Antonio Pierce Gets Brutally Honest About Raiders’ Quarterback Competition

Entering his first full season as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Antonio Pierce has already crafted an identity for his team—one that is gritty but undeniably competitive.

Still, identity alone doesn't cover up poor quarterback play, and Pierce, coming off an 8-9 season. knows it.

After the Raiders' 27-12 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, Pierce didn’t sugarcoat the reality of Las Vegas’ ongoing quarterback competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell.

Both quarterbacks had their chances to impress, with Minshew logging 21 passing attempts for 95 yards and O’Connell getting 20 for 96, but neither offered the kind of performance that would inspire much confidence.

"You can't take one, you can't take the good and not take the bad, right? So, wish it ended well for both gentlemen, right, and it just didn't," Pierce told reporters after the game. "And we'll look at it, we'll evaluate. They both had opportunities—Aidan had 20 attempts, and Minshew had 21. That's about as balanced as we can get it, and we'll look at it. Obviously, you saw what our plan was tonight: throw the ball around, let these guys showcase what they can do, and we'll talk about it."

It’s clear Pierce isn’t ready to give a ringing endorsement to either quarterback, and that's concerning as the regular season approaches because even the most motivated and hard-nosed teams can only go so far without solid quarterback play.

Pierce, to his credit, is learning the ropes of being an NFL head coach on the fly. But one of the toughest lessons in the league is that no matter how well you motivate your team—or how many stars like Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins, and Davante Adams you have on the roster—if you don’t have a reliable quarterback under center, it’s hard to stay competitive.

The Raiders will undoubtedly fight in every game this season, but unless Minshew or O’Connell pick up their play, being competitive everywhere except at QB will likely be their Achilles heel.

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