HENDERSON, Nev. — When Antonio Pierce became the Raiders’ interim coach midway through last season, his first major act was naming then-rookie Aidan O’Connell the starting quarterback.
Pierce, now the full-time Las Vegas coach, is turning again to O’Connell as the Raiders reach a critical part of their season while benching Gardner Minshew with the Pittsburgh Steelers visiting on Sunday.
O’Connell went 5-4 after he became the starter last season. Pierce said Wednesday he has seen the QB grow in confidence and become more vocal.
“He has a certain presence about himself,” Pierce said. “I love how he walks around the building, but really what I respect most is when we named Gardner the starter, he was like, ‘All right, I’ll be the best scout-team quarterback possible.’ He was lighting our (behind) up, and every day he gave us the best look.”
O’Connell didn’t dispute that characterization.
“I think there’s things I was naive to last year, things I really didn’t know that I think most people knew,” O’Connell said. “So, as a rookie, you’re just behind the eight ball. You’re trying to steal time any way you can. So I think having the offseason and now going into the second year, yeah, definitely just feel comfortable being in an organization, what it means day to day, what it looks like to try to get the job done.”
The Raiders went 2-3 under Minshew, and it was his interception in the second quarter of Sunday’s 34-18 loss at Denver that dramatically changed the tone of that game. Las Vegas appeared to be on the verge of going ahead 17-3 and taking control, but Minshew overthrew tight end Brock Bowers and Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II returned the interception 100 yards for a touchdown.
Minshew threw another interception in the third quarter and then was replaced by O’Connell, who had his own struggles in passing for 94 yards with a pick.
But Las Vegas, which has suffered a series of injuries, needs a spark if the Raiders are going to maintain any realistic chance of making the postseason. After the Steelers, they face the Rams, Chiefs and Bengals — two of those games on the road — in a potential make-or-break stretch before their bye week.
“I feel like (O’Connell) works as hard as any of us,” said wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who didn’t practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury. “If he can go out there and win games, that’s what it’s all about, right? Hopefully, he’s able to do that with us.”
Pierce wasn’t ready to say whether going with O’Connell represented a permanent decision for this season, only that it was his choice for now.
“I definitely know that the job is fluid, so just trying to do my best every day,” O’Connell said. “Today, I’m focusing on today and not really thinking about any days in the future. I got to work on what we’re working on today, try to get better and take each day that way, and it’s hard to do. Your brain wants to go backwards, it wants to go forwards, but I think just focusing on the task at hand is the best thing I can do.”
The two quarterbacks had a preseason competition for the starting job that was decided about three weeks before the season began.
Minshew, who signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the Raiders, showed flashes of why he won the job, such as the fourth-quarter comeback victory at Baltimore. But he also was inconsistent, throwing for 1,014 yards with four TDs and five interceptions.
Pierce said Minshew handled the benching “like a pro.”
Pierce said wide receiver Davante Adams, the subject of numerous trade rumors, didn’t rule out the possibility of playing again for the Raiders. Adams has not played the past two games.
“He’s still a Raider,” Pierce said. “When he’s healthy and he can play, we’ll play him. He’s just not healthy right now. He’s getting closer. He’s working every day to get that hamstring right. He’s in the right headspace. We talked recently and had a good conversation, and he’s ready to play football.”
Adams was among a number of key players who didn’t practice Wednesday. Others included defensive end Maxx Crosby (ankle), tight end Michael Mayer (personal), tackle Kolton Miller (knee and shoulder), guard Jackson Powers-Johnson (knee) and running back Zamir White (groin).
Also, the Raiders officially put defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (foot) on injured reserve, meaning he must miss at least the next four games.
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