Tag: Raiders head coach candidates

Antonio Pierce sure is acting like he’s got Raiders head coach job

Antonio Pierce sure is acting like he’s got Raiders head coach job

There is nothing official yet as to who the Raiders head coach will be next season. But Antonio Pierce sure sounds like the job is his.

The interim Raiders head coach appeared at the Martin Luther King Jr Day Parade today along with Raiders legend Richard Seymour and interim general manager Champ Kelly. They were all smiles for the event.

Worth noting is the Seymour recently announced he has taken a role with the Raiders.

The Raiders had been holding interviews for the general manager position and were supposedly not going to start the process of interviewing head coach candidates until after the GM process had completed. Well, Monday they interviewed Leslie Frazier, which they could do prior to Jan 22 because Frazier is not employed by a team. And the interview satisfies the Rooney Rule.

So, could that suggest Champ Kelly has been retained as GM?

If so, that picture would look like three excited Raiders employees.

If that wasn’t enough, here’s Pierce all smiles while appearing in an interview during the parade. And while he was clear to say it isn’t “official” yet, everything else he said suggests he’s got the job.

 

 

“It’s a dream,” Pierce said of getting the job. “I don’t want to pinch myself just yet until it becomes official and we put a stamp on this bad boy, but I’m very humbled and honored.”

That sounds like and looks like someone who’s got the job.

Falcons request interview with Raiders HC Antonio Pierce

Falcons request interview with Raiders HC Antonio Pierce

No teams can hold face-to-face interviews with coaches employed by other teams until at least January 22. In the meantime a couple of outside teams have requested interviews with Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce for their head coaching vacancies.

The latest is the Atlanta Falcons according to NFL media’s Mike Garofolo.

Pierce also held a virtual interview with the Titans this weekend.

And keep in mind, in case you are wondering if these interviews show legitimate interest because virtual interviews don’t satisfy the Rooney Rule.

The longtime linebackers coach is in demand because of the transformation of the Raiders team over the final nine games of this season under his leadership. He has the entire locker room behind him keeping the job. Maxx Crosby even went as far as to suggest he would explore asking for a trade if the Raiders don’t bring Pierce back.

There are a lot of teams would like to have a head coach who inspires his players like that.

There is no reason to be alarmed if you’re a Raiders fan that the team has yet to conduct a head coaching interview. They are currently in the process of interviewing General Manager candidates.

Most assume the GM/head coach hires will be as a combo as that is often the case. So deciding on a GM hire could influence who they go after to be head coach. They could also hire a new GM and stick with Pierce. They will have first dibs on retaining him after all. In the meantime, Pierce will explore potential outside options should the Raiders decide to go in another direction.

JJ Watt makes strong case for why Antonio Pierce is ‘perfect fit’ to remain Raiders head coach

JJ Watt makes strong case for why Antonio Pierce is ‘perfect fit’ to remain Raiders head coach

We’ve heard the players in the Raiders locker room talk about how much they want Antonio Pierce to remain their head coach after this season. That carries some weight, but if you think they’re just biased or saying what they’re supposed to say, let’s listen to an outside opinion. Say, a future Hall of Famer.

Former NFL All Pro JJ Watt appeared on the Pat McAfee show Wednesday where he had a lot to say about whether Pierce should have the interim tag taken off in Las Vegas.

“They need to hire AP, by the way. I don’t know why there’s even a question,” said Watt. “I don’t know why there’s anything. Like, AP should absolutely be the coach down there. What is there to contemplate?

“Who would be mad if AP was the coach? Any fans? No. Any players? No. Media? No. Who would be upset if he was the coach?

“The Players are fully bought in and vocally supportive. Every step of the way has been checked. I don’t know what the downside to keeping him would be. Especially when you’ve tried a few different coaches over the last few years and none of them worked out. Let’s say this one doesn’t work out. Everybody was onboard, so… I would rather try the guy that everybody is onboard with and have that fail then try and do something crazy and have that fail and then people would be like ‘why didn’t you just stick with the guy that we all wanted anyway?’ It’s not that hard, man.

