As far as QB controversies are concerned, the Raiders' one has been pretty tepid so far.
There was a little bit of a spark when, after the Raiders' Week 3 loss to Carolina, Antonio Pierce refused to immediately commit to naming a starter for Week 4. That continued on Monday, when he once again danced around the topic, saying that he needed to talk to the players first before announcing anything. That's not the sort of sentiment you'd express if you absolutely knew you were sticking with your starter, so people started connecting the dots.
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Then, barely a few hours later, reports began to surface that the Raiders were going to stick with Minhsew, at least for this week. Even without a change, QB play has been a major topic of conversation in Raiders world all week – even among the players. For instance, during his usual hit on Kay Adams' show, Davante Adams weighed in – pretty candidly – about how he feels regarding the QB issues in Vegas right now.
Davante Adams doesn't think switching QBs this early makes sense
Is it the right decision to stay with Gardner Minshew?
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) September 24, 2024
Davante Adams on @UpAndAdamsShow: pic.twitter.com/UiH3UY4HjP
"I think we've all played streaky," Adams said. "So it's not about being perfect, being out there quarterbacking. You also don't want your quarterback walking on eggshells. Because what message does that send Aidan the moment the pull Gardner three weeks after naming him the starter? It doesn't give you a feeling of security."
On one hand, it's nice to see the Raiders' star wide receiver stand up for his quarterback. And it's not like he's even saying anything all that noteworthy – you don't have to stick your neck out that far to defend a starter keeping his job after only three games – but it's not like anyone would blame Adams for being fed up. On the other, even if he felt differently, I find it hard to believe he'd just go on Kay Adams' show and say as much.
Adams has always shown the ability to pick his spots well when he wants to be heard, and there's not a lot of value in going on a web show in mid-September and creating more of a QB controversy than there already is. He'll get his chance to catch passes from O'Connell at some point this season, just like he'll get his chance to hype up O'Connell on Adams' show at some point this season. We can all just cross that bridge when we get there.