Michael Irvin Issues A Firm Remark Regarding Antonio Pierce..
The Las Vegas Raiders will have a head coaching decision to make this offseason after the team fired Josh McDaniels midway through the year and promoted Antonio Pierce to the interim role.
Before Week 17, Pierce led the Raiders to a 4-3 record in his seven games at the helm of the team.
But it’s unclear if what he accomplishes this season will be enough to convince Raiders owner Mark Davis that he should be given the full-time job.
Nevertheless, NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin said he believes the Raiders players’ response to Pierce as a coach should be enough to prove to Davis that he is worthy of becoming the next head coach.
“The players are speaking,” Irvin said. “They’re saying, ‘This is our coach’ by the way they’re playing on the football field.”
The Raiders – specifically their defense – have played exceptionally well since Pierce took over in Week 9.
Las Vegas just came off a huge AFC West win over the Kansas City Chiefs to give them a slim chance to make the playoffs.
But there could be some very interesting head coaching candidates on the market this offseason, including Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Pierce, though, has shown his ability to connect with players after he himself played nine years in the NFL.
But the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league, so Pierce would likely need to keep winning to better his claim to the full-time role.