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Tuesday, February 06, 2024
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Pierce Delivers a Message to Raiders Fans
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Antonio Pierce is still is in astonishment of the role he's found himself in.
As a kid from Compton, California, the Raiders organization influenced Pierce's mentality as a football player. He put pen to paper in The Players' Tribune to properly address Raider Nation and give his Silver and Black origin story.
The first time he could remember laying his eyes on the Silver and Black was on his television set at five years old, watching Marcus Allen reverse field on Washington as they secured their third Super Bowl. Another Raiders running back, Bo Jackson, hooked Pierce as a fan of the team as Jackson ran over the Seattle Seahawks to the tune of 221 yards inside Seattle Kingdome.
Years after watching his gridiron heroes in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, he became the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. His first game on the job was against the team he won a Super Bowl with as a player – the New York Giants.
"Before the game started, pregame, I walk out to midfield and shake the hand of Mr. Mara, their owner," wrote Pierce. "And I'm actually shaking that man's hand as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. It was surreal."
That was the first of five games Pierce won as interim head coach, which included a sweep over the AFC West under his watch. On January 19, the interim tag was removed with assurance he was the right man to lead his childhood team.
In his open letter to Raider Nation, Pierce was clear about the "identity" and "DNA" he wants to bring to the locker room and the facility. His vision of this team is one willing to do anything it takes to get another Super Bowl and doing it with unique swag.
"Let me just say this once and for all: We are the Raiders, damnit. We don't need to be liked. But we will be respected."
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Sunday, January 14, 2024
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Pierce to Interview for Falcons Coaching Job
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While the Las Vegas Raiders focus on the general manager search, the leading candidate to become their full-time head coach is getting more interest around the league.
NFL media reported Sunday morning that Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce will interview for the coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons. He interviewed with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
There have been several reports that tab Pierce, who went 5-4 as the Raiders’ interim coach, is the heavy favorite to be hired in Las Vegas. But for now, he has three times interested. There are currently four other head-coaching jobs open: The Chargers, Panthers, Commanders, and Seahawks.
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Wednesday, January 10, 2024
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Titans Request Pierce Interview
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The Tennessee Titans have requested an interview with Las Vegas interim coach Antonio Pierce, potentially giving the Raiders competition should they eventually offer him the full-time job.
Tennessee is looking for a replacement for Mike Vrabel, who was fired Tuesday after six seasons. He went 56-48 but lost 18 of his last 24 games and went 6-11 this season.
The Titans also requested an interview with Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. The Cowboys host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the wild-card round.
NFL teams can’t start in-person interviews until after the divisional round, and they also cannot interview candidates employed by other NFL teams until Tuesday or Wednesday for any coach whose team is done or whose team has a playoff bye.
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Sunday, January 07, 2024
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Pierce & Raiders End Season on a High
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The Raiders that ended their season with a 27-14 win over the Broncos on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium aren’t your typical sub-.500 team.
In what seemed more like a beginning rather than an ending, the Raiders thrashed the Broncos in a win that had little to do with any maliciousness toward a bitter rival and everything to do with the journey they hope to continue with an interim coach they have grown to love.
That’s why they focused on the bright future they believe they have created under Antonio Pierce instead of quietly packing their belongings and solemnly closing yet another losing season that fell short of the playoffs.
Pierce went 5-4 as the Raiders’ interim coach after taking over for Josh McDaniels, who was fired by owner Mark Davis on Oct. 31. Pierce’s future with the team most likely will be determined in the next month.
Jakobi Meyers scored two touchdowns for the Raiders, on a 5-yard run in the first quarter and a 33-yard pass from Aidan O’Connell on the first play of the fourth quarter.
O’Connell also threw a 3-yard touchdown to Davante Adams with 11 seconds left in the first half, giving the Raiders a 17-7 lead.
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Wednesday, December 27, 2023
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Pierce Wants Raiders Job Permanently
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Las Vegas Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce has made a strong case to be given the job permanently, and he had a great quote Tuesday about how his resume speaks for itself.
Pierce was asked about his chances of landing the job following a surprising 20-14 Christmas Day win at the Kansas City Chiefs. His response was a simple one, and probably the best argument he has for getting the job.
“My resume is on the grass. What do you want?” Pierce said, via Tyler Dragon of USA Today. “I can put up a fancy presentation, I’ve seen that before. I can put up stats, I can put up my resume, but the best thing that happened for me was an opportunity.
“Hopefully (Raiders owner) Mark Davis sees improvement and growth within our team. He sees the style and play that he wants from the Raiders. He sees a fan base that’s behind us. He sees a building that loves coming to work and loves being here. And people that’s covering the team, enjoying covering the team. And at the end of the day, we got to win. And right now, my record, our record is 4-3.”
Considering where the Raiders were when Pierce took charge, 4-3 is quite impressive. There are certainly risks to giving the players more power, but the tactic seems to be working here. Plus, a physical, hard-nosed win over the reigning Super Bowl champions on their turf says something about the team’s level of buy-in with Pierce, especially since that was what he wanted when he took over.
A former NFL linebacker, Pierce had no head coaching experience when he took over after Josh McDaniels was fired. He may leave the Raiders with a lot of reasons to commit to him going forward at this rate.
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