Disrespect of Pierce, Raiders, Becoming Laughable, If Not Pathetic

The Las Vegas Raiders, under Antonio Pierce's leadership, ended 2023 on a major upswing, missing the NFL Playoffs by one game. Despite the disrespect, 2024 looks even better.

Las Vegas Raiders Antonio Pierce is all smiles as he leads the Silver and Black. / Darrell Craig Harris, Raiders Today

LAS VEGAS, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders were in total disarray during the first half of the 2023 NFL Season, but once Antonio Pierce was given the reins to the Silver and Black franchise, stability was established, and they stunningly missed the NFL Playoffs by one game.

Pierce and his new teammate, GM Tom Telesco, have done nothing to disappoint since Mark Davis permanently named them to their jobs, and the expectations for 2024 are both reachable and realistic.

This Raider team should be competitive for an NFL Playoff spot in 2024.

I don’t think, nor does anyone, being honest, that they are a Super Bowl contender, but Pierce and his leadership alone, along with Patrick Graham and his merry band of misfits and an offense with proven weapons, make the expectation of competing for the NFL Playoffs in Pierce’s first season, attainable.

In Las Vegas, the object is to get the public to bet.  From the casino’s standpoint, the objective is also for them to win.

So when they lay the odds for wins and losses, they try to get as close as possible to what they think in order to mitigate exposure and avoid setting the house (Casino) up for a big risk.

So when BetOnline.com released their latest odds on how many games the Silver and Black would win, it was nothing short of hilarious and could be seen no other way than disrespectful.

Per BetOnline.com

Las Vegas Raiders - 2024 Regular Season Win Total

Over/Under                     6½

Note: The 2023 opening win total was 7½.  They finished the season with eight wins.

6.5 wins for a Raiders team that has more talent, better coaching, and finished with eight wins last season? 

That screams of a lack of faith in the new regime and in a locker room that has nearly 35 players regularly working out this offseason, on a mission to prove the doubters wrong.

But, doubt is something the Silver and Black have faced since the Davis family took the helm of the Raiders ship.

Antonio Pierce will have a lot to say about this but don’t look for words.  As he is fond of saying, “My resume is on the field.”

I would never tell anyone what to do with their money. I am not a gambling expert, and I didn’t stay at Holiday Inn Express last night, but I do know that, as Wesley Snipes likes to say, “Always bet on black.”

Or, in this case, always bet on Silver and Black.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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