Are the Raiders a 'Healthy' Franchise? Pt. 3

A well-respected NFL executive told our Hondo Carpenter Sr. the five key things that you judge to know if your franchise is healthy. This series, a Raider's Today exclusive, is a look into how the Las Vegas Raiders fit within those five indicators.

Nov 19, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce stands on the field during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Recently, our Las Vegas Raiders beat writer Hondo Carpenter Sr. and his wife, Shannon, had dinner with a widely respected NFL executive. That dinner revealed a fascinating revelation.

The executive told Carpenter what he considered the five indicators of a healthy franchise.

Coach Antonio Pierce has had a successful offseason in 2024, building a team that fits the vision he has for the Silver and Black. Based on the criteria for coaching stability, one of the five key indicators of a healthy franchise, Pierce might have given the Raiders that equilibrium.

"You keep the same general direction," Carpenter said on the "Las Vegas Insider" Podcast." "It's just important to understand that you've got to be on the same page. You gotta have one vision, you can't have five visions. As a writer and reporter, that's how you know when a general manager and a coach ... somebody's getting fired. When one's got vision and the other has another. I covered a team one time, and I literally had [coaches] calling me ... calling me ripping the defensive coordinator, and I had the defensive coordinator calling me ripping the head coach. I had the head coach calling me ripping the offensive coordinator. ... No unity. That is one of the biggest signs that you're franchise is in trouble. Again, stability in coaching."

Carpenter has spoken many times about how the Raiders are on the same page with their head coach. Pierce has assembled a large coaching staff that includes former head coaches like Marvin Lewis, the winningest coach in Cincinnati Bengals history.

The head coach has also fostered an environment where players can be themselves, as can his coaching staff.

"AP is so comfortable in his own shoes. He knows he's the boss. And everybody there knows," Carpenter said on another episode. "So he doesn't have to walk around carrying a heavy stick. His coaches coach for him, he's empowered them. That's one thing that stood out to me a lot ... Under the previous regime, everything was scripted. It was a business ... to where it just became methodical."

Carpenter noted an atmosphere that was more akin to teaching rather than sticking to a scripted practice plan. Coaches with more room to run things their own way. It allowed for a more effective pace while the team practiced. All of which Carpenter said was lost under the previous, unstable staff.

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