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Saturday, April 06, 2024
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Pierce Preparing for NFL Draft
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Las Vegas Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce is using his resources to help himself in his first year as a full-time head coach.
The Las Vegas Raiders Coach is entering his first season as a full-time head coach, and while that can be intimidating, he is prepared.
Ahead of him is his first NFL Draft as a head coach, his first OTA's as a head coach, his first training camp as a head coach, his first 53-man roster cuts as a head coach, and many more first experiences.
"I go back, really, I go back to my playing days -- what I liked as a player," Pierce said at the NFL Combine on Feb. 28. "Then you go to go to what -- 'OK, what's the CBA rules? What's new?
"OK, what do you do now with all these different limitations that you have?' And then also, there's a reason why you brought in Marvin Lewis and Joe Philbin. OK, let's all sit at this table, let's put pen to paper, let's come up with some different ideas, let's be creative as well, let's try to mimic things that you can get better at come, say, August, when we're in training camp, or that happened to us in the season, situational football, things of that nature.
"So, there's a lot of stuff that's going through that process. I'm not going to mimic what we've done in the past because that's not what I was used to doing. And that's not a knock to anybody, but this is your first time ... to put your stamp on it, and there are certain things that I want to emphasize, and you just try to build that throughout the offseason.
"I think we're going to have great participation. So then, you also got to reward the guys, too, you got to be smart. We're not going to beat anybody in April, May, June, July.
"It's about just really, to me, just keep building this bad boy so tight whereas people poke holes into it or try to poke holes into what we're doing, they can't do it."
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25th – 27th, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.
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Tuesday, February 06, 2024
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Pierce Delivers a Message to Raiders Fans
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Antonio Pierce is still is in astonishment of the role he's found himself in.
As a kid from Compton, California, the Raiders organization influenced Pierce's mentality as a football player. He put pen to paper in The Players' Tribune to properly address Raider Nation and give his Silver and Black origin story.
The first time he could remember laying his eyes on the Silver and Black was on his television set at five years old, watching Marcus Allen reverse field on Washington as they secured their third Super Bowl. Another Raiders running back, Bo Jackson, hooked Pierce as a fan of the team as Jackson ran over the Seattle Seahawks to the tune of 221 yards inside Seattle Kingdome.
Years after watching his gridiron heroes in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, he became the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. His first game on the job was against the team he won a Super Bowl with as a player – the New York Giants.
"Before the game started, pregame, I walk out to midfield and shake the hand of Mr. Mara, their owner," wrote Pierce. "And I'm actually shaking that man's hand as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. It was surreal."
That was the first of five games Pierce won as interim head coach, which included a sweep over the AFC West under his watch. On January 19, the interim tag was removed with assurance he was the right man to lead his childhood team.
In his open letter to Raider Nation, Pierce was clear about the "identity" and "DNA" he wants to bring to the locker room and the facility. His vision of this team is one willing to do anything it takes to get another Super Bowl and doing it with unique swag.
"Let me just say this once and for all: We are the Raiders, damnit. We don't need to be liked. But we will be respected."
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Sunday, January 14, 2024
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Pierce to Interview for Falcons Coaching Job
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While the Las Vegas Raiders focus on the general manager search, the leading candidate to become their full-time head coach is getting more interest around the league.
NFL media reported Sunday morning that Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce will interview for the coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons. He interviewed with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
There have been several reports that tab Pierce, who went 5-4 as the Raiders’ interim coach, is the heavy favorite to be hired in Las Vegas. But for now, he has three times interested. There are currently four other head-coaching jobs open: The Chargers, Panthers, Commanders, and Seahawks.
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Wednesday, January 10, 2024
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Titans Request Pierce Interview
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The Tennessee Titans have requested an interview with Las Vegas interim coach Antonio Pierce, potentially giving the Raiders competition should they eventually offer him the full-time job.
Tennessee is looking for a replacement for Mike Vrabel, who was fired Tuesday after six seasons. He went 56-48 but lost 18 of his last 24 games and went 6-11 this season.
The Titans also requested an interview with Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. The Cowboys host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the wild-card round.
NFL teams can’t start in-person interviews until after the divisional round, and they also cannot interview candidates employed by other NFL teams until Tuesday or Wednesday for any coach whose team is done or whose team has a playoff bye.
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Sunday, January 07, 2024
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Pierce & Raiders End Season on a High
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The Raiders that ended their season with a 27-14 win over the Broncos on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium aren’t your typical sub-.500 team.
In what seemed more like a beginning rather than an ending, the Raiders thrashed the Broncos in a win that had little to do with any maliciousness toward a bitter rival and everything to do with the journey they hope to continue with an interim coach they have grown to love.
That’s why they focused on the bright future they believe they have created under Antonio Pierce instead of quietly packing their belongings and solemnly closing yet another losing season that fell short of the playoffs.
Pierce went 5-4 as the Raiders’ interim coach after taking over for Josh McDaniels, who was fired by owner Mark Davis on Oct. 31. Pierce’s future with the team most likely will be determined in the next month.
Jakobi Meyers scored two touchdowns for the Raiders, on a 5-yard run in the first quarter and a 33-yard pass from Aidan O’Connell on the first play of the fourth quarter.
O’Connell also threw a 3-yard touchdown to Davante Adams with 11 seconds left in the first half, giving the Raiders a 17-7 lead.
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