What Coach Antonio Pierce Learned About the Raiders in Costa Mesa

The Las Vegas Raiders have wrapped up this year's training camp and will now prepare for the preseason. Coach Antonio Pierce shares what training camp in Costa Mesa revealed to him about this year's team

Las Vegas Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

The first preseason game of a new season is on the horizon for many teams around the National Football League, including the Las Vegas Raiders.

This offseason and training camp gave many on the Raiders a chance to adequately prepare for the upcoming season, which is something Coach Antonio Pierce and quarterback Aidan O’Connell did not have last season. The Raiders returned to the drawing board this offseason, hoping to correct as many of the mistakes they made last season as possible.

The Raiders made significant changes to its coaching staff and roster this offseason. They enter this upcoming season with a new offensive coordinator, a new-look backfield after running back Josh Jacobs left in free agency, and one of the best defenses in the league after the addition of defensive lineman Christian Wilkins.  

After numerous practices with and without football pads, training camp gave Pierce the best idea of what to expect from his team this upcoming season. After watching their growth over the last few weeks, he shared what he learned about the team. 

“We’ve got grit,” Pierce said. “We’re tough. We’ve had close to 800 team reps in ten practices. Do the math. From walkthroughs to 11-on-11, we’re close to 800 reps. These guys haven’t blinked. They put their workman’s hat on every day. We don’t have guys looking to get out of practice. We’ve got a mentally tough team, and we’ve got a team that’s pissed off and want to prove a lot of people wrong.”

The Raiders had an up-and-down season last season. In the same week, they switched their head coach and starting quarterback, a surprise move for nearly everyone involved. Few people within the Raiders organization had the opportunity to prepare properly for the second half of last season. 

However, with an entire training camp this time around, along with a better coaching staff and deeper roster, the Raiders are looking to take the lessons learned last season and an offseason with better preparation to help them take the next step, which may include a trip to the playoffs for only the third time in over 20 years. 

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