With wins in the last two weeks against the Giants and the Jets, Antonio Pierce is making a strong case to have the interim label removed from his title with the Raiders.
We know the players in the locker room love Pierce, but former teammates have also been endorsing the Raiders’ 45 year-old interim head coach. Retired Giants’ offensive lineman Shaun O’Hara was the latest.
“I love what he has done to the players. They own the team now. He’s empowering them,” O’Hara said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football.
O’Hara also spoke on the impact he believes Pierce is having on Robert Spillane, who continues to exceed expectations in his first year with the Raiders.
“Antonio Pierce is one of the smartest linebackers I have ever played with or against,” O’Hara said. “I feel like [Robert] Spillane has probably got a little bit of that in him now, and he’s channeling all that.”
In five seasons with the Titans and Steelers (52 games), Spillane recorded 3 sacks and 1 interception. In just 10 games with the Raiders, Spillane has 3 interceptions and 2.5 sacks.
On Sunday, Spillane squashed the Jets’ chances of winning with an interception and received the highest overall linebacker grade (Pro Football Focus) in the NFL for the week.
Not bad for a player the Raiders signed in the offseason for 2 years, $7 million.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I trust that Antonio Pierce will get the head coaching job. I trust that Champ Kelly will get the permanent GM job. I trust that Mark Davis will make it happen.
Good job and better results. I saw the recent football games. The energy level seems much
better. The general team effort level seems a lot better. There were times in the Jets game
Where you could see that the maximum effort level was reverting back to mediocrity. Then
something would re-energize the team. The coaching change has so far been good for the
Raiders. However, after the high wears off, and the opponent are better we will see if the
High energy and Maximum effort continues.
Winning a Superbowl needs to be the objective. The only coach out there that has the “head” coaching experience to get there is Harbaugh. Evaluate Pierce til the end of the season and make a decision. If the decision is to do move on, Harbaugh is a no-brainer. His personality is a perfect fit for Vegas.
Don’t need that distraction, let harbaugh be.
Bet that the same bull u said about the Gruden and mcDaniels smh
Who cares what everybody thinks. RIDE A.P. the rest of the season, and Enjoy this once in a Lifetime, catch lightning in a bottle type season. We are peaking at the perfect time, to the point where We are going to become the team nobody wants to play. The games are adding up, players on teams are starting to get hurt and we are just getting started. See everybody in February at the Parade in Vegas. And then we can make A.P. the permanent coach. Let’s enjoy this beautiful ride First!!!