Super Bowl Champion NFL ICON on Raiders Pierce
The Las Vegas Raider Mark Davis didn't create waves around the National Football League when he hired Antonio Pierce as his head coach on Friday. He incited a Tsunami.
Pierce is not only a Super Bowl Champion; his work with the Las Vegas Raiders as the interim coach in the last nine games of 2023 was stellar.
Under the tutelage of Pierce, the numbers are exemplary. When Josh McDaniels was fired, the Raiders' defense was 22nd in the NFL, allowing 23.4 points per game. In the last nine games, all of which Pierce was the acting head coach, the Raiders allowed 15.9, the best in the National Football League.
The Raiders were abysmal with penalties, while Josh McDaniels led the team. In fairness to McDaniels, penalties had been a systemic problem for the Silver and Black.
Under Pierce, the Raiders were the least penalized team in the National Football League, and he addressed it. "And that's it right there. That's the one I wanted somebody to ask me about. When you look at the Raiders and you talk about the Raiders, these penalties and ejections, these rules being changed because of how you played here as a Raider organization. And I think what we did was really take pride in the individual periods and practices, techniques, fundamentals, really harped on it all the way till our last practice on that Friday, where we're still working individually, just the technique of how to play each and every position. And that's something I really told our staff, our players, that I wanted to make sure we hit that goal, because that's huge. To be the number one team in the National Football League with the least penalized team, not beating ourselves. That happened a few weeks ago, when we played the Colts, the Raiders beat the Raiders. But when we play a clean game, don't turn over the football as well and play the game the way it's supposed to be played, and you can look down here and say, 'Wow, that was a football game. And that's how you play it.' That's a credit to our staff and our players really buying in and understanding what it takes to win."
In just nine games, Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders displayed fantastic leadership, and football acumen to the head coaching job permanently.
© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Former Giants’ HC Tom Coughlin spoke to Adam Schefter about the Raiders hiring Antonio Pierce: “I could not be prouder of Antonio Pierce being named head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I’m excited for him, his family, and the franchise. This is the team he grew up watching, and his belief in himself and in the players is why he is there. He is a great student of the game, a quick learner with a great attitude, and he is eager to get to work. The 2024 season just got a lot more interesting with him at the helm. Go get ‘em AP!”
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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