Amy Trask: The Raiders Swagger is back with Antonio Pierce
The Raiders ended the season on a positive note by going 5-4 under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. Even more encouraging than their record was the fight players showed during the second half of their 2023 campaign for their new leader. Amy Trask joined the Bleav in Raiders podcast to discuss the news that Pierce will return as head coach without an interim tag in 2024.
"I thought what was particularly thrilling to see, heartwarming, exciting, invigorating, whatever word we want to apply, was the way the team played when he took over as head coach. The team played hard for him," said Trask. "There is a swagger associated with the Raiders, and that swagger was missing. And the moment Antonio took over, it was back."
Pierce was a hard-nosed linebacker who posted over 100 combined tackles for four consecutive seasons in the NFL. He brought his grit into the Raiders locker room immediately after taking over. The team gathered around him and played with an intensity we had not seen in Las Vegas in quite some time. Under Pierce's guidance, the Raiders will now look to hit the ground running next season.