Coach Pierce: Jack Jones Has 'Always Been a Wild Card'

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones might have surprised Raider Nation with his spectacular one-handed pick-six against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night, but interim Coach Antonio Pierce has known for some time what the former fourth-round pick is capable of.

Along with coaching Jones as the leader of the Silver and Black, Pierce also coached the young cornerback at the high school and college levels as well -- at Long Beach Poly and Arizona State.

"He's always been a wild card," Pierce said with a smile when he addressed reporters on Friday. "It's sometimes hit or miss -- good or bad -- but he's a very good football player. Football means a lot to Jack.

"Football was a way for him to get out of the hood, to be honest, where he came from. He uses those resources to benefit his life, his family. He went to school, went to ASU, got a degree, is a father, a good man.

"He's been in some trouble, but the kid does it with a smile. Every time I see him, he's smiling. He loves football. We can't have enough of those guys around who love football."

Having been part of most of Jones' football journey, Pierce has played a key role in the first-year Raider's career and life.

"[Pierce] means everything to me," Jones told reporters after Thursday night's game. "He's damn near like a father figure. Just from high school all the way up until now, just mentoring me through the ups and downs.

"Man, he's a big piece of my life."

Jones said he felt his pick-six was a way of giving back to Pierce for giving him an opportunity with the Raiders.

"Without him, he knows where I'd be at," Jones said.

In his four games as a Raider far, Jones has totaled 15 combined tackles, one for a loss, two passes defensed and his pick-six.

The Silver and Black will return to action versus their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, on Christmas Day in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Don't miss it on Monday, December 25, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.

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