The Las Vegas Raiders finished the season with a 27-14 win over the division rival Denver Broncos.
After a rough start, Antonio Pierce took over for Josh McDaniels midway through the season, and the team has had a completely different energy since then. The Raiders finished 8-9, but looked to finish the season on a high, winning three of their last four games to take second place in the division. The question now is whether Pierce will be named to lead the team permanently.
One thing not in question is Pierce’s role as interim coach, who Raiders owner Mark Davis credited with leading the Raiders to a strong finish to the season, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.“Yeah, the team played well and to go 4-2 in the division was a real positive for us,” Davis said. “Obviously you have to start distributing it first.
We went to a tough game in Kansas City, beat them (20-14 on Christmas Day) and finished the season playing Denver at home.But don’t expect a quick decision, as Davis said there will be a process before a final choice is made.”We have to go through the interview process, prepare for the interview and then figure out what we’re doing,” Davis said.And what is the period? “No, probably not until next season.”
Davis joked.It’s unclear what the final decision will be, but University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has also been mentioned as a possibility. Despite that, Pierce has the support of current Raiders players and many franchise legends, some of whom celebrated with the team in the locker room after the season win.
Pierce also believes he has a strong case for a permanent head coaching job with the Raiders, though he’s not sure if he’ll take the job outright.”We talk about culture, foundation, DNA, desired structure, coaches, players and identity because we continue to grow,” he said. . said. “For me, our players and coaches will be my image and I will continue to fight against this bad boy.
But there is still a lot of room for growth.”It’s a good experience and a good start. I think I’ve laid a solid foundation so far. But there is work to be done and there are no excuses. But it’s hard to do it in the middle of the season and get people to really buy and believe. interior. That’s how you win and that’s how you win.
[If] we have time to make introductions, put them in OTAs, minicamps, training camps and bring that connection and chemistry together, I think it’s really cool.The Raiders have a lot to figure out this offseason, and they certainly have a lot to build on. It’s not yet known if Pierce will accept the job or not, but he has voiced his opinion.
