Interim Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce suffered his first loss against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. The Silver and Black have their first test of adversity under Pierce as they look to get back to .500 against an offensively challenged Kansas City Chiefs team.
Nonetheless, it’s plenty realistic that the Raiders lose and fall to 5-7. While a part of the fanbase will second-guess whether or not Pierce should have the job permanently, Fox Sports’ Keyshawn Johnson isn’t judging him with wins and losses.
Johnson sees something much deeper.
Keyshawn Johnson: The Raiders should’ve hired Antonio Pierce already
Antonio Pierce began his job as interim head coach with back-to-back victories, but picked up his first loss against the Dolphins in Week 11. Nonetheless, Keyshawn Johnson notes that concluding whether or not Pierce deserves his interim label removed based merely on his record would be foolish. The former NFL wide receiver thinks that his ability to convince his players to play for him should be more important than his interim head coaching record.
“[The Raiders] went from a stale personality and Josh McDaniels, and none of the players, like, they couldn’t stand him,” Johnson recently said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “He’s gone. You bring in AP; it’s a totally different world now. You say, ‘Ah, well, you know, AP didn’t win enough games.’
“Well, he shouldn’t be judged on winning the games. He should be judged on the way the team responds to him because if you sit up and you worry about the Ws and Ls, that’s not going to help.”
Johnson is correct in pointing out the frustration under McDaniels. Some didn’t hide their emotions, whether speaking to the NFL media or cameras capturing their reactions on the sidelines. With Pierce, players are showing plenty of emotion and going to bat for the Super Bowl champion.
Should the Silver and Black already hire Pierce?
Las Vegas is giving the former linebacker the rest of the 2023 NFL season to audition for the job. Still, Johnson believes that shouldn’t be necessary. Johnson notes that Raiders owner Mark Davis should have removed the interim tag.
“Why are we even still talking about if he should be hired or not?” Johnson added. “That’s done. That should be done right now. [Davis] should be meeting with the president and general manager of the team, sitting down, and talking to them about announcing Antonio Pierce as the permanent head coach for the Raiders. There’s nothing to talk about.”
Davis has been down this road already with Rich Bisaccia. Will he decide to go with the interim coach this time or look elsewhere? If Pierce stays, will it be time to look for a franchise quarterback via the draft or trade? The defense is responding, but the offense still needs improving.
Perhaps sticking with Pierce and fixing other needs might be what Las Vegas needs. With an improved offense and an even better defense, the Raiders could see the best out of their current interim head coach and put him in a better position to succeed and get the most out of the squad.
With only six games remaining in the season, things are coming down to the wire.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
