Pressure grows on Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce after loss to Dolphins
Pressure continues to build on Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce after a 34-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The result leaves Pierce’s side 2-8 for the season and a video released on social media on Sunday night shows Raiders owners Mark Davis getting angry in his corporate box as he watched his team fall to another heavy defeat.
The loss came in the same week that it was revealed senior players had openly criticised the head coach at an open meeting.
Pierce, whose father Cleo Burrows is from Bermuda, was reportedly called out by his roster, including star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, about his coaching schedule and his processes.
According to a CBS Sports report, Crosby and his team-mates addressed what they viewed as inefficiencies and deficiencies within the organisation on a weekly basis.
“After Monday’s coaches meeting, the team met with the staff and the floor was open for anyone to speak their mind,” Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports said.
“According to sources present, a few themes emerged. Players had issues with the schedule not being efficient. There was a lack of organisation and “wasting time”, and there was a “lack of discipline and accountability”.
“One source described the meeting as ending uncomfortably for all parties.”
The Raiders fired offensive co-ordinator Luke Getsy after a week nine loss to the Cincinnati Bengals left them with a 2-7 record and propping up the AFC West division.
Pierce also decided to part ways with other members of the offensive coaching staff, firing quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello and offensive line coach James Cregg.
As part of the revamp, Norv Turner, a former Raiders head coach who was the Dallas Cowboys' offensive co-ordinator during their consecutive Super Bowl victories in 1992 and 1993, returned to the team as a senior adviser. Turner’s son, Scott, has been promoted from pass game co-ordinator to interim offensive co-ordinator.
After the match against the Dolphins, Pierce, who is in his first season as a head coach, was asked what he had learnt through this poor run.
“Just patience,” Pierce said. “You can hear it from our players, we put in the work and they are out there in the weights room doing it now. We’re grinding and when you get out there and put a game plan together and we were competitive again for another half.
“We’ve just got to get over this hurdle of not finishing games but it’s just that word patience. I know that’s not a word the Raider nation wants to here.”
The Raiders head to Denver on Sunday to take on the Broncos before facing Super Bowl champions Kansas City on Friday, November 29.
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