EXCLUSIVE: Raiders Captain Speaks His Mind on HC Antonio Pierce
The Las Vegas Raiders have had a challenging past two seasons, which has seen them lose more games and players to injury than most teams around the National Football League.
This includes a 10-game losing streak this season, firing their head coach, Josh McDaniels, last season and replacing him with current head coach Antonio Pierce.
Wins for the Raiders have come few and far between, yet Pierce has kept the team together. After winning their second consecutive game, and with Pierce's future with the team in doubt, team captain Kolton Miller shared his thoughts on Pierce.
"I think he has really been the glue to hold us together, to not lay down. We come out every week and [try to win], Miller said. "It is a testament to him and to the team that the attitude we bring each week is, we are trying to win."
"We’re clawing, we’re scraping. We are doing everything we can, even with the bodies down and guys stepping up. The mindset, the approach each week–it would be easy if we laid down and said ‘Oh, yeah. It is what it is. We have these guys out.’ No, we fight each week, and the buy-in is there every week. Trying to get better, trying to get a win.
Miller believes Pierce's ability to keep things afloat over the previous two seasons speaks to Pierce's character as a man, a head coach, and the team's leader.
"I think it’s the character," Miller said. "I think it is who he is as a person. It’s not fake, it’s real. It's the connection with the players, the players, and coaches. The trust, the attention to the process each week. Hell yeah, we see it out there. We fight tooth and nail, and we want to win. He is a leader of men.
"He is not a ‘me’ guy. It just speaks to humility, trust, and sacrifice. That’s what you need as a team. If he were a ‘me’ guy, we would all be checked out; you can see it, but he’s not. We are playing for one another, playing for him, and we are going to keep rolling.
Raiders veteran running back Ameer Abdullah has significantly contributed to the offense over the previous few weeks due to injuries at the running back position. He agrees with Miller's assessment.
"He’s been a guy who has been a doer since he was thrown into the job last year in the interim role,” Abdullah said. “He is a guy that has been consistent in his messaging to us. He is aguy that has played in this league a long time. So, he knows what it's supposed to look like and what good football feels like. I feel like that alone kind of holds us to a level of accountability because this guy has done it at the highest level–the Super Bowl level. So, we definitely do not want to let him down.
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