Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell Focused on Execution

The Las Vegas Raiders are still trying to decide on who will be its starting quarterback this upcoming season. Quarterback Aidan O'Connell continues to block out the noise and focus on the things he can control.

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

The Las Vegas Raiders’ offense had a challenging training camp as they continued to install new Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy’s system and did so against the Raiders’ defense that finished last season as one of the best in the league and has exceptionally high expectations heading into this upcoming season.

Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell is competing against veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew for the team’s starting quarterback position. After completing training camp, O’Connell explained his mindset heading into the preseason. 

“Obviously, there are good days; there are bad days,” O’Connell said. “I think just being more consistent for myself. Just trying to go out there and execute the best I can, every time with every play. There are a lot of factors that go on out there. Who you’re playing with, what the call is, the coverage, and all those things. You have to tune all that out. Take it all into account, but tune it out and just try to execute the best play possible.”

Luckily for O’Connell and the Raiders, he and the offense do not have to wait until game days to get quality repetitions. They have the luxury of practicing against one of the best defenses in the entire league. O’Connell is known for being a student of the game. He believes practicing against what most agree is one of the top ten defenses in the NFL will help the offense improve significantly.  

“For sure,” O’Connell said. “We’ve got guys flying around out there. Guys that have been in the system for a few years now and these guys are better. They’ve shown us really every coverage so far, which has been really good work for us. I’m definitely a fan of making practice as hard as possible, making walkthroughs difficult, mentally, for us. I’m trying to make practice as hard as possible and have the most challenging look so that you can try to make the game easier.”

Execution was one of the most significant areas the Raiders needed to improve in this offseason. Football is a game of inches, and the Raiders lost multiple games last season by just a few plays. Had the Raiders' offense executed better and more often last season, they likely would have secured a Wild Card berth in last year’s playoffs.

After an offseason that saw the Raiders grow as a team, the offense must improve the rate at which they execute, especially now that they have a competent offensive coordinator and an updated offensive scheme.

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