After cycling through several head coaches over the years, the Las Vegas Raiders seem to have found a potential long-term answer with Klint Kubiak. Despite decades of success, Pete Carroll was a total disaster as the man in charge of the team.
In hindsight, the Raiders likely would’ve rather just given Antonio Pierce another year. He had a successful stint as the interim head coach, but in his first year as the full-time head coach, he went 4-13.
There may have been some bad blood between the two sides at first, but it seems like Pierce is already starting to get over it. On CBS Sports’ “NFL Today+,” Pierce was quick to drop the “RAIDERS” chant on TV.
“The best team in the AFC West,” Pierce said of the Raiders.
The Raiders were the worst team in the NFL last season, so jumping to being the best team in a loaded AFC West would be a huge leap. It’s clear that Pierce still has some loyalty there. It would’ve been easy for him to use his platform to disregard the team, but as he noted before he got the head coaching job, he’s a lifelong fan of the franchise. Perhaps the Raiders could host him as a guest for an upcoming game to resolve any lingering tension between the two sides.
Best in the AFC West?
The Raiders have had a surprisingly strong start to the season, but that doesn’t mean much quite yet. The team didn’t look like the worst team in the NFL at the start of last season.
The Raiders still have a lot to prove. The AFC West had two teams in the playoffs last season, and the Kansas City Chiefs have looked much better this season. These are veteran teams with legendary head coaches. Kubiak is the youngest coach in the division, so he’s still going to have to show that he can handle the tough decisions and difficult adjustments that come throughout the regular season.
Raiders Being Overlooked?
The Raiders haven’t been consistently relevant for over two decades. This has led to them being an afterthought in the media.
They still need to earn the right to be talked about as much as some of the other successful teams, but ESPN’s Kyle Brandt believes they need more respect.
“Nobody wants to hear about the Raiders. Believe me, I know. I’ve been on 26 football shows today, and I have not been asked about the Raiders once,” Brandt said on ESPN’s “Big Day.”
“The autumn wind is a Raider, but the A-block is a Chief, Bronco, and Charger. Let me tell you something. The production e-mail for First Take is so long I can’t open it unless I’m connected to WiFi. And there’s not a single Raiders question in all 78 pages. The email asks for Bucs takes, Panthers takes, Steelers takes. I scrolled all the way to the bottom where it says, ‘Let us know if there’s anything else you’re hot on.’ Nothing. The 2-0 Raiders aren’t even compelling enough to be First Take’s last take.”
Antonio Pierce Delivers Strong Statement on Raiders Amid Hot Start