Entering his first full season as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Antonio Pierce has already given his team a delightfully chaotic identity. That’s all well and good, but a team knowing what it does and doesn’t do well usually doesn’t make up for poor quarterback play.
And Pierce seems to know it.
After the Raiders’ 27-12 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, Pierce discussed where Las Vegas’ unexciting quarterback competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell stands. Even after apparently making a concerted effort to get both players an equal amount of discernible reps that the Raiders could properly evaluate, Pierce said there just wasn’t much inspiring to work off of.
In fact, Pierce couldn’t really give either Minshew or O’Connell a healthy ringing endorsement. Oof. That’s the last thing anyone wants to hear about a starting quarterback competition in mid-August:
#Raiders HC Antonio Pierce on the QB1 competition between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew:
“I wish it had ended well for both gentlemen, and it just didn’t.” pic.twitter.com/0o9ZzqpCZy
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) August 18, 2024
To Pierce’s credit, he seems to be learning the intricacies of being a quality NFL coach on the fly rather well. It’s a difficult job where one is almost always under scrutiny, always under some kind of microscope.
This is another good lesson for him. If you don’t have a quarterback you can rely on, your team probably isn’t going anywhere, no matter how feisty your players are and no matter how many other star players you have at other positions, like explosive pass-rusher Maxx Crosby and dynamic receiver Davante Adams.
I have no doubt the Raiders will compete well in every game in 2024. They will put their best foot forward because Pierce appears to understand how to motivate them. But at a certain point, unless Minshew or O’Connell pick their play up, being competitive everywhere except at quarterback only takes you so far in the NFL.