Antonio Pierce will build upon the Las Vegas Raiders success on defense last season while bringing a new scheme to the offense.
Dumpster Fire
On Halloween night last year, Las Vegas Raiders fans rejoiced as owner Mark Davis finally pulled the plug on head coach Josh McDaniels and turned to linebacker coach Antonio Pierce. Fans didn’t know what to expect in the moment going forward, but everyone knew the current situation was anything but stable. Multiple candidates seemed like the obvious choice, so what made Davis choose Pierce?
Pierce Brings Culture
There have been multiple reports of a team meeting just days before their Monday night game against the Detroit Lions. This meeting was called by McDaniels where he let his team voice their frustrations. It’s fair to say the meeting did not go how McDaniels envisioned. Players voiced their frustrations about McDaniels which caused him to become a “shell of himself” according to Ian Rapoport. During the meeting, McDaniels had Pierce speak on his behalf.
Pierce detailed his time playing with the New York Giants, who beat the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. He mentioned that the Giants believed they could beat anyone, and how that culture was not present with the Raiders. McDaniels took offense to Pierce’s comments, however, because McDaniels was the offensive coordinator of the Patriots team that lost to that Giants team.
That was the beginning of the end for McDaniels, as he officially lost the locker room. Reports got back to the owner about the team meeting and he was impressed with Pierce. Pierce was named interim head coach after McDaniels was fired and the rest is history.
Interim head coaches are usually not retained at the end of the season. Owners feel like they need a clean slate and opt to bring in someone with a new system. That wasn’t the case for the Raiders. The players rallied around Pierce and finished the second half of the season strong. Whether people believe Pierce is inexperienced or way over his head, Raiders fans saw something out of the team that I can’t recall seeing in a long time. The team had a nastiness and fight to them that was led by the defense. The offense struggled, but with a new play-caller and rookie quarterback, this was expected. However, going into 2024, there’s some interesting scheme changes the Raiders can see under Pierce’s first full season as head coach.
Luke Getsy
I’ll be honest, watching the Raiders offense the past few seasons has been anything but fun. Thankfully, Pierce did not retain much of the offensive staff in the offseason. Along comes Luke Getsy.
The announcement certainly wasn’t the homerun hire many fans were expecting. The Bears’ offense statistically was not good under Getsy. His offense ranked 28th in total offense in 2022 and 20th in 2023. Was it all Getsy’s fault that the offense underperformed? The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and anyone who watched Justin Fields knows that he deserved some finger-pointing as well. I went through the five stages of grief when Getsy was announced, but there is slight optimism he can provide a scheme that fits what Pierce wants to do.
New Look Offense
The biggest thing I saw out of the Bears’ offense last season was the development of tight end Cole Kmet. The tight end was very impressive compared to his rookie season and Getsy deserves some credit for that. Raiders fans should be excited about that as well, due to having two young studs at the position.
Getsy brings with him an entirely new scheme compared to the McDaniels offense. Now, the team will transition to a west coast style of passing and a zone blocking run game. We should expect to see a lot of heavy personnel groups to help establish the run. Last season, the Bears ran a lot of schemes involving multiple tight ends and running backs. That’s great news for Raiders fans who are eager to see both Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers on the field at the same time.
It remains to be seen if Getsy decides to lean heavily on the ground game this season with a better passer at quarterback, but those options are there. After all, Getsy will need to come in and prove himself with the Raiders. His offense with the Bears was underwhelming and the team lacked explosive plays.
If Pierce wants his offense to be in the top half of the league, then Getsy needs to be more aggressive with his play calling. It’ll be interesting to see how the Raiders offense looks this year, but it should be better than whatever McDaniels was calling. If it’s not, then this will be a big-time criticism for coach Pierce.
Patrick Graham
My eyes couldn’t believe what I was watching last season with the Raiders defense. Players flying all over the field and applying constant pressure on quarterbacks was a sight to behold. All Raiders fans wanted to see was a competent defense, something they haven’t witnessed in the past 20 years. Lo and behold, the defense finished top 10 in the NFL last season. Let’s give credit where it’s due, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham had those boys playing with their heads cut off. Graham, now entering his third season with the Raiders, looks to build upon the success of last season.
To the surprise of no one, Graham was getting head coaching interviews this offseason. He deserves a shot at being a head coach, but it’s a blessing for the Raiders that he’s back. The defense didn’t get better overnight, but over time they improved as they got more familiar with Graham’s 3-4 scheme. Hopefully, we see even more improvement this season as the defense looks to crack the top five overall.
The Antonio Pierce Effect on the Raiders
No matter what your opinion on Antonio Pierce is, you cannot deny his love for the Raiders. A kid from Compton repping the shield and becoming head coach of his favorite team is a great story. Pierce carries the swagger of Raiders’ legends and represents the silver and black well. Now, it’s time to deliver. With a new offense and a familiar defense, Pierce needs to find a way to put it all together and field a competitive football team. One thing for certain, it’s never easy for the Raiders, but Pierce gives fans a reason to believe this season.
Cody Henderson
I root for teams that only let me down. Talking all things Las Vegas Raiders and Cal Bears football. Follow me on X where I post my dramatic takes.