Graney: Antonio Pierce deserves Raiders’ full-time coaching job

The mini-hoop and victory cigars are irrelevant in a final conclusion — mere outliers of what has transpired under Antonio Pierce as interim coach of the Raiders.

But you can’t say emotion won’t play a part in whether owner Mark Davis decides to keep Pierce as the full-time answer or not. Davis isn’t a robot. But he should be in this case.

What’s best for his franchise. Period.

And he should know this: Pierce is the guy.

Davis has to wait to make such a decision. He must, by NFL rules, open the vacancy and provide an extensive search.

Buying into message

“Having a certain coach sometimes can just allow certain players to realize their full potential and continue to go and be who they’re supposed to be,” wide receiver Davante Adams said. “I’m definitely rooting for (Pierce). I mean, I love him, love what he’s brought, his mentality. His passion for the game is undeniable — you can see it every single day.”

You don’t hire Pierce because you didn’t hire Rich Bisaccia, the last guy who carried an interim tag with the team and led the Raiders to an AFC playoff berth. You don’t make one move because you should have perhaps made another and didn’t.

You also don’t pass on Pierce because of, say, transgressions such as those that led to him resigning as assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator at Arizona State in February 2022.

He was among five Arizona State coaches implicated in an NCAA investigation that involved recruiting violations during a COVID-19 dead period. Several sources told The Athletic that the recruiting issues began with Pierce, that he was “the mastermind.”

But this is the NFL, and what occurred at the college level with recruiting violations shouldn’t prohibit Pierce from being named full-time coach of the Raiders.

We saw during a 63-21 win over the Chargers what things look like when a team gives up on its coach, when it chooses to no longer play for him.

That’s what happened to Brandon Staley, and he was fired the day after the beatdown at Allegiant Stadium. His team was as disconnected as one could be.

But that’s the opposite of what the Raiders have been since Pierce was picked to replace the fired Josh McDaniels on an interim basis. Buy-in is half the battle in coaching. Players believe in Pierce. They embrace his messaging. He’s someone they openly follow and respect.

They’re impressed with what he has done football-wise, far more important than those outliers everyone likes to talk about and celebrate.

Hey, you can’t smoke ’em unless you win.

The Raiders are the NFL’s least penalized team. Their defense is first in fewest points allowed (15.3 per game) since Pierce assumed his new role, and the team has played to a plus-5 in turnover margin under him. They are 4-3 since he replaced McDaniels.

Keeping things simple

“We do things in practice that’s going to help us win games,” rookie tight end Michael Mayer said. “We don’t do stuff we’re never going to run or try new plays we’ll never use. (Pierce) does a good job of that with the offense and defense. This is our call sheet. Know everything on it. We’re not going to add extra or take anything out. Know it by heart.

“He’s taken a team that needed uplifting and confidence, and he has been a great leader so far. That’s one thing we needed.”

Pierce is far from a finished product. His game-management skills (timeouts, challenges) could be better, not surprising for a first-time NFL coach. We’d also see — if he was hired full-time — how quickly he would admit changes need to be made on offense. He’d have tough decisions to make with his staff and on the field.

But that’s all part of it. That’s the job.

The Raiders are still in the playoff race with games Sunday at Indianapolis and then home against Denver. I’m assuming such results could go a long way in determining Pierce’s fate.

We’ve seen enough. When time allows, remove the interim tag.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.