Which Raiders quarterback is the better fit in Luke Getsy's offense?
The quarterback competition between Las Vegas Raiders second-year player Aidan O'Connell and recently acquired Gardner Minshew is perhaps the storyline that will have the biggest impact on the Raiders this upcoming season. I think we can all agree among all the additions, storylines, and position battles, this one is probably the most anticipated.
Which quarterback best suits Raiders new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's offensive philosophy is the topic of conversation, rather than just who is the superior quarterback or who will perform well enough to win the starting job this fall, but which QB has the skillset best equipped for the upcoming season. We have broken that down and it may be much closer than you think likely to thrive which quarterback's strengths and tendencies are most in the new offense.
Which Raiders quarterback is the better fit in Luke Getsy's offense?
Luke Getsy Offensive System
We must first identify the specific type of offense that the Getsy system is before determining which quarterback's style of play is best suited for it. Getsy's play calling focuses primarily on running the ball first, passing short to intermediate passes in the middle of the field, and taking long shots down the field after play action.
Briefly put, in terms of personnel sets, Getsy was aligned with one running back, one tight end, and three receivers (11 Heavy Personnel) for 58% of the Bears' plays during the previous season. For 23% of the offensive plays, the second most frequently used personnel set consisted of one running back and two tight ends, referred to as 12.
The Raiders' roster is ideal for running the kind of offense that Luke Getsy calls which may have played a role in the hiring decision. It is also safe to say that Getsy's play calling has been taken into consideration while focusing on the offensive line this offseason. We can anticipate what the Raiders offense will look like this year by examining the Bears offense's patterns from the previous campaign.
The Bears finished second in each category last season with an average of 141 rushing yards per game on 31 attempts, under Getsy's play-calling. In contrast, the Bears' passing game was a different story; on 30 attempts, they averaged 182 yards per game, placing them 27th in both categories the previous year. Although the coordinator may not be solely to blame, Getsy's confidence or lack thereof, in Bears quarterback Justin Fields may have contributed to last year's passing game's lack of production and play calling.
Due to his propensity to call passing plays and over-reliance on the run game, Getsy has faced criticism in the previous two seasons. That, in my opinion, speaks more about the quarterback and Fields' incompatibility with the scheme Getsy employs, and not as much to do with incompetence in play calling. On a bit of a side note, Bears TE Cole Kmet, did experience some success last season as a result of the passing game.
Kmet had one of the best seasons of any tight end in the NFL, finishing fourth in touchdowns (6), sixth in receptions (73), and eighth in yards (719). Expect TEs Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer to have successful seasons, if Kmet's production last year in the Getsy system is any indication. Whichever quarterback steps up on the field could benefit greatly from the ability to utilize both of these tight ends. The final topic we'll discuss regarding Getsy is a few remarks he made during his Raiders press conference.
The new coordinator mentioned that one quality he looks for in a quarterback is "escapability," or the capacity to elude pressure and extend plays.