Fair enough. But that doesn’t make the Raiders unique. What NFL team wouldn’t want an experienced, plug-and-play backup QB?
Yes, the Raiders used a sixth-round draft pick on FCS stud Cam Miller this spring. And, sure, Miller got more run than expected in the preseason, especially in Arizona on Saturday night.
But more experience is needed.
Asked what he’d like to see from Miller to fully embrace him as QB2, Carroll smiled.
“A couple of years of playing,” Carroll said with a soft laugh. “He’s just a raw kid trying to do it. He’s made some good plays, he’s tough and he shows a knack for playing the spot. But he just needs a ton of plays. So, we’d like to buy some more time with him, as much as we could.”
Miller, meanwhile, was still trying to soak in O’Connell going down in the Raiders postgame locker room.
“There’s a lot of valuable lessons to be learned – I’ve got to improve as a quarterback, I’ve got to improve as a leader. There’s a lot of different situations I was thrown in,” Miller said after completing 12-of-24 attempts for 102 yards and a 61.5 passer rating while taking four sacks against the Cardinals.
“I’ve got to absorb more, I’ve got to study more and I’ve got to be better.”
In three preseason games, Miller threw for 203 yards, on 20-of-37 passing, with a TD and an INT and was sacked seven times.
“I have no idea what’s going to change,” Miller said of his role. “I’m just hoping [Aidan] can recover fast. We need him on this football team, in the locker room, outside of the locker room.”
Look, Smith is the unquestioned starter. The starting offense ran smoothly under his control, scoring two TDs and a field goal on its final three series of the preseason. He commands the locker room and has a preternatural gift in his relationship with Carroll.
But in the hard-hitting NFL, the backup is always just one snap away from taking the field.
Source link
