Oakland Raiders: Notes And Observations From The Preseason

Sep 3, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin (14) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Matt McGloin Wins the Backup Position Going Away

If anybody thought that Christian Ponder was going to waltz in and win the backup quarterback job – well – you’ve likely never seen Ponder play. Many thought that he had a leg up on Matt McGloin in the backup quarterback competition simply because of his familiarity with new Oakland OC Bill Musgrave‘s system. Indeed, some thought it a perfect fit.

What they didn’t take into account though, was that McGloin, that scrappy undrafted free agent out of Penn State, wasn’t simply going to roll over and cede the job to Ponder.

McGloin is a fighter and is a pretty good quarterback in his own right. He put together an unbelievable preseason campaign in which he completed nearly 74 percent of his passes (42 of 57) for 424 yards and four touchdowns.

Ponder on the other hand, was just 22 of 35 for 245 yards and one score. Even more disturbing though, is that Ponder took five sacks. Oakland’s offensive line did a good job of protecting the quarterbacks with McGloin getting sacked once, Cody Farjado being sacked once, and Carr not being sacked at all. But Ponder’s lack of mobility, his penchant for holding the ball too long, and his poor pocket awareness led to him hitting the turf far more often than any other Raiders QB.

McGloin could start for a number of NFL teams in need of a quarterback – did somebody say Cleveland, Buffalo, and Houston? He’s a quality passer and he left the Raiders with no choice but to keep him and jettison Ponder. He was simply too good and far outplayed Musgrave’s pet project over the course of the exhibition season.

McGloin is a good and capable backup. Should anything happen to Carr, the Raiders would appear to be in very good hands.

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