Everything changed for the Las Vegas Raiders following their successful 2021 campaign that yielded 10 wins and a trip to the postseason. Instead of rolling with Rich Bisaccia, the club’s interim head coach who led the Silver and Black to the playoffs, team owner Mark Davis elected to hire the tandem of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. In 25 contests, the duo of McDaniels and Ziegler posted 9 total wins – less than the Raiders had in 2021 alone.
But all of that is now ancient history.
Although Davis got the McDaniels hire wrong, he rebounded quickly by naming Antonio Pierce Sin City’s next head coach. Pierce took over a struggling 3-5 Raiders team and, though nine contests, was able to post a winning record of 5-4.
With Pierce at the helm, things changed quickly for Las Vegas last season. Jordan Schultz, Bleacher Report’s NFL Insider, believes that success will continue moving forward, too.
“If you ask anybody, and I asked quite a few guys last year in [the Raiders’] locker room, what the difference was with Josh McDaniels to Antonio Pierce – night and day,” Schultz explained when breaking down the change in Las Vegas.
“The Raiders finally feel, at least from a coaching standpoint, like a professional organization.”
Pierce has given the Raiders a new identity; one that the team once had, but has since lost. The Silver and Black are returning to the days of swagger and grit. They’re ready to play hard-nosed football, and they want their opponents to know it.
Former Raiders player and teammate of Antonio Pierce always knew Pierce would succeed in the coaching world
To many, it’s surprising to see how quickly Piece has made an impact. The entirety of the Raiders’ locker room gravitates towards him and Mark Davis couldn’t be more confident in his abilities to lead a team. For others, there was never any doubt.
Justin Tuck, both a former member of the Raiders and teammate of Antonio Pierce, was positive Pierce would take off as a coach.
According to Jordan Schultz, Tuck stated he knew Pierce would be a successful head coach at the NFL level. Tuck cited Pierce’s ability to relate to players in addition to being a natural leader.
In 2007, during the year the New York Giants took down the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Pierce was one of the G-Men’s five captains. He remained a team captain for the 2008 season, and again in 2009 when the team had only three captains.
The leadership of Pierce has always been evident. That isn’t all that goes into winning, however.
Fortunately for Pierce, the roster he and general manager Tom Telesco have built up is plenty formidable. Now, it’s up to Pierce to put it all together; the very thing Mcdaniels failed to do during his time in Las Vegas.
*Top Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports