For Pierce, Motivating Players as an HC is Different from His Days as a Player

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce aims to motivate his players to perform better Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. However, motivating a team as a coach is much harder than motivating them as a player.

Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders are set to play at home for the second consecutive week.

They face the Cleveland Browns in a game both teams need, but the Raiders must have. The Raiders started 1-3 last season, and after believing they had improved over this offseason, they can ill-afford to start 1-3 again. 

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was a Super Bowl-winning linebacker with plenty of experience rallying and motivating players. However, he has more experience doing so as a player than a head coach. He says motivating players while being a player is different from motivating them as a head coach. 

"Everybody's different. I mean, I don't talk to the quarterbacks like I talk to linebackers,” Pierce said. “But the message to the team is that of team and what our thought process is. Again, the mindset this week was character, being a pro, and having another opportunity at home. We really want to take advantage of that. I believe the crowd will come through. I know they were disappointed, just like we were, but we expect them to come through strong and be loud and Raider Nation to show up. 

“But as a player, you probably get more into the face, like right here, eye to eye, and as a team, you’ve got to look at the big picture, and you can't overreact. And I don't think I really do that. I'm more straightforward and direct. They understand that, and then we just move on.”

Pierce noted that his mindset on motivating players as a coach is a two-way street. He said he believes having open lines of communication are open is critically important to help prevent the outside noise from making its way into the locker room.

“It's nothing personal,” Pierce said. “It's strictly nothing personal. And they do the same thing to me, right? They call me out, 'AP, you ain't the same today. What's up with you?' So, that's a good part about it. I think just the lines of communication, having those open throughout the week, especially in times like this when we're getting poked at from the outsiders, trying to put us against one another, and that's not going to happen."

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