of. In any case, that’s a crucial component of your team. It’s encouraging to watch Gardner progress in that way, and as for the group as a whole, I think the two of them will improve each other because of how well they complement one another.
The Raiders appear content with their quarterbacking choices. Who gets to keep the starting spot will be exciting to watch.
