For the last several years, the Raiders have lacked an identity. That was especially true during the Josh McDaniels era when the Raiders felt like the Patriots’ No. 2 team. They signed a bunch of cast-offs from New England, but their offense continually let them down.
But under Antonio Pierce, the Raiders finally have their swagger back. They are playing fast and with an edge that we haven’t seen in some time. Will that eventually earn Pierce the full-time gig? Well, it depends on who you ask.
In a recent article by Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, he wrote about the possibility of Pierce becoming the full-time head coach this offseason. Here is what he said in regards to that position and Pierce after seven games:
There’s no question the Raiders have played better under Pierce since he replaced Josh McDaniels on Halloween, going 4-3 thus far. But there is still the taste of a 3-0 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Raider Nation’s mouth.
There are still two winnable games to go — at the Indianapolis Colts and at home against the Denver Broncos — for Pierce to fully lay his claim, and as he said with tears in his eyes after his win over the Chiefs, things will take care of themselves in due time.
With a record of 7-8, the Raiders aren’t quite out of the playoff picture yet. It’s pretty unlikely that they will make the postseason, but they still have an outside chance to win the division if they win their final two games and the Chiefs slip up two more times.
But if Pierce can get this team to 9-8 considering all of the turmoil and injuries they’ve had this season, it might be time to seriously consider giving him the job. The players love him and it’s clear that he has a vision as to how the Raiders should play. Over the last two months, this is some of the best football we’ve seen them play in years.
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