Opinion: NFL coach puts struggling team on notice with stern message
That was some kind of message Antonio Pierce put in the universe for somebody – chances are, they know exactly who they are – in the aftermath of the embarrassing home opener for the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend.
Tapping his inner linebacker, the fiery coach wrapped his disgust with a serious threat.
“As the game went on, I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions,” Pierce said during his postgame news conference after the 36-22 loss to the previously winless Carolina Panthers dropped the Raiders to 1-2.
“And we’ll make business decisions going forward, as well.”
Talk about pushing some motivational buttons.
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No doubt, that setback had to be tough to stomach. The Panthers were outscored 73-13 in their first two games and benched their starting quarterback. Then the Raiders enabled Carolina’s revival by laying the biggest egg yet since Pierce took over as interim coach last year, which led to him getting the gig on a permanent basis. The 30th-ranked defense allowed a 100-yard rusher, 300-yard passer and 437 total yards. The offense, with the league’s worst rushing attack, had five of its 12 possessions go three-and-out. Another drive ended with a turnover on downs, and another culminated with a missed field goal.
For all of that, nothing seemingly rankled Pierce as much as the perceived lack of effort from some players. The “business decision” of not going all-out.
Exactly who was Pierce talking about? He wouldn’t identify the players, but you can believe they know. And don’t think for a minute that Pierce, 45, somehow lost his composure to the point that he didn’t realize exactly what was saying in the moment.
As he put it the next day, “I don’t bite my tongue. I don’t bite my tongue.”
This is pretty much the persona that Pierce is rolling with. Agree with his messaging or not, you can’t knock him for a lack of authenticity. After all, were talking about a man who entered the NFL with Washington in 2001 as an undrafted free agent (the knock was that he was too small) and lasted nine seasons. He knows something about what it takes to win big, having a key role on that New York Giants team that scored the upset in Super Bowl 42 that ruined the New England Patriots’ bid for a perfect season.
He has been around the block. If you have a problem with his style, you tell him.
I’m reminded of what Raiders owner Mark Davis told me a few weeks after removing the interim tag in January and naming Pierce as the next “permanent” coach – making it 13 coaches for the franchise, including interims, since Jon Gruden left the first time following the 2001 campaign. That’s a lot of trying to find the perfect fit. And a lot of losing seasons.
“It was a nine-to-ten-week interview process,” Davis told USA TODAY Sports. “When I hired him as the interim coach, it let me know that he was special. He had grown up in Compton, and the Raiders were there then. So, he understood what the Raider culture was like. He became a Raider at heart. Once you’re in, that’s where it is.”
The Raiders culture. No, it hasn’t won big in a couple decades. But you can still cue the classic NFL Films footage, with John Facenda bellowing about, “The autumn wind is a Raider, pillaging just for fun.”
And know the franchise’s culture for decades has included providing opportunities for out-of-the-box candidates in so many instances. Think Jim Plunkett. Or Tom Flores and Art Shell. Or Amy Trask.
Pierce had never been a head coach beyond his high school stint at Long Beach Poly High School yet was the perfect antidote last season to replace Josh McDaniels, who had lost the locker room. Immediately, the team responded – and with gung-ho effort – during a 5-4 finish that convinced Davis that Pierce deserved a shot at the job on a long-term basis. Davis said the other constituents that he tapped in making the call – Raiders alumni, current players, the fan base and the people in the building – agreed.
Regardless of the style, however, a key question always revolves around sustainability and consistency, when it comes to building a program. That’s with or without the questions about the depth of talent or viability of the quarterbacks, starter Gardner Minshew and young backup Aidan O’Connell.
Pierce is hardly shy about declaring that he would take a team full of players who play with the effort of Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby. Maybe effort can make up for some of the talent gap.
Are they still buying in? Maybe that’s why Pierce, working alongside new GM Tom Telesco, was compelled to send that message about business decisions. With a 6-6 record in his first 12 games dating to last season, he might have also been already looking ahead to the matchup on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. It’s a bit early in the season to talk about must-win games – the Raiders still have five more AFC West games to play – but dropping the first two home games is not the way for a physical team to bully itself onto the relevance map and become a surprise playoff contender.
We’ll see how they respond. It won’t be any easier with Crosby missing practices this week due to an ankle injury, while star receiver Davante Adams nurses a hamstring injury.
Then again, to come out so flat after a sparkling performance in coming back to win at Baltimore in Week 2, beating a projected Super Bowl contender, is exactly what Pierce sounded leery of during an offseason interview.
“It’s going to be a battle every week,” Pierce said. “I think our style of play will fit what it takes to win in this division. We just have to be consistent. We can’t have those up and down games. I think we have a pretty good idea of what it’s going to take.”
And Pierce is just the one to remind them of what won’t cut it. After all, NFL business is at stake in more ways than one.