Raiders: 3 reasons hiring Antonio Pierce was the right move
By Jason Willis
Pierce has the support of the Raiders players
First and foremost, Antonio Pierce is a player's coach. Not a play caller on either side of the ball, he is simply a terrific leader who completely changed the locker room after the mess left by Josh McDaniels.
"There's only 32 head coaches in the whole world, so you've got to find a leader of men. And when you've got one of them in the building, I don't know why you would let them go.” is what team leader Maxx Crosby had to say about Pierce. Josh Jacobs shared similar sentiments when he said “With AP, I am definitely 100 percent in. However, it looks, whatever it looks like.”
Perhaps the best example of this is cornerback Jack Jones who was claimed by the Raiders mid-season after being released from the Patriots. Arrested in New England and subsequently benched, he reunited with Pierce who coached him in both high school and college and became one of the most impactful players on the defense.
Under Pierce, things weren’t perfect, but there were no longer clips of Davante Adams slamming his helmet and the vibe of the team was significantly different after he took over.