Since Interim Coach Antonio Pierce became the leader of the Las Vegas Raiders, the team has been visibly more player-friendly, as Pierce, a former player, has made it clear that he and his coaching staff continue to value the input of their players.
Pierce’s stance on the matter was molded by his time as a player in the National Football League and the time he’s spent coaching on various levels of football.
“A little bit of both,” Pierce said. “I have been coaching for quite a while now and obviously played, as well.
I think the input that you get there, especially from your good players.
“I know who you’re talking about, [Josh] Jacobs and Davante [Adams].
You’d be foolish not to listen to them, what they think works best for them, or what they can do.
I think that you then have to incorporate within what you’re trying to do with your scheme, and it does that fit in for this opponent.”
As the Raiders come out of their bye week, Pierce understands that things don’t always go as planned, but clear communication between players and coaches is always for the better.
That is especially the case for a team that has shown its ability to play to a high level now that they have a coaching staff they feel connected to.
“And every week, it doesn’t work out that way,” Pierce said. “Some weeks, it’s 100 percent. We take everything, all the input.
Other weeks, it’s like ‘We’ve got to put this on the back burner.’ But what that also does is put everybody together. Players to coaches, they’re connected, they’re working with one another.
“It’s a team win, it’s a team loss, I’ve said that before. I think it’s important that everybody has a voice, but at the end of the day, myself, the coordinators, have to make that decision.”
Las Vegas has lost two games in a row after winning two games in their first two games under Pierce.
The Raiders looked better overall offensively over that four-week span than earlier in the season, but Pierce and the offense must improve even more as the season winds down.
The Silver and Black will return home to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, December 10, at 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST.
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