The Raiders are Back to Work and Searching for Improvement

The Las Vegas Raiders have gone back to the drawing board after an embarrassing loss in their home opener. Coach Antonio Pierce plans to handle practice appropriately.

Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

Last week, Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said the team had one of its season's best practices.

A few days later, they lost to one of the worst teams in the National Football League in embarrassing fashion. Pierce still believes the team practiced well last week, but it did not translate to a productive game on Sunday. 

"I did, I said it, everybody in the building felt it on Thursday,” Pierce said. “So, I'm not going to go back against my words. It was, it really was. There weren’t any balls on the ground, it was clean execution, the speed was up, the tempo, the energy, the execution. We got the looks, there wasn't a lot of draw up the play to make it work. We compete on Thursdays with our scout team. So, there were no gimmes. Friday was a good day. Saturday was a good day. Sunday was a bad day." 

Pierce noted that he and his coaching staff have reviewed the team’s practice habits over the last week or so. He aims to improve practices, which will hopefully lead to better results on Sunday against a talented Cleveland Browns team. The Raiders' coaching staff was noticeably more vocal in the team’s first practice after losing to the Carolina Panthers.

"Yeah, I mean last week we walked through last week,” Pierce said. “We did two walk throughs instead of practicing, no pads. Then we go out there on Thursday, and we had shells on and running around with helmets and t-shirts and stuff like that. But it was already on schedule for us to go. I mean this is a team that we felt coming into it when we looked at our schedule, they run the ball, they do a really good job running the ball. They're physical. They give you a lot of different looks. 

“The head coach is a really good offensive coordinator. He does a hell of a job putting it together, him and Ken Dorsey. So this was a week anyway we have pads on. And I really judge it off our health. If we're healthy enough to go out there and put pads on, we'll do it. If we're not, then we don't. And last week, we just felt with the travel, being nicked up at certain positions, we can get more reps and more opportunities having those gentlemen in walk-through."

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