Veterans Are Leading the Way at Raiders Training Camp

"Yeah, both have been super impressive. I think maybe one of the more impressive quarterbacks I've ever been around in both of those areas, both on the field, skill-wise, he can move around, throw accurately, super smart,” O’Connell said.

“And then leadership, he knows how to talk to the guys and knows how to lead by example as well. So really tried to soak in as much information as possible from him. He's been great to me, been open. He enjoys, like I talked about before, bouncing ideas off each other. So it's been a super enjoyable relationship." 

O'Connell noted that he feels comfortable under the new coaching staff, which is the third coaching staff he will play under in his third season in the league. O'Connell has been a victim of coaching and quarterback instability over his first two seasons in the National Football League.

"Yeah, I've really enjoyed my time so far with the new staff, and obviously been through a lot of changes around here over the last few years. This has been super enjoyable for me to have this staff come in and kind of implement their culture. So just trying to do my best to work hard, to push Geno [Smith], to be the best teammate I can, to both him and the rest of the guys," O'Connell said.

O'Connell no longer has the pressure of starting at quarterback. He now has the chance to learn from a veteran quarterback in Smith, who can help him continue to develop into a potential starting quarterback.

"Yeah, both have been super impressive. I think maybe one of the more impressive quarterbacks I've ever been around in both of those areas, both on the field, skill-wise, he can move around, throw accurately, super smart,” O’Connell said.

“And then leadership, he knows how to talk to the guys and knows how to lead by example as well. So really tried to soak in as much information as possible from him. He's been great to me, been open. He enjoys, like I talked about before, bouncing ideas off each other. So it's been a super enjoyable relationship."

The regular season consists of 17 grueling games, teams must be prepared for the unexpected, such as their starting quarterback going down with an injury. Whether it be for a quarter, a half, a game or multiple games, the Raiders have a quality back up in O'Connell, should Smith go down.

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