Antonio Pierce has done almost everything right since taking over the Las Vegas Raiders franchise on an interim basis.He parlayed that temporary success into a permanent managerial position that was not his.
While some thought it was foolish of him to seek advice from former NFL coaches Marvin Lewis and Tom Coughlin, many thought it was a great move by the young coach. We can announce that Pierce made two big decisions for his employees. One is a decision made today and the other is an expected decision. First, the legendary Lewis joins as an assistant coach. An older version of Pierce, beloved by his players, a tactical teacher of the game and a demanding presence who urges them to do their job with a spirit of excellence, Lewis will be a powerful voice in the Raiders’ strong locker room. .
This promise is expected, not unexpected. I mentioned that on the offensive coordinator front, an unknown successful coach was a candidate. There were whispers in the NFL that the reason for the secrecy was because Chip, now the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, didn’t let everyone know that he was interested in returning to the NFL, especially as an assistant. The headmaster, now the headmaster of such a respected school.He was a successful coach when he led the Oregon Ducks.
Since then, he has struggled to regain the success he had in college, but has not had success at the NFL or college level.After two interviews with the Raiders (I only know of one; this information came via Ian Rapoport), most (including this reporter) have Kliff Kingsbury as their first line coach tonight.Kingsbury surprised the Raiders with a variety of ways to get the same result, according to a source close to the situation.
“Cliff did a great job of showing how the Raiders use their talents and surprised people, not any particular system, to win,” a source said.As of this writing, both sides (Kingsbury and Raiders) have mutual interest and a deal is in the works. Pierce is looking for a Raiders team whose personnel can adapt to the available talent and not be bound by a rigid system.