“It’s the Raiders. He is like the embodiment of what they want to be as an organization and who they are. He’s such a perfect fit. Just the mentality, the way the fanbase has responded, the Raiders have one of the best fanbases around and they respond very specifically to very specific types of people and AP has embodied everything they want to be as an organization. As a fanbase, Black Hole, all that stuff. He seems to have captured all of that.”

Here is that segment if you’d like to watch it for yourself:

It’s tough to argue any of the points Watt makes here. Mark Davis is currently in the process of interviewing General Manager and head coach candidates. We’ll see if arguments like Watt and others have made ultimate resonate with him or if he moves on to what he may view as greener pastures.

Raiders players, fans make their case for Antonio Pierce to keep job after strong finish to season

Raiders players, fans make their case for Antonio Pierce to keep job after strong finish to season

Antonio Pierce made it clear he had no intention of his team giving anything less than everything they had in the season finale. Even with nothing to play for but pride.

They never trailed in the game. They scored first and never looked back.

As the clock ticked away on their 27-14 win over the Broncos, the scene was electric at Allegiant Stadium. The crowd began to chant “AP! AP! AP!” and Pierce gave them love right back on his way off the field.

“I wanted to show them how much I appreciated them. Love ’em up because I may not be here next year.”

Several Raiders veterans said it was like nothing they’ve ever seen before.

“You hear the fans, you hear the crowd and the way they respond to it and it’s clear that he’s changed the culture. Definitely deserves it,” said Davante Adams .

“That’s the first time I’ve seen that. I’ve heard them boo coaches before, but I’ve never heard it like that before.”

Pierce was a shot of adrenaline for a Raiders squad that was lost under previous head coach Josh McDaniels. He was given the last nine games to show what he could do. The fans have seen enough; they want him to keep the job. The players have experienced it firsthand and they all feel the same.

“He changed our team,” said Josh Jacobs. “I know at the end he may not always look like it on the stat sheet, but in the locker room, the mentality, the feel, the love, the joy, he changed all that.”

“He embodies what it means to be a Raider,” Davante Adams added. “He’s got that same swagger, that aura. The way he talks, the way he’s done it, all of the things that represent being a Raider, he’s the guy.”

Adams added that this is the best morale of any team he’s been on, which is saying a lot considering they finished with an 8-9 record and out of the playoffs.

“It’s AP. Him being himself,” said Jack Jones. “He has that ‘it’ factor to bring that out of players, so I just give all the credit to him.”

Jones was picked up midseason and has played under Pierce at every level from high school to college to now in the pros.

But Maxx Crosby has played well no matter who is the head coach. And no one has been more outspoken about wanting Pierce to have the interim label come off than him. Because under Pierce was the first time he saw a coach who can come close to his passion and brought up the rest of the team with him.

“We’ve just built something beautiful in a short period of time and for us we want to keep riding that momentum not start from ground zero again,” said Crosby. “We’ve been doing that s–t for five years and it’s been the same result, so they need to make the right decision and do what we need to do.”

No one really knows at this point if Pierce will be the guy going forward. Especially with the rumors that Mark Davis is making a play to lure Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan and to Las Vegas.

Will this game change anything? Will the chants from the fans? The words of the players? Only Davis knows that now.

Raiders next head coach must have same ability as Antonio Pierce to uplift players

Mark Davis must learn from Antonio Pierce experience. Raiders next head coach must raise up and empower his players.

If we’ve learned nothing else from this season for the Raiders, it’s just how important a head coach is to the equation in terms of the on field production. Going straight from Josh McDaniels to Antonio Pierce mid-season offered a perfect sample of this. As we saw this team go from bumbling to inspired in an instant.

With the same talent on the field — aside from the switch at QB from Jimmy Garoppolo to Aidan O’Connell — the Raiders offense went from failing to crack 20 points while giving up 23.4 points per game to four times scoring at least 20 while giving up a league-best 16.25 points per game.

The secret was Antonio Pierce’s genuine personality. It isn’t smoke an mirrors, it’s just about getting his players to believe in themselves and play their hearts out every game.

