OAKLAND RAIDERS head coach Jack Del Rio will hand rookie quarterback Connor Cook his first NFL start in their wild card clash with the Houston Texans on Saturday night.
The Raiders lost their red hot starter Derek Carr to a broken leg on Christmas Eve before backup Matt McGloin suffered a shoulder injury when he was roughed up by the Denver Broncos.
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That leaves 23-year-old Cook, who replaced McGloin in the loss to Denver, as the man to carry the hopes of the ‘Raider Nation’ in Houston.
Del Rio said naming Cook as starter was an “easy option” and praised his efforts after in the defeat in Denver after taking McGloin’s place.
“I would say the most impressive thing was when he went into a very difficult set of circumstances, and I thought he handled himself extremely well,” Del Rio said.
“I thought the poise was there. The moment didn’t look too big for him. I thought he did a real nice job leading the team down and moving the ball.
“What happens is that position gets so much attention, understandably. For us, it’s about letting one young man do his job, and the rest of us worry about ours.”
Oakland’s defeat at Denver saw them tumble from the No 2 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye, to the No 5 seed and an away game on Wild Card Weekend.
Houston, though, have their fair share of problems at quarterback too with Brock Osweiler set to be recalled with Tom Savage suffering a concussion last time out.
Osweiler was signed from reigning Super Bowl champions Denver last summer and handed a mammoth £58.5m, four-year deal, but his performances haven’t been up to scratch and be was benched.
But Savage's injury has opened the door for Osweiler again.
Texans head coach Bill O'Brien was seen arguing with Osweiler on the sideline during their previous game against Tennessee, but he played down the rift.
"Look, I think that it's an intense game," O'Brien said. "It's football. You've got competitive guys, passionate guys about the team, about winning, especially quarterback and head coach.
"If there was a what you would term a 'heated exchange,' that happens all the time."
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