Pierce's choice of OC Will be a Crucial Decision
The Las Vegas Raiders recently announced the permanent placement of Antonio Pierce as their head coach. He will no longer have the interim tag before his title and has turned his attention to filling out the rest of his coaching staff.
Assuming Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham remains with the Raiders, as other teams surely will interview him, there isn't a more critical decision Pierce will have to make in the short term more important than who will be his offensive coordinator.
After replacing former Coach Josh McDaniels, Bo Hardegree was named the interim offensive coordinator for the Silver and Black. While Hardgree was given a struggling offense and a rookie quarterback during his time with the Raiders, Hardegree performed admirably, with the offense improving significantly with him calling the plays.
The Las Vegas Raiders made Antonio Pierce their permanent head coach, much to the delight of many players.
© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The offense's improvement and the fact that they did so with a rookie quarterback, a first-time play-caller in Hardegree, and injuries at key positions down the stretch made the job Hardegree did much more respectable.
Hardegree's time calling plays for Las Vegas was critical in the development of rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell. Although the offense struggled at times, they looked considerably better in the second half of the season.
However, there were times when marginally better play-calling from the offensive coordinator could have won them games, resulting in losses for Las Vegas. In a 17-game season, that might not seem like a big deal, but the Raiders had a legitimate shot at the playoffs if just a few more plays gone their way on offense.
When a team loses multiple games by only a couple of plays here and there, as the Raiders did this season, most notably against the Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts, it is fair for a new coaching staff to look elsewhere for a new play-caller in the offseason.
Pierce has done that as he begins to build out his coaching staff to his liking. If Graham returns next season with most of the defense intact and the Raiders can tweak their offense at the necessary positions via the draft and free agency, Pierce and the Raiders will have much to look forward to next season.
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