Something that Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is learning amid the losing is patience—the question is whether owner Mark Davis will exercise that same lesson.
Simply looking at the final result after Sunday’s contest against the Miami Dolphins, you wouldn’t exactly think the game was competitive. However, the Raiders went into the locker room at halftime staring at a 6-10 score. The scoreboard substantiated the Raiders’ determination to persevere. Unfortunately, Pierce can’t stop the bleeding, which naturally raises the question: what exactly is he learning from all this?
Well, he was asked that this week as the Raiders coach looked back on this latest loss.
“Patience. Because listen, you hear it from our players, we’re putting in the work. I mean, they’re in there doing it now in the weight room. We’re doing everything and we’re grinding, and you get out there on the field and you put a game plan together and you go out there and you’re competitive again for another half. 6-10 ball game.”
Surely, it’s not easy for Raider Nation to digest all this losing (imagine how the locker room feels). At the same time, no one can say that this team isn’t trying; again, just look at the score at halftime, as Pierce alluded to. The whole package just isn’t coming together—that’s true whether we’re referring to the offense or defense.
What else could fans have expected from a first-year head coach who is literally learning on the job? Well, they weren’t expecting such an abysmal record at this juncture, that’s for sure. Even Pierce, who commented on the current situation, is aware of this.
“I would say the one word is just patience. And it’s nothing that nobody wants to hear, Raider Nation doesn’t want to hear. I wish the record was flipped. Hell, let’s play .500 football, I’d be happy with that.”
It’s possible that the Raiders aren’t even good enough to have a 50/50 record if you’re looking at things objectively.
Will Antonio Pierce get a second season at this rate?
While Pierce is learning about the virtue that is patience, we have to wonder if owner Mark Davis will be exercising that concept. A video that’s making the round depicts an angry, likely disappointed Davis at the Dolphins game on Sunday.
VIDEO: #Raiders owner Mark Davis was PISSED OFF watching his team getting dominated on the field…
Davis was really livid watching his team. Change could be coming to Vegas…
pic.twitter.com/8FT4pma6qD— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 19, 2024
All of the complaining from Raider Nation and over analysis by the media aside, Pierce’s fate rests in the hands of one person. The person who allegedly listened to the fans (and players) and gave Pierce his chance could also be the one to fire him after a disastrous rookie head coach campaign. So, what will Davis do?
The factor working against Pierce is that the scores in each of his losses indicate blowouts. Sure, things are normally competitive at halftime, but more often than not, they tend to fall apart. You can justify “competitive losing,” but these results are often bleak.
Perhaps Pierce could benefit from another victory against the Kansas City Chiefs, similar to what happened during Christmas last year, or is the situation too dire for Davis, who is looking to improve after this disappointing season?
*Top Photo: Darrell Craig Harris, Raiders Today
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