The Las Vegas Raiders recently announced the permanent hiring of Antonio Pierce as head coach. He no longer has the interim tag in front of his title and has turned his attention to filling out the rest of his coaching staff.
Assuming defensive coordinator Patrick Graham stays with the Raiders and another team interviews him, Pierce doesn’t have to make any bigger decisions in the short term than who his offensive coordinator will be.
Bo Hardegry has been named interim offensive coordinator for the Silver and Black, replacing former coach Josh McDaniels. Hardgry was given a struggling offense and a rookie quarterback during his time with the Raiders, but Hardgry excelled and the offense improved significantly, earning him the call.
The improvement in offense and the fact that they did it with a starting quarterback, a key player in Hardegrade and injuries at key positions made Hardegree’s work that much more respectable. Hardegry’s time in Las Vegas was instrumental in the development of rookie Aidan O’Connell. While the offense struggled at times, it got much better in the second half of the season.
However, better play calling from offensive coordinators can win games, as seen in the Las Vegas losing streak. That might not seem like much in a 17-game season, but if a few more breaches can occur, the Raiders could have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. If the team loses a few games here and there like the Raiders did this season, especially against the Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts, the new coaching staff would do well to look elsewhere for new players. Out of season.
Pierce did just that when he began molding his coaching staff to his liking. If Graham returns with most of the defense next season and the Raiders can make adjustments on offense to where they need to be through the draft and free agency, Pierce and the Raiders will have a lot to look forward to next season.
