Raider Nation hypocrisy showing with Antonio Pierce's record
The Las Vegas Raiders have not been an elite-winning franchise in a very long time. So, I get the judgment from fans. It's been a while since the Raiders have even won a playoff game – over 20 years, to be exact. This fan base deserves better, for sure.The franchise is still one of the […]
The Las Vegas Raiders have not been an elite-winning franchise in a very long time. So, I get the judgment from fans. It's been a while since the Raiders have even won a playoff game – over 20 years, to be exact. This fan base deserves better, for sure.
The franchise is still one of the best in the league when we think about the history and the impact the Raiders have had on the league as a whole. But winning is everything. I mean, Al Davis' trademark was to just win and do whatever it takes to do so.
The Raiders have not won consistently in a while. So, it's fair in that way to judge and be upset with the last two games and how interim head coach Antonio Pierce has handled things. His second-half adjustments, clock management, challenges, etc., haven't been great.
However, some fans are using the last four games to judge whether or not he should retain the head coaching position in 2024. A lot of fans are using the last two games as a reason not to give him the job. That leads to what this story is about: the hypocrisy that Raider Nation is showing.
Raider Nation is hypocritical of Antonio Pierce
Remember who the last interim head coach was? Before Josh McDaniels, Jon Gruden resigned, and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was hired as the interim head coach. He went 7-5 as the interim coach and got the Raiders their first playoff appearance since 2016.
Because of that accomplishment, fans called for Bisaccia to have a chance at getting the head coaching gig the next year. Obviously, the Raiders hired Josh McDaniels instead. But here is where the hypocrisy comes in:
Gruden went 3-2 as the head coach of the Raiders in 2021-22 and resigned after Week 5. Bisaccia ended up having a 1-5 stretch during his tenure as an interim head coach. Yet, people still called for him to get the job. Bisaccia has had assistant head coaching experience for 12 years and has been a coordinator for 17 years, according to Pro Football History. So, even with more experience than Pierce, he went 1-5 at one point, and fans still wanted him to have the job.
The point of this is to say that Pierce is 2-2 and is a linebacker's coach. He has never been an assistant coach or even a coordinator at the pro level, yet he is doing as well as he is.
Give the guy five more games, and then we can reassess if he deserves the job or not.
Antonio Pierce is already making Raiders’ history
The Raiders beat the Jets on Sunday Night Football.
