Raiders' Pierce Has Blunt Statement For Injuries

The Las Vegas Raiders are missing over half of their starters on defense. Still, head coach Antonio Pierce and his coaching staff refuses to make excuses for the disappointing 2-8 season.

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane (41) is assisted off the field after an injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders hired head coach Antonio Pierce partially because of the support he had received from the players in the locker room. Pierce helped get the most out of a failing Raiders team over the second half of last season.

He overhauled the coaching staff, adding numerous coaches with plenty of years of head coaching experience. This move helped improve his coaching staff with the coaching experience he did not have.

General Manager Tom Telesco made a splash by signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and other minor signings to help improve the team. However, it was not enough, as the Raiders suffered countless injuries to some of their most talented players. It is unfortunate for Pierce in his first season as a professional coach.

Still, Pierce refuses to put much thought into the streak of unluckiness the Raiders have had this season.

"It's one of the ones you've got to just swallow; you've got to take it,” Pierce said. “And obviously, we'll look back for all the reasons, right? There's been some noncontact injuries. 

“There's been guys getting rolled up, think about the Cincinnati Bengals game. You get six guys with ankle injuries. That's kind of unheard of. Just been having some bad breaks, but nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody feels sorry for me. You've got to roll out there with 11 players, and that's what we're going to do come Sunday."

Las Vegas has lost three starting cornerbacks, a starting safety, a starting defensive end, and a starting defensive tackle. Still, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham echoed a similar sentiment. Graham insisted that the injuries do not impact his playcalling at all.  

"None, man; I mean again, if it did, nobody cares,” Graham said when asked how the injuries have impacted his ability to call plays.

“So, for me, that's my job to adjust. It's my job to adjust. And the thing is, Coach [Antonio Pierce] talks about it all the time, 'Next man up mentality'. The play calling for me is a play caller adjusts based on the game. So that's the thing, and then I've got to be able to adjust within the game, and I've got to do a better job of that. 

“But really, in terms of any discussions on [injuries], I mean, every coordinator is dealing with it, and that's part of the job. It's a collision sport. We've got to deal with it. There's no excuse. That never crosses my mind.

“The guys are trying to execute everything I'm asking them to do out there on the field, and they put in the work, have great energy in the meeting rooms, great energy out there in practice. We've challenged each other to get better each day and to improve because we've got to get to the point where we reap the rewards of this hard work because we're hungry. Everybody's hungry for Sunday's reward."

While Pierce and Graham won't say it, and their respective stances are admirable, no team in the National Football League could lose six starters on one side of the ball and still be successful.

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