Silver And Black Pride
Cut out the bravado and show the improvement
Antonio Pierce and the Las Vegas Raiders have done an excellent job of talking about being a good team.
Yet, they’ve done a lousy job of showing it on the field.
This team was supposed to be different. They were supposed to be beyond the typical Raiders’ baffling losses. But then Sunday came and the Raiders delivered another classic Raiders loss, being completely handled by the Carolina Panthers in a game that was much more lopsided than the 36-22 final score indicated. The Panthers came into the game being outscored by a total of 73-13 in the first two games.
So, Pierce and the Raiders showed they actually haven’t grown out of being embarrassed.
Why should we have thought they were, anyway? Just because they said they were?
The truth is this team has played 12 quarters of football and have played well for one of those quarters.
Pierce is a master of catch phrases and talking points. His team has bought in and that’s terrific. But you have to show it is actually paying off on the field.
All summer, Pierce, who is 6-6 as the Raiders’ head coach, talked about his players feeling disrespected and he often said they were “pissed off” about it.
Players talked about power ranking disrespect. The team was highly motivated and confident because the players got their man, Pierce, to become the full-time coach.
It was supposed to be different.. The players got the coach they wanted.
But three games in, they have no identity on offense once again and the defense has had big issues despite the hope that it would be an elite group. There is no more room for excuses.
So far, the Raiders look no better than they did last season.
Yes, there is plenty of time for the team to turn it on and get it together. And there are some good things to like. There is some top-level talent on this roster starting with Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams, Christian Wilkins and Brock Bowers. That’s a pretty nice core.
Plus, the the Raiders’ next two opponents, the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos re also 1-2. So, they can turn it around quickly. The AFC is full of flawed teams and the playoff race is going to be wide open.
The Raiders can be a factor in the conference, but they have to show it for more than short bursts. We don’t want to hear the how they are going to be tough and play for a full 60 minutes. We need to see it.
Pierce and his team need to stop with the bravado, stop feeling disrespected, save the victory cigar celebrations for the postseason, and show their fans that they really are different.
It’s time to go back to the drawing board because what has happened in 2024 so far simply isn’t good enough and certainly not what Raiders fans were led to believe what this coach and...
