Raiders fire Josh McDaniels: Interim head coach Antonio Pierce says Las Vegas is ‘on the same page’

The Las Vegas Raiders wiped clean space on Tuesday night time, firing head coach Josh McDaniels and normal supervisor Dave Ziegler. As proprietor Mark Davis confirmed them the door, he named linebacker coach Antonio Pierce the intervening time head coach and increased assistant GM Champ Kelly to performing GM.

“Definitely surprised,” Kelly stated of the firings all the way through a press convention on Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t think we saw it coming.”

While it will have stuck the ones inside of the group through marvel, Pierce relayed that the team of workers is “on the same page.” 

“Our staff is connected,” he stated. “We had a great team meeting this morning. Everybody was focused. We walked in with a smile on our face. The synergy and energy in this building and the personality of our players will reflect who we are as Raiders.”

The trade comes with the Raiders sitting at 3-5 on the yr and losers of 2 immediately. The newest loss on Monday night time in opposition to the Lions used to be an total useless effort the place the group totaled simply 157 yards of overall offense. 

“We’re tired of losing,” added Pierce. “It’s not a good feeling. We’re a production-based business.”

On best of the trade atop the masthead, Pierce additionally showed to journalists that rookie Aidan O’Connell will get started for the membership going ahead, sending Jimmy Garoppolo to the bench. Both he and Kelly famous that the group used to be “very supportive” of the trade below heart. 

Pierce has been with the Raiders since 2022 when he used to be employed as the linebackers coach. Before that, he got here up via the training ranks at the collegiate stage at Arizona State. When requested what this second way to him as he ascends to the intervening time head coach position, Pierce emphasised his Raider roots as a California local.

“I had opportunities to leave and go to other organizations, but I decided not to,” Pierce stated. “The short story, the matter of fact is I grew up in Compton, California. I was born a Raider. I was born with the Raiders rolling into the Coliseum in L.A.. I was rolling with N.W.A., talking straight out of Compton, rocking Raiders hats. So when an opportunity came to work with Josh [McDaniels] and Pat Graham, and Dave [Ziegler], I jumped on it. That’s what set me up for this. I was born this way.” 

Pierce spent just about a decade in the NFL as a participant and received Super Bowl XLII as a member of the Giants, who the Raiders in order that occur to play on Sunday in his debut. 

“How about that?” Pierce stated of going through his former group. “Couldn’t write it up. But it’s not Antonio Pierce vs. the New York Giants. It’s the Las Vegas Raiders vs. the Giants. Coming into our house. A much-needed win for us. We’ve had two ugly losses. It’s time to change that. We’re in the second half of the season. Doesn’t matter what or who Antonio Pierce played for. It’s about the Las Vegas Raiders. Those players understand that. It’s about them. It ain’t about me.”