“I joke that I had one play caller and one head coach my entire six years at Purdue, and so I think by the law of averages, I think something like this was coming my way,” O’Connell, after minicamp on June 10, said of the Raiders’ coaching turnover. “Obviously, didn’t expect it to be like this, but I’ve learned there are no wasted years in the NFL. Even when you’re losing, even when things are hard, you can still learn a lot. And I’ve learned a lot, even last year.
“I only played in our last game for three quarters but learned a bunch just sitting on the sideline and watching. And being able to interact with a lot of coordinators I think has been good for me to really learn what I like, to learn what I think is the best way to play quarterback, the best way to play football.
“…You can complain about it, [but] I really realize people really don’t care about that very much. Like people talk about a little bit having a lot of coordinators or coaches, but if I go out there and throw interceptions, no one’s really feeling bad for me. You got to produce in the NFL, and so besides my wife and my parents, no one’s really going to feel bad for me. So, I try to go out there and compete, no matter who’s calling plays or who’s out there.”