Gardner Minshew's Status as an 'Underdog' Fits Right in With the Raiders

If the Las Vegas Raiders were to go with Gardner Minshew II as their starting quarterback this season, character-wise, it would make for quite the match.

Las Vegas Raiders Aidan O'Connell, Gardner Minshew / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce has stressed all offseason that he wants "Raiders" in the building.

What does that mean? It means hard work. It means no excuses. It means "underdog."

Regardless of where he ends up on the depth chart -- whether starting or backing up Aidan O'Connell -- the Raiders have an underdog in Gardner Minshew II. But just like a Raider, he doesn't carry himself like one.

"Both guys [O'Connell and Minshew] got a little swag now, right?" said Raiders coach Antonio Pierce when he addressed the media at training camp on Tuesday. "That's kind of cool. Aidan had so much last year, but he's kind of picked it up. And then Gardner is just -- his personality is so unique. So free-spirited, but more importantly, a great teammate, he loves to compete. His attitude, his purpose, each and every rep that he takes, you can see that there's a driven player there that's always been an underdog. And that's a good thing for the Raiders because that carries over to the rest of our team, and guys feed off of it."

Minshew has been a frequent backup throughout his career so far but has excelled when called upon to start.

While he went to the Pro Bowl last year, many would say Minshew doesn't qualify for Pro Bowl status -- after all, he was essentially selected by default.

Between those doubters and those who say he cannot successfully lead a team to victory, Minshew has been counted out his whole career. The Washington State product was taken in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft but proved the naysayers wrong when he exploded onto the scene during his rookie season, throwing for over 3,000 passing yards and 21 touchdowns in just 14 games (12 starts).

The odds have always been stacked against Minshew, but "the journeyman" may have just found his home with the Silver and Black.

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