If the Las Vegas Raiders could go back in time, it’s hard to imagine they would’ve fired Antonio Pierce in favor of Pete Carroll in the offseason. While Pierce had some big faults, at least he was a young coach with upside.
The Raiders are 2-11, and somehow look worse than last year’s 4-13 squad. Pierce is back working in media, and he hasn’t been hesitant to take shots at his former team.
Just before the team’s 31-14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Pierce was asked if good things would happen to the Raiders soon. He offered a blunt reply while taking his former team to task.
“What’s soon? We just fired our offensive coordinator,” Pierce said on CBS. “I was there last year with the Raiders; we didn’t have a good offense. They still don’t have a good offense. Fan base is upset. You talkin’ about offseasons? Might need decades to fix this bad boy coming up. I’m just saying. One and done, one and done, one and done. Is there another coach gone? Is there another coordinator? Listen, there’s gonna be something I talk about a little later where everybody’s pointing the finger. At some point, the thumb points back.”
Fans Go After Pierce Over Comments
Nobody is going to argue that Pierce is wrong. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game in over two decades. What they have been doing hasn’t been working. Consistently cycling through head coaches isn’t a winning strategy.
Many fans agree that the Raiders are a mess and need to change how they do things. However, they don’t think Pierce is the right person to deliver that message.
“Pierce went 0-6 in the division last year. Disgraceful,” one fan commented on the video.
“Kinda funny this dude couldn’t even find a job even as a LB’r coach in the NFL,” another fan wrote.
“Hopefully tv works out, we all know he won’t be getting another coaching job,” a fan wrote.
“This dude is worse than Lane Kiffin,” a different fan commented. “Antonio Pierce is the only coach in the past 20 years to have a losing record at Long Beach Poly High.
“He kicked a FG down 8 with 3 min left in an actual NFL game.”
What Do Raiders Need to Do Differently?
Sadly for the Raiders, making another head coach one-and-done might be what they have to do again. Carroll hasn’t been the answer for the team. If he were significantly younger, the team should stick with him and let him build, but he’s already the oldest head coach in NFL history.
The Raiders need a younger voice who can steer the rebuild. What they can’t afford to do is start over in the front office. General manager John Spytek isn’t having a great rookie year, but it’s also his first season on the job, unlike Carroll, who has decades of head coaching experience.
The Raiders should allow Spytek to pick the head coach and have full control over the roster. He’s assembled an excellent staff, so he should continue to get better. It’s going to take patience, but Spytek was highly touted around the NFL before taking the Raiders job. If he gets a fair shot, he could be the man to turn the franchise around.
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