The career of Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo includes a prior Super Bowl run with the New York Giants. He held the same role and led an underrated defensive group to one of the most incredible runs in sports history, preventing Tom Brady and the Patriots from achieving perfection.
Spagnuolo had many great players during that time, one of which will be his opponent this Sunday. Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce was one of Spagnuolo’s favorite players in New York as he was the team’s starting linebacker. During Tuesday’s Zoom press conference, the veteran coordinator spoke with reporters about being proud that Pierce has the head coach opportunity.
“Well, listen, that’s probably well documented that Antonio Pierce is a favorite of mine,” Spagnuolo explained. “I was fortunate enough to coach him in New York. I think he’s doing a terrific job. I mean, I was just talking with somebody here recently, and the energy in that team seems to have changed. I mean, I know what he’s all about. I know how he coaches, kind of know what he thinks, and he’ll energize the team. He’s done it both with them, offensively and defensively.
“I think they’re playing at a high level. I mean, they played Miami two days ago. And we know they’re a real good football team, and they gave them all they could handle, so I think he’s made a tremendous impact when I spoke with him. Last week, I told him I was always pulling for him except for two games. And this will be one of them. So he doesn’t have me on his side for this particular thing.”
Pierce played under Spagnuolo while he was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, helping lead the team to one of the greatest Super Bowl upsets in league history in 2008.
“Yeah, I’ll tell you what, it goes all the way back to when I when I coached them. In my opinion, he was another coach on the field; he was our mike linebacker, a lot like Nick (Bolton), you know, sees the game,” Spagnuolo continues. “Big Picture sees little things that other guys go unnoticed; they study the game differently. He always did. He was a grinder of tape. And then, when he got done playing, when we spoke, I thought he wasn’t sure if he wanted to do it. I said well, go coach high school football for a little while.
“And he did; he was a head coach out there in Long Beach for five years and did a terrific job. And then, I had him for one year in New York in 2017. He was kind of behind the scenes. But he was always great at grinding tape, and he can communicate with anybody. He can be in a black-tie affair and do great, or he can be on the street somewhere. He has a great way of building relationships with people in all places and can connect people. He’s doing that now up there with the Raiders.”
The Raiders are 2-1 under Pierce and host the Chiefs this Sunday, adding more intrigue to the legendary rivalry.