Raiders' Antonio Pierce has a message that should scare anyone in the NFL worrying about their QB battle
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the few teams in the league that have a legit QB battle going on. In Week 1 it's either going to be Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell and as head coach Antonio Pierce has said several times, the best man will win. Right now it's primarily O'Connell getting […]
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the few teams in the league that have a legit QB battle going on. In Week 1 it's either going to be Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell and as head coach Antonio Pierce has said several times, the best man will win. Right now it's primarily O'Connell getting the first team resp when they practice. But, Minshew has had his fair share as well.
In OTAs we don't really take anything from it – teams are just doing the simplest drills imaginable. As for mandatory minicamp, which Antonio Pierce just wrapped up a day early, the guys are competing against each other. Aidan O'Connell had a great first day as he made some throws his teammates forgot he could make.
Everyone is wondering what the Raiders will do. Everyone is making fun of the fact that the Raiders will once again have an average quarterback rolled out there when they could have traded up for a rookie quarterback. But everyone shouldn't be worried about the Raiders' quarterback situation. They should worry about their quarterbacks.
“The other day, we went over to the [Las Vegas] Aces, played a little basketball, little team bonding,” Pierce said during media day. “You know who the best player was? Christian Wilkins. Not even close. We’re all sitting there like, ‘What in the world is this?’ 300-pound man dunking. … But more importantly, the love, the leadership, the passion, the desire to win. We got to bring in winners.
"We got to bring in guys that want to win that’s going to strain. There are two gentlemen in this building every day before coaches. Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins. They happen to be on the same D-line playing next to each other. God bless everybody else. Don’t worry about our quarterbacks, buddy, worry about yours.”
The Raiders will have one of the best defensive lines in the league, if not the best. They have two of the best overall defenders in the league in Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, and with Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson being disruptors as well, the opposing team's quarterbacks and offensive line will have nightmares the night before.
So, when Pierce says worry about yours, he's referring to the point that the opposing team's QB is going to be going through hell when the Raiders' defense plays. That's what you want too if you're a fan of the Raiders. That's how they won several games last year, including one on Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs.
So, in a way, Pierce is sending a message to the rest of the NFL that they should be scared.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby compares Christian Wilkins to 2021 teammate
The Raiders have something special.
