Pierce, Reid are Familiar With Being Division Rivals

While Sunday will be the first time Las Vegas Raiders Interim Coach Antonio Pierce faces off against Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid as a head coach, it certainly won't be the first time the two have opposed one another as rivals.

Reid served as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for 14 seasons and was there in every year of Pierce's playing career, which he spent entirely in the same division, the NFC East.

Between his seasons with the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) and the New York Giants, Pierce faced Reid's Eagles 17 times, including two playoff games.

Particularly during his tenure with the Giants, Pierce recalls his on-field rivalry with former Eagles Pro-Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb.

"McNabb was always the quarterback," Pierce told reporters Monday. "And when we were kind of rolling with the Giants -- I don't know if it was a playoff year, I can't remember -- but he ran to the sideline and he picked up the telephone and told our coordinators that we needed help down there on the field. Then he told me when he called out the mike [linebacker] he said: 'Hey, 58's the mike and I just called your coordinator.'

"I said: 'Ah, damn OK. I got you, buddy.' And they won the game.

" ... But it's all right, we got him back. I think the next year, we sacked him 13 times, and I called his coordinator and his O-line coach. So it was fun.

"Good dude, man. Great competitive player. It was always fun playing against Andy Reid and McNabb."

Pierce ended his playing career with a 7-10 all-time record against Reid, who led Philadelphia to five NFC Championship games, including four straight in the early 2000s.

Now, the two are division rivals yet again, this time in very different roles.

It's fair to say that Pierce knows what it takes to compete against an Andy Reid-led team.

The Silver and Black will return home next week to celebrate Thanksgiving and take on their AFC West rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, on Sunday, November 26, at 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST.

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