The Raiders are now 2-1 with rookie QB Aidan O’Connell under center. For the most part, he’s done a good job of keeping the offense moving and not forcing passes.
However, O’Connell has to start taking fewer sacks if this offense ever wants to reach its full potential. O’Connell has been sacked ten times in just three starts despite having one of the better pass-blocking offensive lines in the NFL.
In a recent article by ESPN, they wrote about O’Connell’s lack of mobility and what the coaching staff needs to do to limit his sacks. Here is a snippet of what the site had to say about the rookie passer from Purdue:
Getting O’Connell to adjust his internal clock to not take so many sacks. Sure, the Jets have a fearsome pass rush that sacked him three times Sunday, but in holding on to the ball too long, he took a pair of sacks that cost the Raiders 18 yards and knocked them out of field goal range late in the second quarter.
O’Connell doesn’t have the athleticism to get outside of the pocket and make plays with his legs, so he needs to get rid of the ball quicker to avoid taking sacks. That is a challenging task for a rookie, but it’s what the Raiders need from him right now with their offense still struggling to score points.
Look for new offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree to continue to work with O’Connell on taking fewer sacks. They might need to design more checkdowns to give O’Connell options if he feels the heat in the pocket. If he can clean up this area of his game, O’Connell could have a lot of success in the NFL right away.
