Things have gotten extremely real for Antonio Pierce these last two weeks.
First, there was the now-infamous 'business decision' comment. And while it's not like he said anything wildly out of the ordinary – the Raiders had just been thoroughly embarrassed by the Andy Dalton-led Carolina Panthers and, frankly, deserved it – the quote did make the rounds enough that he felt the need to later apologize for it.
Then, immediately after a bounce back win over Cleveland, all this Davante Adams trade stuff exploded. Not only that, but Pierce's social media activity played a not-insignificant role in speeding up the timeline. It didn't seem like Adams took too well to Pierce 'liking' a Tweet on Instagram (look I don't love it either but it's an integral part of the story), and it's probably not a coincidence that this all happened so quickly shortly after.
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So Wednesday's usual Pierce press conference always figured to be a big one. There's so much Raiders news to ask about, and almost none of it has to do with playing the Denver Broncos this weekend. When asked point blank about the social media stuff, Pierce dug deep and channeled his best Bill Belichick impression. However underwhelming you think Pierce's answer is, I promise you, it's even worse.
Antonio Pierce gives no one any juicy gossip about Davante Adams, ugh
#Raiders HC Antonio Pierce was asked about his 'like' on an Instagram post suggesting that Davante Adams may have played his last down with Vegas.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 2, 2024
Pierce responded with a Bill Belichick-like answer.pic.twitter.com/IIyfRLznZS https://t.co/qZuApAriGe
This is not what we were promised, Antonio Pierce. The blogs need to be fed, and 'focused on the Broncos' is not enough. You'd think just once that Pierce and the Raiders would think about the aggregators when answering questions about their team?
This also seems very much like a coach who has just recently learned a lesson about picking his words a bit more carefully in press conferences. Pierce has never been one to shy away from his opinion, and his candidness is part of what makes him such a beloved coach by (most of?) the guys in the Raiders locker room. You can see the 'business decision' flashbacks in his eyes while he politely declines to give any sort of real answer. The NFL's all about making adjustments.
The Raiders are only focused on the Broncos. That is, the Raiders minus Davante Adams, who's focused on the Jets, and maybe the Saints. But mostly the Jets.