Antonio Pierce Letter Of Departure To The Team Members As He Sets To…
Even though the Las Vegas Raiders have gone 2-2 under head coach Antonio Pearce, they are still conducting due diligence and searching for a replacement nearly a month after firing head coach Josh McDaniels.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore reports that former Stanford head coach David Shaw is “a name to keep an eye on” as a potential candidate. After concluding the previous season with his third losing campaign in four years, Shaw resigned as Stanford’s head coach. Before that, Shaw was a complete terror at Stanford, and even with his losing seasons, he ended up being the program’s most successful coach.
He has been working as an analyst for the NFL Network this season, but it isn’t surprising to hear his name surface in NFL discussions. Before this NFL season, he reportedly interviewed for the Denver Broncos opening, which eventually went to Sean Payton.
Pierce would further establish his case if he leads the Raiders to the postseason, which is still conceivable. Regarding Shaw, a lot of people thought that the NFL and NIL, among other things, would be a better fit for him than the college level.
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Raiders CB Nate Hobbs Has Strong Response to 49ers Trade Rumors
The Las Vegas Raiders have legitimate defensive talent for the first time in a long time. Nate Hobbs, the cornerback, has been one of their best players. Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network reported on November 27 that the San Francisco 49ers tried to trade for him at the deadline because of how well he’s been playing.
The 49ers have the No. 1 defense in the NFL in points allowed (15.8 per game) so it’s a testament to how well he’s played that the team would want him. Hobbs is flattered by the interest but happy to still be in Las Vegas.
“It’s always nice knowing other teams want you. … It was nice knowing somebody else wanted me, but I’m here right now so I’m gonna make the most of where I’m at,” Hobbs said during his December 14 locker room availability.
Hobbs, who is just 24 years old, ought to be a key component of the Raiders’ future development. It’s difficult to see how they could want to forget about him in that circumstance. With a grade of 68.5, Hobbs is the highest-graded Raiders cornerback on Pro Football Grade. Although he has excelled as a slot player this season, the team has occasionally had to use him outside, which has affected his grade.
Nate Hobbs Praises Jack Jones
One thing that would allow Nate Hobbs to stay in the slot more where he plays his best football is if the Raiders solidified their outside cornerback spots. Marcus Peters was cut earlier in the season and Jack Jones has replaced a lot of the snaps.
He made a highlight reel play against the Chargers where he took an interception back for a touchdown. Hobbs was really impressed with Jones and the play that he made.
During his postgame media availability on December 14, Hobbs stated, “I don’t think any good defense, anybody who makes it far in the playoffs in this league who’s considered to have a dominant or really good defense, they don’t not have a player like that.” “Someone who will just go and act on instinct.”
Jones discussed what his thought process was during the play.
“I was up there thinking, ‘Damn, I overran it,’” Jones said after the game. “So I reached back … and that thing just stuck … and I was like, ‘Oh yeah.’”
Jones joined the Raiders late in the season after getting released by the New England Patriots. He’s making the case that he should be back with the team next season.
Mark Davis Impressed With Defense
The Raiders’ defense has consistently been among the worst in the NFL for two decades now. This year, the group is allowing 20.0 points a game, which is ninth-best in the NFL. If that holds up, it would be the first time the Raiders had a top-10 scoring defense since the 2002 season.
Owner Mark Davis doesn’t love what he’s seeing from the struggling offense but he’s been impressed with the defense.
In an interview with Tashan Reed of The Athletic on December 13, Davis said, “You go back two years, and our offense is scoring and our defense was scoring even more for the other side (laughs).” It’s turned on its head now. The fact that that is what transpired at this stage is astounding. However, it’s quite an accomplishment to lose a game 3-0 (against the Minnesota Vikings).