O'Connell, Hardegree Bring New Life to Raiders' Offense
After the first eight games of the season, it was clear that the Las Vegas Raiders' offense needed to be fixed. Owner Mark Davis decided the best thing to do was clean house on the offensive side of the ball.
Bo Hardegree was elevated to Interim Offensive Coordinator, and rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell was named the starting quarterback.
Those moves paid off immediately, as the Silver and Black have won both games since.
O'Connell's ability to make pretty much every throw and Hardegree's ability to stay unpredictable has led to the Raiders' offense running much smoother than it did during the first eight weeks.
The Raiders got a whole week of practice in preparation for the New York Jets, which gave Hardegree more time to connect with the offense.
"It was great," Hardegree said. "We got a full week and kind of got our schedule together from the organization part. AP [Antonio Pierce] has done a great job with spearheading all that for us.
"And then for me, for the offensive side, just getting us a daily schedule, a routine, which is important and that is carrying over into this week."
O'Connell has mentioned how much he admires Hardgree's work ethic. Hardgree says film study is one of his significant tools as he game plans for Sundays.
The Las Vegas Raiders naming Aidan O'Connell their starting QB has done wonders for the Silver and Black.
© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
"Yeah, I'm always watching. I watch a lot of film," Hardegree said. "My dad is a high school coach, college football on Saturdays, and obviously, what's going on Sundays. That's my job."
Against the New York Jets, the play that best showed Hardegree's creativity was a crucial run on fourth down late in the game. It was a run that the Raiders had yet to use this season.
"I was saving it for a fun time," Hardegree said. "It showed up, and like I said, I have the utmost confidence in our guys. We were 5-for-5 in short yardage, whether it was third or fourth down, and they did a great job executing. I was very proud of them."
Although he brings his own style to the coordinator position, Hardegree shared that the foundation of the offense is relatively the same.
"There's a twist here and there, but our core is our core," Hardegree said. "We're in this part of the season, and it's advantageous to stick to the terminology that we know. But it's purely, like I said in the first meeting we had, it's the execution and it's the confidence within that to do it."
One of the most significant issues with the previous coaching staff's offensive style was their predictability. Hardegree brings a fresh set of eyes and ideas that most of the remaining teams on the Raiders' schedule might not be able to prepare for.
On any given Sunday, no advantage is too small.
The Silver and Black will head out on the road to South Beach to take on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.
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