Raiders Key Player Slams Coach And Team Before Final Game For Week 19…

The Las Vegas Raiders still had a chance to qualify for the postseason as of last Sunday, provided they won their final two games. But the Raiders were out of the running for the playoffs following their 23-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The Raiders will play the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium in their final game of the 2023–24 season, but neither team will be competing for a postseason berth.

Maxx Crosby, the star defensive end for the Raiders, delivered a message to his teammates following the game. The team will finish the season this Sunday and begin an uncertain offseason. In the most recent episode of his podcast, The Rush with Maxx Crosby, he disclosed what he had told them. He declared, “This is the last time these guys will be together.” “You have no idea what in the world is going to occur. Many things are going to change. From a roster perspective, there is always turnover every year, but in our case it is particularly noticeable.We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. So, that was my message, just, ‘Listen, this is our last week together as a group. We’ve grown so much together, we’ve gone through a lot of s— together, and we’re playing a rival at home, and there’s going to be no better way to end the season than to go out with a bang and go beat Denver and go into the offseason with a big win, and be 8-9 after where we started.”

“The season wasn’t easy. We were 6–11 last year, and at first glance, it appeared that we would be doing something similar this year. Despite some difficult breaks, we managed to turn things around, but the correct approach must be taken to the end. With a victory going into the offseason, things will improve greatly. Despite a coaching change in the middle of the season, the Raiders improved their record by two games this year. Regardless of whether Interim Coach Antonio Pierce rejoins the Raiders in 2024, the team made progress on both ends of the ball and began laying the groundwork for future success.

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Anonymous Source Endorses Antonio Pierce To Keep Head Coach Job

After Josh McDaniels was fired on October 31, Antonio Pierce was named the team’s interim head coach, and the Las Vegas Raiders have appeared like a more dynamic organization in the weeks that have passed. With a 30-6 victory over the New York Giants, Pierce made an impression right away. Although the Raiders’ 4-4 record isn’t particularly noteworthy, he has guided the team to some incredible victories.

Pierce was at the helm for a 63-21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers that led to the firing of their own head coach in Brandon Staley. And it’s clear that Raiders players have found it easier to connect and fight for Pierce than McDaniels. But that puts Raiders ownership and management in an interesting position this offseason.

After an offseason coaching search, interim coaches almost never hold the position. However, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports that Pierce appears to have a lot of support inside the building, including an unnamed source who thinks Pierce is the best candidate for the position:

For Mark Davis and team, this is hardly a new scenario—it almost exactly resembles what happened with interim head coach Rich Bisaccia towards the end of the 2021 campaign. Following his contentious dismissal, Bisaccia succeeded Jon Gruden as head coach of the Raiders, steering them to a 7-5 record and a postseason berth.

He had garnered significant support within the organization to keep the head coaching job, but Davis ultimately decided to go with McDaniels instead. Perhaps that situation will lead Davis to go a different direction this time around, but it also depends on the available coaches this offseason.

Pierce gives honest self-assessment

Pierce spoke about his qualifications and what he believes he has done to help the Raiders since taking over as interim head coach.

“I think each and every week you’ve learned something new about (me), I’ve learned something new about myself. But this is a game regardless of how much you’ve played or been in, there’s always something new that comes up that you have to adapt and adjust to. That’s been a good part of the process of growing. Understanding players, coaches, the dynamic to maintain that at a high level each and every week, to bring it each and every week. And what that takes and what it looks like, I think that’s something that I’m going to reflect on and hopefully get better as I go along.

“Everything will ultimately be judged based on wins and losses, and I believe that’s fair and the main goal of this business. It’s production-based and all about wins and losses, as I stated at the outset. However, I also believe that it has to do with the foundation you build. And I believe that, on the whole, over the course of these eight or nine weeks, we have established a strong foundation for ourselves as a group and as a company, one that will allow us to look back and say, “Okay, those are the things that went well, and there are some other things that we can do better.” And that’s the perspective I’ll adopt.