Aidan Vick? Raiders QB embraces nickname after showing running skills

Aidan O’Connell admits he was running more out of survival than plan when he surprisingly made a handful of plays with his legs in the Raiders’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

But don’t think for a second the seeds for such plays had not been planted long before the Raiders quarterback started evading pass rushers by nimbly zip-zapping around the Allegiant Stadium field.

O’Connell finished with 12 yards rushing, but that tells only part of the story.

He broke off a 13-yard run that helped extend a first-half scoring drive. On another, he sidestepped a fierce pass rush to avoid what looked to be a sure sack, then rolled to his left before lofting the ball downfield to Ameer Abdullah for a key third-down conversion. The drive-extending play paid off when the Raiders scored the decisive touchdown.

“There were some moments where, ‘ah, that’s a sack,’ and he got out and made a huge play,” coach Antonio Pierce said. “And he did that several times.”

Some teammates were so taken aback by O’Connell’s nimbleness that they started calling him Aidan Vick, after Michael Vick, perhaps the greatest running quarterback in NFL history.

It’s a nickname O’Connell embraced Wednesday, albeit with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

“Yeah, not something I’ve ever heard before and not something I’d ever expected to hear,” he said. “But, yeah, I’ll take it.”

The knock on O’Connell always has been his limited mobility. It’s a criticism that has followed him from high school to Purdue to the NFL. It’s usually prefaced with a “but” soon after people talk about his quick release, strong arm and processing skills. As in, he can sling it, but he can’t run a lick.

New perception?

One game is not going to suddenly change the lack of mobility narrative. But for a young quarterback still trying to find his way in the NFL, the more O’Connell can show, the better. He proved he’s capable of extending a play when needed, and that’s something to build on as he and the Raiders navigate their final two games.

With the athletic ability on defense improving by the day, quarterbacks can no longer just stand in the pocket and make plays. The frequency with which they play under duress means turning to their legs to buy time, move the pocket or simply take off and run.

“Obviously, the game has changed in that way, and I think it’s definitely an advantage,” O’Connell said. “I always think the quarterback’s most important job is going to be able to throw the ball accurately and make good decisions. But extending the play is definitely an asset if you can do it.”

That became necessary against a Jaguars defense that played man-to-man coverage on Raiders receivers. It was a backhand slight to O’Connell, as they thought so little of his running skills that they gave him room to exploit.

O’Connell made them pay a couple of times by attacking that space.

“Not trying to do anything crazy, just trying to take the plays that are in front of me and go play by play,” he said.

To which the Raiders tipped their caps.

“When the quarterback can do stuff like that, it helps you just move the ball, move the sticks, keep getting first downs,” offensive coordinator Scott Turner said.

Offseason work

O’Connell made it a priority to work on his athletic ability during the offseason, staying in Las Vegas and working with the team’s strength coaches and trainers. Pierce has noticed an improvement.

“I’ve seen awareness from him to work on it. And that’s consistent. He does it in practice consistently,” Pierce said. “You see that throughout the (individual) drills. And even just with our play call and our scheme, there’s a lot of things that we do with him.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com . Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.