Antonio Pierce certainly raised eyebrows when owner, Mark Davis, announced him as the full time head coach of the Las Vegas after a very successful spell as interim HC after the firing of former New England Patriots offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels.
Antonio Pierce Now The Man In Charge In The Desert
However, after receiving the public backing, and borderline organizational threat of the Raiders’ best player, Maxx Crosby, with many reports detailing the respect and admiration Las Vegas’ players had for Pierce, it became clear that Davis could not repeat the mistake of 2021, where Rich Bisaccia was not retained as head coach despite leading the Raiders to the players during his interim spell in relief of the scandal-ridden Jon Gruden.
So for now, “AP”, alongside new general manager and former rival, Tom Telesco, has the reins on one of the NFL’s most notorious organizations and biggest brands.
And at this point, if opening speeches count for anything, one would probably stay that it has started pretty well, after Pierce gave a rousing debut speech as full-time coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, per Ari Meirov.
First #Raiders team meeting of 2024 with HC Antonio Pierce.
“If you don’t love this, shame on you.”pic.twitter.com/N5L7whJEPL
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 16, 2024
Las Vegas Raiders’ New Head Coach Delivers Message Of Passion To Players
What Antonio Pierce lacks in experience and pedigree, he more than makes up for in man-to-man expertise and almost self-evident leadership capabilities.
Unlike the NFL’s foremost beloved man-manager, Detroit Lions coach, the California native’s words don’t want inspire run-through-a-wall action and motivation. Rather, Pierce appeals to a combined mutual love for the game, the drive to continually bring oneself and teammates closer to excellence, and the importance of learning and evolving.
It is clear that Antonio Pierce is, more than anything, motivated by a love for football and a desire to showcase that on the field through his players, who, without question, played with far more willing and gusto during Pierce’s tenure than McDaniels’ in 2023.
Having said that, interim head coaches have historically not made good full time ones, most recently shown in Freddy Kitchens’ disastrous appointment as full-time Cleveland Browns head coach back in 2019, only to be fired after his first and only season after an unimpressive 6-10 record on the season.
Will AP break the interim bad spell? In truth, no one knows, but it seems like at this point, he certainly has a fighting chance.
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