Crosby on Pierce: "He Understands His Players"

There was a noticeable shift with the Las Vegas Raiders on and off the field when Antonio Pierce took over as interim coach.

The Raiders started to play with significantly more confidence and swagger, and the late-season turnaround has them alive in the AFC playoff race.

Pierce’s ability to tailor his coaching to specific players on the team has been a massive reason why the Raiders’ morale has increased dramatically since he took over.

Cornerback Jack Jones is a prime example, as he and Pierce have a longstanding relationship, going back to when Jones was 13 years old.

Star defensive end Maxx Crosby spoke about why Pierce has commanded the locker room so effortlessly on the latest episode of his podcast, The Rush with Maxx Crosby.

“It takes a special coach to understand his people,” Crosby said. “Every player is different. You can’t just coach everybody the same; that’s not how it is nowadays. He can’t coach me like he coaches Jack or how he coaches [quarterback] Aidan [O’Connell]. It’s just different. I think that’s what makes AP such a great coach is that he understands his players. It’s special to see, and Jack, we already knew he was super talented coming from New England, we heard about him, I’ve seen him from a distance for a while. Obviously, he had some other things going on there that I don’t know about or anybody really knows the truth about, but at the end of the day, Raiders are Raiders.”

Crosby has spoken highly of what Jones has brought to the Raiders since being released by the New England Patriots.

“I feel like Jack is exactly what a Raider is," Crosby said. "He’s a wild card, he’s a wild a– dude, but he loves football, and that s— is obvious, it’s contagious, and I feel like he’s been an awesome addition to that room.”

Since Jones joined the Raiders in November, he has 20 total tackles and two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns in the last two games. He has given the Raiders precisely what they have needed from an outside corner after the team released Marcus Peters last month.

The Raiders’ defense has been strong since Pierce took over, and his coaching style has been a major factor.

The entire podcast episode can be found here.

The Silver and Black continue the season on New Year's Eve versus the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis. Don't miss it on Sunday, December 31, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.

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