{"id":20893,"date":"2024-01-20T14:50:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-20T11:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/20893\/raiders-remove-interim-tag-name\/"},"modified":"2024-01-20T14:50:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T11:50:02","slug":"raiders-remove-interim-tag-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/?p=20893","title":{"rendered":"Raiders remove interim tag, name Antonio Pierce head coach"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Raiders remove interim tag, name Antonio Pierce head coach\u060c<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<ul class=\"authors\">\n<li class=\"mugshot-shown\">\n<div class=\"author-img\"><\/div>\n<p>Paul Gutierrez, ESPN editor<span class=\"timestamp \">January 19, 2024, 8:44 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-overlay\">Close<\/p>\n<ul>Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and is the Las Vegas Raiders reporter.  He has a multi-platform role \u2013 writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, as well as podcast and radio appearances.  Before joining ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as host of the cable news show SportsNet Central.  Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/football\/\"   title=\"Football\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Football<\/a> Writers of America and currently serves as president of the Las Vegas chapter of the PFWA.  He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.  Gutierrez is the author of three books: <i>Tales of Tommy Davis from the Dodgers dugout<\/i>, <i>100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know &#038; Do Before They Die<\/i>and if<i>These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders&#39; sideline, locker room and press box<\/i>with Lincoln Kennedy.  You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>HENDERSON, Nev. \u2014 Antonio Pierce was officially announced Friday as the new full-time head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.<\/p>\n<p>Raiders owner Mark Davis elevated Pierce from linebackers coach to interim coach after the Halloween night firings of coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, and Pierce, along with interim general manager Champ Kelly, changed the culture of the Raiders locker room overnight.<\/p>\n<p>After the Raiders&#39; 27-14 <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/win\/\"   title=\"win\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">win<\/a> over the Denver Broncos, Davis told ESPN he was &#8220;really excited&#8221; about the job Pierce did in leading the team to a 5-4 mark after taking over .<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline editorial float-r\" data-behavior=\"article_related\">\n<h2 class=\"editorial-title\">Editor&#39;s Choice<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Raiders-remove-interim-tag-name-Antonio-Pierce-head-coach.jpg&#038;w=130&#038;h=130&#038;scale=crop&#038;location=center.jpeg\" width=\"65\" height=\"65\"\/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In addition to finishing with a winning record, the Raiders also went 3-1 in the AFC West under Pierce, scoring a franchise-record 63 points against the Los Angeles Chargers and defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium for only the second time since 2013.<\/p>\n<p>In announcing Pierce as their new head coach, the Raiders crossed out the word &#8220;interim&#8221; in a post on X.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">I\u0336n\u0336t\u0336e\u0336r\u0336i\u0336m\u0336 Head Coach Antonio Pierce<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RaiderNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#RaiderNation<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HV8UWF8pH2\">pic.twitter.com\/HV8UWF8pH2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Raiders\/status\/1748499326438191516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 20, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>When Davis first promoted Pierce, who had never been a head coach above the high school level, Davis told ESPN that he didn&#39;t necessarily want Pierce to &#8220;coach&#8221; but rather &#8220;lead&#8221; and \u201cdelegates\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Raiders played a cleaner, stingier and more focused game after Pierce took over.<\/p>\n<p>Consider: Under Pierce, the Raiders led the NFL in fewest points allowed per game (16.0), defensive touchdowns (4) and fewest penalties (31) while having the 10th most points to takeaway (14), being fourth in point differential (62) and tied for third in sacks (30) from <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/week\/\"   title=\"Week\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Week<\/a> 9 until the end of the season.<\/p>\n<p>Davis also said at the time: &#8220;[Pierce] understands the Raiders culture, and that&#39;s important to me.  \u00bb<\/p>\n<p>Growing up in Compton, California, outside of Los Angeles, he was a big fan of not only the Raiders when they lived in Los Angeles, but also the local rap group NWA, known for wearing Raiders gear , immediately changed the culture to a player-oriented atmosphere.  .  A mini-basketball hoop was immediately set up in the locker room and the music playlist for practice was changed to include the styles of NWA, whose radio versions of songs were played at Allegiant Stadium during warm-ups pregame, while Friday&#39;s team danced.  for the kickoff of training, he returned.<\/p>\n<p>And after home victories, the Raiders lit celebratory cigars in the locker room.<\/p>\n<p>Pierce also benched expensive but oft-injured veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie Aidan O&#39;Connell, with Pierce calling the youngster his &#8220;BFF&#8221; on more than one occasion.<\/p>\n<p>However, lackadaisical defeats occurred against the Minnesota Vikings (3-0) at Allegiant Stadium and against the Indianapolis Colts (23-20), preventing the Raiders from participating in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>Raiders players bought into Pierce&#39;s leadership style, with All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams saying his &#8220;vote&#8221; was for Pierce and that he would &#8220;run through a wall for that man.&#8221;  Three-time <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/pro\/\"   title=\"Pro\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Pro<\/a> Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby, who had a career-high 14.5 sacks this season, also expressed support for Pierce.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s legendary,\u201d Crosby said after the season finale.  &#8220;When you have the right culture, a guy like AP who embraces the history of the Raiders, it&#39;s special. &#8230; A ton of legends [visit] constantly because of the respect they have for him.  So it makes you, as a player, want to go out there and show who you are.  You know what I mean?  You want to be at this level one day.  \u00bb<\/p>\n<p>Pierce also gained support from Raider alumni, such as Hall of Fame defensive back Charles Woodson, who pointed out that Pierce was a former NFL linebacker, and two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Jim Plunkett, who watched players respond quickly to Pierce.  .<\/p>\n<p>A Pro Bowler himself for the New York Giants in 2006, Pierce played nine seasons in the NFL with Washington (2001 to 2004) and the Giants (2005 to 2009).  He was a key member of the Giants team that defeated the then-undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.<\/p>\n<p>After finishing 8-9 overall, the Raiders have only had two winning records and two playoff appearances \u2013 following the 2016 and 2021 seasons \u2013 since appearing in Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003.<\/p>\n<p>Pierce is the seventh head coach (regular and interim) that Davis has hired since taking over the franchise following the death of his Hall of Fame father, Al Davis, in 2011, alongside Dennis Allen , Tony Sparano, Jack Del Rio, Jon Gruden and Rich Bisaccia.  and McDaniels.<\/p>\n<p>While there is no news yet on Kelly&#39;s status, he is a leading candidate to return as general manager.<\/p>\n<p>Pierce, 45, was asked during his season-ending press conference about the head coaching job.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will never use the word \u2018deserve,\u2019\u201d he said.  \u201cI hope I deserved it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raiders remove interim tag, name Antonio Pierce head coach\u060c Paul Gutierrez, ESPN editorJanuary 19, 2024, 8:44 p.m. Close Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and is the Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role \u2013 writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, as well as podcast and radio appearances. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1130,1528,5314,8270,1669,1927,3550],"class_list":["post-20893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-sports","tag-antonio","tag-coach","tag-interim","tag-pierce","tag-raiders","tag-remove","tag-tag"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20895,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20893\/revisions\/20895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}