After they fell to a 3-5 record with a 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Las Vegas Raiders decided to clean house with some bold moves. Those changes came as a major plus to both superstar wide receiver Davante Adams and rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
They fired then-head coach Josh McDaniels and replaced him with Antonio Pierce, who had been their linebackers coach, and they benched veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of O’Connell.
O’Connell may only be a rookie and a fourth-round draft pick, and his numbers in his two starts ever since being promoted may not be that impressive, but he has guided the Raiders to wins in those two starts.
All of a sudden, there has been a pocket of fresh air for the organization. It still has a long way to go to dig itself out of the mess it has gotten into the last year or two, but at least now there may be a bit of direction.
NFL News & Rumors: Aidan O’Connell, Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders Updates
Star wide receiver Davante Adams had some strong praise of Aidan O’Connell after Las Vegas’ 16-12 win over the New York Jets this past Sunday.
“It was impressive, man. He’s as cool as the other side of the pillow,” Adams said after the win. “Dude is not a rookie. By years he is, but by action, and like you said, that poise that he has in those type of situations, you don’t see that often from a rookie quarterback.
“Like I said last week, the way he commands the huddle, the way he talks to us, the communication and confidence. Throw a pick down there early on in the game and the way he bounced back is impressive. So, I’m glad he is our guy.”
The Raiders fell behind 9-3 early in the second quarter, but O’Connell didn’t waver, even after throwing an interception near the end of the first quarter. He threw a touchdown pass early in the fourth period to rookie tight end Michael Mayer that broke a 9-9 tie, and his team wouldn’t give up the lead the rest of the way.
O’Connell may not be the long-term answer under center for Las Vegas, but with the oft-injured Garoppolo struggling to protect the ball this season, perhaps the personnel change is for the better. The team may not make the playoffs, as it has a tough schedule with games against the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs coming up in the next two weeks, but perhaps this is the first step toward getting it back to respectability.
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