CBS Sports released their rankings for the 2024 NFL head coaches, and Antonio Pierce ranked near the bottom. Pierce, after coaching for the final nine games of the Las Vegas Raiders season, finished with a 5-4 record. It’s important to note that the coaches hired under the previous coach, Josh McDaniels, contributed to this record. We can hear the collective groan from Raider Nation by asking them to give any kind of credit to McDaniels.
Still, we digress.
Despite the season’s successful conclusion, the first-time head coach’s ranking of 28th out of 32 seems disrespectful. While he is new to NFL coaching, he has experience as a head coach. From 2014 to 2017, he was Long Beach Poly High School’s head coach, coaching current Raider cornerback Jack Jones. After that, he secured a new position as an associate head coach at Arizona State University.
Why Antonio Pierce Should be Higher
Before Pierce took over midseason, the Raiders were one of the league’s laughing stocks, winning only three games out of eight. Before his takeover, the Raiders offense never scored 21 points, which caused considerable frustration among the players. Antonio Pierce replaced Josh McDaniels and benched Jimmy Garoppolo. In Netflix’s documentary Receiver, Davante Adams, the Raiders star wideout, spoke about this.
“Something had to happen in order for me to remain a Raider,” Adams said.
The rest of the season demonstrated how the entire team embraced Pierce’s process. In a short period of time, Pierce accomplished much that altered his mentality. First of all, on December 13, the Raiders scored a franchise-record 63 points against the Chargers. On top of that, he constructed a plan to limit Patrick Mahomes and defeat the Chiefs on Christmas.
Coaches That Should Be Ranked Lower Than Pierce
To start, one coach that should not be listed above Antonio Pierce is Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon. Despite having a full season under his belt, Gannon failed to alter the culture in Arizona, and the team struggled. His roster was incomplete, but that doesn’t justify choosing him over Pierce. Gannon, if anyone, is less proven.
In 2022, Matt Eberflus led the league for most losses in a season and the most in franchise history. The team made significant investments in drafting Caleb Williams this year, but his prior coaching performance has been lacking. Eberflus is less proven as well.
Although Pierce still has a lot to prove in his first full season, his ranking at number 28 is far too low. Pierce’s 2024 campaign should see him climb the ranks immensely.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
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