Antonio Pierce will be an inspirational story to every interim head coach for the foreseeable future.
He and the Las Vegas Raiders are working to finalize a deal for him to assume the full-time head coach title, according to multiple reports Friday.
If you get a chance to coach an NFL team for a part of a season, you have a shot to impress. Pierce certainly did. The Raiders responded to him and a strong half-season as interim coach led Pierce to get the job on a permanent basis.
Pierce went 5-4 as interim coach and had fans chanting for owner Mark Davis to hire him, Raiders players throwing their support behind him and Raiders legends coming back and stumping for him too. He energized the franchise and seemed to change the culture around the organization.
There's risk in hiring Pierce, but in the end Davis couldn't ignore all the support for Pierce to be the full-time coach.
When McDaniels was fired, Pierce got a shot to lead the team. He had been a head coach, but that was in high school for Long Beach Poly. He spent four years at Arizona State after that on the Sun Devils' defensive staff. He had just one full season as a linebackers coach in the NFL before this past season. That's not the typical resume of an NFL coach.
Pierce did have the respect of the players, however. He spent nine seasons as a linebacker with the New York Giants and Washington Commanders, winning a Super Bowl with the Giants. His approach resonated with the players, who by the end of the season were asking for Pierce to be hired full time.
"It's obviously who I wanted, and he's my vote," Davante Adams told reporters before the team's regular-season finale. "I've been vocal about that, and that's basically how the whole locker room feels, and with good reason. He's come in and done a great job.
"He's continued to win us over. It's not just the comfortable thing, I think having AP here would be good for this organization. He embodies what it means to be a Raider. That mentality, that swag, all the things that he endorses are the things that I believe in. ... Definitely [I'm] rooting for him."
In the final four games of the season, the Raiders got wins over every one of their division rivals. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. The win over the Chiefs was just their second win at Arrowhead Stadium since 2012.
Las Vegas still has an unsettled quarterback situation and some other issues to fix. But they have their coach. Plenty of Raiders coaches and fans will be happy with the decision.
He and the Las Vegas Raiders are working to finalize a deal for him to assume the full-time head coach title, according to multiple reports Friday.
If you get a chance to coach an NFL team for a part of a season, you have a shot to impress. Pierce certainly did. The Raiders responded to him and a strong half-season as interim coach led Pierce to get the job on a permanent basis.
Pierce went 5-4 as interim coach and had fans chanting for owner Mark Davis to hire him, Raiders players throwing their support behind him and Raiders legends coming back and stumping for him too. He energized the franchise and seemed to change the culture around the organization.
There's risk in hiring Pierce, but in the end Davis couldn't ignore all the support for Pierce to be the full-time coach.
Antonio Pierce earns the job
The last time the Raiders were in a similar situation, Rich Bisaccia led the team to the playoffs at the end of the 2021 season as an interim coach. Davis ignored that run and hired Josh McDaniels, who had a horrendous run as Raiders head coach.When McDaniels was fired, Pierce got a shot to lead the team. He had been a head coach, but that was in high school for Long Beach Poly. He spent four years at Arizona State after that on the Sun Devils' defensive staff. He had just one full season as a linebackers coach in the NFL before this past season. That's not the typical resume of an NFL coach.
Pierce did have the respect of the players, however. He spent nine seasons as a linebacker with the New York Giants and Washington Commanders, winning a Super Bowl with the Giants. His approach resonated with the players, who by the end of the season were asking for Pierce to be hired full time.
"It's obviously who I wanted, and he's my vote," Davante Adams told reporters before the team's regular-season finale. "I've been vocal about that, and that's basically how the whole locker room feels, and with good reason. He's come in and done a great job.
"He's continued to win us over. It's not just the comfortable thing, I think having AP here would be good for this organization. He embodies what it means to be a Raider. That mentality, that swag, all the things that he endorses are the things that I believe in. ... Definitely [I'm] rooting for him."
Raiders take a shot on Pierce
The Raiders looked much better late in the season, though that might say as much or more about McDaniels than it does Pierce. Still, Pierce did a commendable job with a roster that has plenty of holes, including quarterback.In the final four games of the season, the Raiders got wins over every one of their division rivals. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. The win over the Chiefs was just their second win at Arrowhead Stadium since 2012.
Las Vegas still has an unsettled quarterback situation and some other issues to fix. But they have their coach. Plenty of Raiders coaches and fans will be happy with the decision.
