Has Raiders coach Rich Bisaccia done enough to keep his job?
Has Raiders coach Rich Bisaccia done enough to keep his job?
Coach of the Year? Really?
Yes, you read that right. All things considered, what Bisaccia has accomplished this year should not be so easily overlooked. By comparison, let’s say, what Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel did in 2021, Bisaccia led the Raiders to the fifth seed in the playoffs with one of the hardest schedules in the NFL.
By comparison, Vrabel’s team had one of the easiest. Perspective, folks. Yes, his stint has been a short one, but he already has the team’s leading winning percentage since 1988, at .583, which is tops for the Raiders.
If Rich Bisaccia didn’t cement himself as full-time coach of the Raiders, something is wrong. Keeping this team from falling apart amid all the turmoil to finish 5-2 and make playoffs and tremendous.
— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) January 10, 2022
However, Bisaccia’s no-nonsense approach early on also worked to his detriment. In fact, fans quickly grew tired of it, many felt that he was in over his head. His pressers didn’t help either. Still, he’s grown since those early games, and he’s not coaching scared anymore.
There’s a reason he’s the first coach since 1961 to make the playoffs after taking the job midseason. In the face of so much tragedy and adversity, Bisaccia has truly fostered a team culture, one where “we have a team that cares for each other,” as the coach put it recently.
This team could’ve fallen apart following what happened to Henry Ruggs III. The team appeared lifeless on the field. You could even see it for yourself in Derek Carr’s body language in the games following Ruggs’ arrest. It hit them hard, but Bisaccia rode it out with this team, and now we see one with fortitude that doesn’t give up.
Sunday’s grind of an overtime contest is evidence of that.