The talk of the town for the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason has undoubtedly been the quarterback battle they are having this offseason. They have Aidan O'Connell, who Antonio Pierce gave the reigns to last season. But, he's younger and didn't show last season that he should be the undisputed No. 1 guy.
Then they brought in Gardner Minshew, a veteran who has played the backup role most of his career, but almost took the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs last season as the starter. So, they have a big decision to make, and both guys are pretty average, considering everything we know about them.
Everyone has given their take on who will start, and, rightfully so - it's a pretty polarizing topic. While Aidan O'Connell isn't phased by the competition, it's a good thing to have. You want your players to challenge one another and make each other better.
Recently, one Raiders legend and Hall of Famer gave his take on who he thinks will be taking the ball from under center in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
"I think that because Gardner is used to coming off of the bench, you know, that has sort of been his career - they may give the young kid [Aidan O'Connell] a chance first to go out there and see what he can do for a couple of games," Tim Brown said during the Zach Gelb Show. "If he can't handle it, they know what they have in Gardner and they will go with him. So, that's what I see, but I have no idea what they're going to do for sure."
That's a lot coming from one of the best wide receivers the league has ever seen, who also played with six different quarterbacks with the Raiders from 1988-2003. So, he knows a thing or two about catching passes from different types of QBs, whether to be starters or backups.
But, he makes a very interesting point. We know what Gardner Minshew is. The thing we don't know is if the more developed and second year of O'Connell is better than what we know Minshew is. That's the thing the Raiders need to see, and it sounds obvious, but it's really that simple.
