The Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach, Antonio Pierce, suspended because there are
The Las Vegas Raiders have chosen to make Antonio Pierce their full-time head coach after he made a great impression in his role as an interim coach. The choice was made public by the team on Friday.
Pierce will have the temporary tag taken off his title after going 5-4 in the last nine games of the season, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, who broke the initial news.
After Schefter revealed that Pierce was the front-runner for the position, things appeared to be moving in this direction.
Josh McDaniels hired Pierce as the linebackers coach in 2022, and Pierce became a member of the Raiders staff.
Although he worked with Herm Edwards at Arizona State for four years, from 2018 to 2021, the 45-year-old had never been a coach in the National Football League until that point.
Pierce was chosen as McDaniels’ temporary replacement by Las Vegas following his dismissal on October 31. Even prior to the decision being taken, McDaniels’ situation appeared to be dire.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on November 5 that after a team meeting during which players egged McDaniels to alter his methods, the final week of practice felt significantly different from the usual:
According to sources, McDaniels was more of a bystander throughout the session than he usually was.
He didn’t intervene during plays, trusting that players would catch their own errors, and refrained from correcting every misstep. It wasn’t how he’d managed any other practice in his employment.
During the meeting, players and coaches criticized him harshly. The goal of the meeting was to try to identify and address the issues facing the then-3-4 Raiders in an open and sincere manner.
The following were some of the topics discussed: play-calling errors, lengthy meetings, McDaniels’ methods of trying to hold players accountable, and overcorrecting.
The team responded quickly to Pierce’s takeover, winning each of his first two games.
Pierce’s leadership abilities were commended by quarterback Aidan O’Connell following the victory over the New York Giants on November 5.
He performed admirably, O’Connell remarked. He made the most of an undesirable and difficult situation that lasted only a short week.
He is a man of great convictions, and his passion comes through in his speech. Guys have faith in him, and we performed admirably on all fronts—offensive, defensive, and special teams.
Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby added their voices to the chorus of Raiders players endearing Pierce as the season was coming to an end.
Adams stated on January 7 that he was clearly the candidate he wanted; that was my vote, and I had been vociferous about it.
The dressing room feels just like that, and with good reason. He’s really stepped in and done an amazing job, and he keeps getting better and better.
Crosby has expressed his desire for Pierce to be hired by the Raiders on several occasions.
On January 4, Crosby informed reporters that there are only 32 NFL head coaches worldwide, meaning that finding a leader among men is essential. I don’t know why you would let them go when you already have one of them in the building.
Upon learning that Pierce would be meeting with the Tennessee Titans over their open coaching position, Crosby used social media to make a statement to the Raiders.
If Pierce wasn’t the best fit for Las Vegas, Crosby would look into making a trade request, according to reports from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.
The Raiders were competitive even after suffering defeats in Weeks 11 and 12 to the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Minnesota Vikings’ humiliating 3-0 loss was swiftly forgotten as they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 63-21.
The 63 points surpassed the previous record of 59 from back in 2010, creating a new franchise single-game record.
The Raiders’ defensive play this season has been one of the more positive indicators. They finished eighth in terms of points allowed per game, despite being one of the worst defensive teams in the NFL entering 2023.
Having Crosby rush the passer is a nice beginning point, but the front office still has a lot of work to do in terms of adding quality to the defensive side of the ball, so the Raiders aren’t as dependent on turnovers.
As a former linebacker, Pierce has defensive experience. The fact that the Raiders were more dominant on that side of the ball was most likely no coincidence.
Pierce accomplished more than enough to be the Raiders’ 2024 leader, given how hard the team was playing and how successful they were. Having a full offseason will provide him the opportunity to begin assembling the team he desires.
