Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press
Las Vegas Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce urges on his players during their game Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, against the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Fla. Pierce has come under fire for some decisions that may have cost Las Vegas an upset in the game. The question for Raider fans, and more specifically for owner Al Davis, is: Do you throw Pierce away over them?
Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Jim Harbaugh’s name is trending in Raider Nation social media circles.
The embattled University of Michigan coach, who many think is being punished unfairly or too harshly in the aftermath of a sign-stealing scandal, is a popular pick among Las Vegas Raiders fans to become the team’s next full-time head coach.
Much of it is a reaction to interim coach Antonio Pierce’s first loss Sunday in Miami, 20-13, after having won his first two games since owner Mark Davis fired previous coach Josh McDaniels.
I’m not selling low on Pierce, though.
It’s a reasonable argument to make that Pierce, who has limited head coaching experience, cost the team a chance to win in Miami with a few bad decisions.
Near the end of the first half, with almost a minute to go and the ball at the Dolphins 32-yard-line following a fumble recovery, the Raiders showed no urgency or intent to score a touchdown. They ran the ball once, then let most of the clock run down before a couple of incomplete short passes. Instead of trying to take the lead, they were content to go into halftime trailing 14-13.
Then, with 8 1/2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Raiders trailed 20-13 with the ball at the Miami 31. Facing a fourth-and-3 situation, the Raiders threw deep, incomplete.
I’m not an expert on lip reading or body language, but Davis seemed as exasperated with the choice as many Raider fans. The team needed two scores to win, and should have expected to get the ball back at least once. Points are hard to come by in the NFL, and turning away from an easy 3 with that much time left handcuffed the team on later possessions (they had two, both of which ended with interceptions from plays within field goal range).
So Pierce picked the wrong time to go conservative in the first half, and the wrong time to be aggressive in the second.
Let’s stipulate that he made bad coaching decisions, and it cost the team.
The question for Raider fans, and more specifically for Davis, is this: Do you throw him away over it?
Pierce is a smart guy. He will learn from those mistakes and become a better coach for having made them. Do you want to suffer through the growing pains of a young, inexperienced head coach just to watch him flourish somewhere else?
There are six games remaining on the Raiders’ schedule. If questionable coaching decisions continue to repeat, as they have in Los Angeles with the Chargers’ Brandon Staley, then it will be time to consider moving on from Pierce.
But right now, those two decisions aside, Pierce has already proved that he has one of the most valuable qualities a fan base can ask for in a head coach: the ability to inspire.
It’s been more than 20 years since the Raiders fielded a team that has won consistently. In three games, despite the loss, Pierce has demonstrated that he is a leader of men, that he can get his players to run through walls for him.
The same group of players who looked so disengaged in a 26-14 loss to Detroit in what was McDaniels’ last game have gone to war for Pierce.
OK, they lost to Miami. But this is Las Vegas, and we know the betting line is the most accurate predictor of a team’s ability to win or lose a game. The Dolphins were laying two touchdowns. The Raiders were traveling cross-country for an early start. This game wasn’t expected to be close, but the Raiders played with grit and determination, and they had a chance to win.
That’s a credit to Pierce.
Harbaugh enjoyed success as the San Francisco 49ers coach for four years, compiling a 44-19-1 record with three playoff appearances, and he came within a play of a Super Bowl championship. He has also revived the Michigan program, which had gone 46-42 in the seven years prior to his arrival and 85-25 in the nine years since.
He would be a ballyhooed hire and would likely demand a rich contract after Davis opened the vault for his past two hires.
The way the team is playing for Pierce, that seems like unnecessary spending.
Dave Mondt is an editor at Greenspun Media Group.
