Initial thoughts on Raiders firing Antonio Pierce

Pierce goes one and done

The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce after one full season on Tuesday. Here are some early thoughts on the blockbuster decision:

Opening thoughts:

I thought a case could be made for firing and retaining Pierce. He was looked at times and was probably never grow into a top-level head coach. But the players responded to him and stability was needed, but the end, it was his lack of coaching skill that made him go after compiling a 9-17 record in Las Vegas.

Pressure on Mark Davis:

This will be the sixth full-time coach Davis will hire a full-time head coach since he took over for his late father, Al Davis, in 2011 and third in three years. He was fooled by players and fans by keeping Pierce last year. This team will go nowhere until Davis can provide the stability at top and a big part of that is getting this hire right.

Brady role:

We’ve been hearing that Tom Brady will be a big part of decision-making group this year, specifically when it comes to addressing the quarterback position. ESPN reported shortly after the Pierce news broke that Brady, who became a minority owner this fall, will be part of this process. It will be interesting to see if someone he has history with getting the job.

Telesco stays:

ESPN reported general manager Tom Telesco will be retained. He was hired after Pierce was last year, which created an odd dynamic. Now, Telesco will be part of the coaching-hiring process like he should have been last year. As the general manager, with experience hiring coaches, he should have a major role in this decision.

Change is needed because of AFC West:

Pierce was, by far, the worst head coach in the AFC West behind Andy Reid, Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh. Two have won Super Bowls as a head coach and Harbaugh was close. The Raiders, who went 0-6 in the AFC West this season, need to bridge the gap with this hire.

Might have to move fast for Vrabel:

There has been speculation that former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel might be at the top of the Raiders’ wish list. He played with Brady in New England and they remain close. But Vrabel could be off the market soon. He reportedly a top candidate in New England and the Patriots are already moving fast in the interview process after firing Jerod Mayo on Sunday.

Not a cool move, Mark:

Monday, Pierce met the media and said he expected to return. He was fired more than 24 hours. Davis should have made a faster decision or saved Pierce the embarrassment of saying what he did by telling the team’s PR department to cancel the presser.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

What will Maxx think?

Last year, Crosby admitted that he may have asked to be traded if Pierce wasn’t retained and support from Crosby and other key players may have helped sway Davis until promoting Pierce. Recently, Crosby talked about what an interesting offseason it will be and he bemoaned being part of constant change. Will this make him want a fresh start elsewhere as he faces the prospect of playing for his fourth full-time head coach since being drafted six years ago?

Other openings:

The Raiders became the sixth team to fire their coach. They join the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. While all head-coaching jobs are attractive, some are more than others. It will be interesting to see who candidates regard the Las Vegas opening.

Will it be an attractive job?

Coaching candidates usually value ownership and the quarterback at the top of the list when looking at teams. The Raiders have issues at both key areas and playing in the AFC West with a roster with a lot of holes may not help. But they have a great facility and stadium and the team has a high draft pick and will be flush with salary-cap room. So, there will be interest.

Offensive coach get nod because of quarterback need?

It will be interesting to see if an offensive-minded coach such as Detroit’s offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen could be targeted since the Raiders want to build around a new quarterback.

Mini hot streak didn’t help:

There was some talk that maybe Pierce would be survived because the Raiders broke a 10-game losing streak with December wins over also rans Jacksonville and New Orleans who were starting backup quarterbacks Mac Jones and Spencer Rattler. Davis said last month he wanted to see progress down the stretch, but clearly those two wins didn’t move the needle in Davis’ mind and frankly, they shouldn’t have.

Pierce didn’t help himself:

Yes, the team played hard under Pierce, but he had a lot of problems. He was awful in game management and he and his staff made continued mistakes all season. He made a bad hire in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who he fired after nine games. Also, there was a report during the season that players were frustrated that the coaching staff wasted a lot of time and other issues. That was alarming and it may have hurt Pierce.

Bad breaks:

There were a lot of injuries this year and the Raiders finished the season with a depleted roster. In fact, Pierce said Monday he may change training camp because he thought a grueling camp help contribute to the injuries during the season.

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

Minshew hurt Pierce:

Monday, Pierce said he regretted starting Minshew over Aidan O’Connell. Minshew was awful and replaced twice. O’Connell wasn’t great and he went 2-5 in his seven starts. But playing Minshew was a brutal choice.

Not competitive enough:

The reality is, the Raiders just weren’t very competitive this season, The Raiders trailed by double digits in 15 of 17 games. They lost by double digits nine times and were outscored by 125 points, which was sixth worst differential in the league. That reflected very poorly on Pierce.