Pierce is a former player whose players respond to him. He isn’t just a coach to them, he’s a teammate. And most importantly, he empowers them to bring each other up because he knows that it doesn’t matter where the message comes from, just that it’s delivered.

The one player, obviously, who has earned the most respect from his teammates to rally them is Maxx Crosby, who was seen on the sideline late in the Sunday’s loss to the Colts pumping up the Raiders defensive players.

“I love it. I’ve always loved to see the players take control, especially on game day. When they’re between the white lines, they’re in control,” Pierce said. “Obviously, as coaches we’re giving them information that they need to either fix a play or continue to do better. And when there’s a problem or you feel a certain way, as a captain and as a leader, and a face of this organization, it was a proud moment for me to see. Because I was talking to Spil [Robert Spillane] and I was wondering why I was getting pulled away. He told me, ‘Get the eff away.’ I didn’t know what was going on, I thought I did something wrong, but he gathered the troops, and they had their conversation which is really good to see. You like to see that amongst your whole team, offense, defense, special teams, but obviously from a guy like Maxx who’s young and obviously he’s going to be a really, really good football player, but also a really good leader and a man.”

Crosby has been very vocal in wanting Pierce back as Raiders head coach. We don’t know yet if that will happen, but if Pierce isn’t back, whoever the new head coach is, he must have that same quality the players respond to.

Who might that be? Well, I’m glad you asked because as it happens, the NFLPA polled over 1700 players recently to rate the coordinators they play for. The results are in and among them are a few who have been mentioned as Raiders head coaching candidates.

The top offensive coordinator was that of Frank Smith of the Dolphins. His name should be familiar to Raiders fans because he spent three seasons as the tight ends coach with the Raiders from 2018-20.

Other players to make the top five on offense or defense who have been mentioned as potential candidates for the Raiders include Chargers OC Kellen Moore (fifth), Cowboys DC Dan Quinn (third), and Rams DC Raheem Morris (fifth).

If the next head coach comes in making it all about him, his ego, and his genius, this team will not respond to that. We’ve seen that formula fail with the last three Raiders coaching hires at least.

It’s time for Mark Davis to end that streak and either bring back Pierce or find a coach who has the same uplifting qualities to which they clearly respond.

Chargers OC Kellen Moore leads latest odds for Raiders next head coach

Chargers OC Kellen Moore leads latest odds for Raiders next head coach

There may still be one game left in the season for the Raiders, but with the team officially out of the playoff picture, facing a Broncos team also with nothing to play for, the discussion shifts to the offseason business.

And no topic is of the more immediate importance than that of the head coaching position.

There are many players on the Raiders right now who would like to see interim head coach Antonio Pierce stick around and get the job permanently. But oddsmakers are thinking outside candidates are a better bet here.

The folks over at Bookies.com have the latest leading candidate being current Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Here is their full list of odds*:

Kellen Moore (Chargers OC) +350 (22.2%)
Ben Johnson (Lions OC) +400 (20.0%)
Frank Smith (Dolphins OC) +400 (20.0%)
Bill Belichick (Patriots HC) +575 (14.8%)
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan HC) +750 (11.8%)
Raheem Morris (Rams DC) +1400 (7.7%)
Eric Bieniemy (Chiefs OC) +1500 (6.3%)
Dan Quinn (Cowboys DC) +1800 (5.3%)
Mike Vrabel (Titans HC) +1800 (5.3%)
The Field +1500 (6.3%)

*Bookies.com odds are not official and are for entertainment purposes only

Obviously the big names on this list are that of Jim Harbaugh and Bill Belichick. And Mark Davis’s track record is that he is drawn to the flashy hires. But it would seem unlikely the latter would be in the cards for the Raiders after the failed ‘Patriot Way’ Josh McDaniels hire.

Harbaugh would be the flashiest hire of all. He’s currently head coach of the undefeated National Championship favorite Michigan Wolverines. And odds have the former 49ers head coach making his return to the NFL next season.

For what it’s worth, Harbaugh leads the odds to be the Chargers’ next head coach according to sportsbetting.ag.

These factors could be why it’s three prominent offensive coordinators who lead the odds to be the Raiders’ next head coach.