Before folks jump to conclusions about what this article says about the Raiders, allow me to summarize the article’s contents:

• Mostly via quotes from Rich Gannon and Trent Dilfer, it talks about how teams don’t coach protections well enough and players don’t know how to protect themselves
• Talks about how coaching and player turnover has exacerbated these problems
• As a result, the league currently has 8 very inexperienced “backup” quarterbacks starting
• Gannon gave examples of 3 successful quarterbacks who excelled at protecting themselves in different ways

It closed with brief comments by Gannon on each of the “backups” that are currently starting. I put “backups” in quotes because of the 8, 2 of them have won the job over former-starters that are now healthy, and thus are really starters now: Will Levis and Aidan O’Connell. Gannon’s comments on these two particular QBs were contrasting and interesting:

Levis: “He’s one of these guys that when you’re the youngest kid in the neighborhood he wants to challenge all the kids to see how far he can throw it, he’s that guy. The accuracy and the decision-making and the lack of experience is a problem.”

O’Connell: “He’s got a lot of the intangibles you like — he’s poised, he’s comfortable in the pocket, he’s got good feet, good mechanics, he makes all the throws, he doesn’t get rattled, when he makes a mistake he’s able to quickly turn the page and come back. I think that kid’s got a chance.”