Raiders case study: The 2007 New York Giants
By Levi Dombro
Quarterbacks
When I say that this year’s Raiders team can match the play of the 2007 Giants, I do not mean that everything will be identical. While it is tough to compare Eli Manning, a first-overall draft pick and two-time Super Bowl champion, to Aidan O’Connell, a fourth-round selection who has not yet played an entire NFL season, we are looking at a single season in a vacuum. This is not to say that O’Connell is as great as Manning is, but he can match his production for one season.
There are, however, some similarities between the quarterbacks, as Manning did not have a tremendous rookie year. He went 1-6 as a starter and was sacked often, throwing only six touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 48.2% completion percentage. O’Connell’s rookie numbers clear these by a mile, but I mainly want to compare his rookie numbers to Manning’s 2007 numbers.
Statistic | Eli Manning (2007) | Aidan O'Connell (2023) |
|---|---|---|
Completion % | 56.1 | 62.1 |
Yards/game | 208.5 | 201.6 |
Touchdowns/game | 1.43 | 1.2 |
Interceptions/game | 1.25 | 0.7 |
Sack % | 4.9 | 6.5 |
When looking at these numbers, it should be easy to conclude that O’Connell could have as good of a season as Manning did in 2007. His completion percentage was much higher and he took care of the ball way better in 2023. Sure, he would have three fewer touchdowns, but I will take the tradeoff of having eight fewer interceptions.
The difference in yards is negligible, but the sack percentage is something to consider. Yes, O’Connell was sacked too often last year, but he was a rookie. Manning was sacked 6.2% of the time as a rookie, and in year two, that percentage dropped all the way down to 4.8%. If O’Connell can make that improvement as well, then that bodes well for him and the team as a whole.