The Raiders are in the middle (or hopefully closer to the end) of a 10-game losing streak, and the organization has a big decision coming on head coach Antonio Pierce at the end of the season.
Not many coaches survive the type of the losing the Raiders have endured this year, but it’s noteworthy that the team is still playing hard and Pierce hasn’t lost the respect of the locker room.
It’s been reported Mark Davis thinks highly of Pierce, and he might not be inclined to buy out his third head coach in three years if he can avoid it.
But if the Raiders decide to move on from Pierce after the season, no head coaching candidate has been linked to the team more than former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
The Bears, Patriots and Jets are also expected to have interest in Vrabel, and ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky made an interesting statement on Vrabel’s future this week during a segment with Pat McAfee.
”I think Vrabel is spoken for,” Orlovsky said on the Pat McAfee Show this week.
”I think that Vrabel has got a very clear… path to where he going to be likely coaching,” Orlovsky continued. “I think there is a vision for where he likely ends up coaching next year. I’m not a reporter. I’ve come on your show before and I’ve said I heard something and it got me in a lot of trouble, so I’m trying not to do that.”
Vrabel and Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson are going to be two of the top heading coaching candidates in this year’s hiring cycle. The Raiders, on the other hand, probably won’t be considered the no. 1 job opening if Pierce is fired.
January is hiring month for coaches in the NFL and the Raiders aren’t going to know their quarterback until at least March, and most likely not until the draft in April.
That’s not an ideal scenario for a team hoping to hire one of the most sought after coaches on the market.
Are the Raiders a team that a coach like Vrabel would be semi-committed to or “spoken for” this early in the process?
Most likely not, but could the presence of Tom Brady be enough to entice his good friend to Las Vegas?
Answers will be coming in a few weeks.
x: @raidersbeat
This article is a joke. Weak and filled with dumb commentary.
They need to fire Pierce at the end of the season. 10 game losing streak and counting. He does not need anymore chances. As for the players, if they don’t like it, trade them. The owner listened to the players and look where it got them. This is the worst team in my 57 years of following the team. Pierce has to go.
Bring back CHUCKY… Raiders have no identity or true strong leadership… come to California and get your MOJO back MR Powers.. YEAH BABY….
We need the top pick for a quarterback and then we need to work on that offensive line seriously and then wide receiver and so on.
When are the Raiders going to say something about the corrupt officiating against them and games?
Absolutely Grabel would come to the Raiders if Brady recommends another GM.
Also , Bowers is probably going to be of All- pro status at season’s end.
Why? All the inconsistency is totally on the coaching changes since 1st Gruden era. 1st Gruden was a success. If the Raiders never traded Gruden the first time, that would have been a lock for a Super Bowl win. Dungy Left Tampa Bay. Who that year would played against The Raiders in that Super Bowl (NFC) if TB didn’t have Gruden? So all the longest tenure coaches have winning records total, with their current teams. We get rid of AP its gonna be another losing season. Vrabel can be our D coordinator. Keep AP and if he doesn’t turn it around after his 5th year then fire him. Who was our last coach that started to turn things around? Hue Jackson and Jack Del Rio, what did we do, fired and why? You tell me
Good win something to build on he is a better Quarterback with this offensive Coordinator and the team is still fighting good sign… no tanking that’s even better… maybe get rich Gannon as a Quarterback Coach and use the pick in the draft to get a Running Back and a hard hitting safety and cornerback… no need to waist on this year QB not unless you get one late in the draft like brady or perdy both were far from a number one but what a surprise they were… theirs still a lot of good Quarterbacks that are backups who use to be starters but o’connel is improving with this Offensive Coordinator… the whole Offense is… it’s stupid to tank no Raider team ever tanked… long live the OAKLAND RAIDERS….need a Defense Center to plug the run been missing for sometime…