Raiders' Gardner Minshew knows his job as starting quarterback is “all about winning” | Raiders News

Two days after being named the Raiders' starting quarterback, Gardner Minshew began his first practice as the undisputed leader of the club's offense at Allegiant Stadium on Tuesday night.

Apart from the initial euphoria he felt when he beat Aidan O'Connell in the race for a starting place, everything was as usual.

“My relationship with training has always been about getting better and having fun,” Minshew said. “I think if you do those two things, you'll have a good day and get better.”

He's been around long enough to know not to take anything for granted. Yes, the Raiders have given him the keys to their offense. No doubt it's an honor he's “grateful” and “excited” about.

But there's a difference between winning the job and keeping it. And no one needs to explain that to Minshew, who began the 2020 season as the Jaguars' starter, only to lose the job after Jacksonville opened the season by winning its first seven games.

A thumb injury he was battling didn't help, but Minshew couldn't do the job. It's a lesson he'll never forget.

“One thing I've discovered is that as a quarterback in this league, it's all about winning,” Minshew said. “If you win, nothing else matters.”

Four years later, the Raiders are giving him another shot at a job he shares with just 31 other people. Whether he can keep it depends on whether he wins or loses. His first day on the job was the official start of the process of being on the right side of that equation.

“We’re going to try to figure out how to win games here,” Minshew said.

The slight difference he felt on Tuesday was that he was the “guy” and not in a two-man competition.

“I think anytime you step in as a quarterback, no matter what the situation, it's your team at that point,” Minshew said. “You have to treat it that way.”

With the season opener against the Chargers just 18 days away, there is no time to waste. The Raiders will return to practice on Wednesday and then take a day off before hosting the 49ers on Friday for the final game of the season at Allegiant Stadium.

They are expected to resume work next Tuesday after reducing their squad from 90 to 53 players.

At this point, preparations for the regular season are in full swing.

“I think we've got a lot of stuff to work on now, really get going and get the reps,” Minshew said. “We're having some good conversations with these guys, just figuring out what our identity is and what we're going to look like.”

The Raiders expected O'Connell to build on the momentum of his nine-game start last year and earn the starting spot. The former Purdue star was given every opportunity to do so, beginning each new phase of the process as the de facto starter.

Minshew, the far more experienced player and a proven NFL backup who can start long stretches of games when needed, was the backup in case O'Connell was unwilling to take on the full-time job.

Nevertheless, the Raiders approached the task in an open competition and were ready to let the cards fall as they fell.

Minshew was by no means the better candidate. He had a tendency to perform unevenly one day after another, and even his best practices were marked by sloppiness and turnovers.

However, O'Connell was even more inconsistent and was the underperformer throughout training camp. During the Raiders' 17 days in Costa Mesa, California, he lacked the “wow” plays and threw multiple interceptions in far too many practices.

The Raiders' hopes that he would take a big step forward in his second training camp were quickly dashed. After a week, it was clearly a neck-and-neck race.

One could argue that O'Connell was the better player during the two preseason games, completing 72.4 percent of his 29 passes while Minshew completed just 48.5 percent of his 33 passes.

The lasting impression O'Connell made, however, was the interception he threw against the Cowboys in the fourth quarter, which was returned for a touchdown.

Pierce has emphasized decision-making and ball-taking all offseason, and on this play, O'Connell made three glaring errors. First, his decision not to throw to an open Dylan Laube in the flat. Then, throwing into a crowd on the other side of the field. And finally, the bad throw that led to an easy interception for Cowboys cornerback Kemon Hall.

That was the worst possible final impression and probably played a role in the decision to use Minshew from the start.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.

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Who: 49ers at Raiders (preseason)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Allegiant Stadium

TV: Fox, NFLN

Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3)

Line: 49ers -6, total 35