LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The NFL head coaching carousel has officially started, and the Las Vegas Raiders are right in the center of it.
Interim Head Coach Antonio Pierce made his case to be the next man in charge, going 5-4 since taking over. But University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is flirting with professional football gigs.
The Raiders have a decision to make, and this certainly won't be an easy one.
A CASE FOR ANTONIO PIERCE:
Simply put, the players adore AP.
Raiders fans are giving….a hint as to who they want as the permanent head coach. 👀#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/IVyySNPA6j
— Johnny Resendiz (@Johnnyresendizz) January 7, 2024
Building a culture that players buy into is arguably the hardest part of the job. Pierce has earned respect in the locker room through his energy and authenticity.
Star players like Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby have been vocal about their approval of Pierce and say the Compton, California native has shown what it means to be a Raider.
"You hear the fans, and you hear the crowd and the way you respond to it," Adams said. "It's clear that he's changed the culture, and he's definitely deserving of it."
"We got a guy that's played at the highest level, won a Super Bowl, been a captain, and now he's a great coach and he's a leader," Crosby said. "It's hard to find leaders of men. We just need to keep building on top of the foundation we've already built."
The numbers also back up Pierce's positive impact on the team.
Since Pierce took over the team, the Raider's defense was 1st in the NFL in PPG allowed (16), first in defensive TDs scored (4), and finished the regular season as the least penalized team in the NFL.
There's no doubt getting the staff to help fix the offensive side of the ball will be the big question for Pierce, and yet the Raiders were still competitive in every game under him.
Is Pierce the splash, big-name hire Mark Davis craves? Probably not.
Would he be a splash hire for the players and fans? Absolutely.
A CASE FOR JIM HARBAUGH:
AP certainly changed the culture, but Mark Davis loves a splash hire and a name respected universally in the coaching world.
Jim Harbaugh fits the bill.
After leading Michigan to three straight College Football Playoff appearances and earning the Wolverines' first national championship in a quarter century, Harbaugh is eyeing a potential return to the NFL.
Remember, the now 60-year-old coached the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2013, compiling a record of 44-19-1 as San Francisco's head coach. Like Pierce, Harbaugh was an accomplished player in the league, making 140 career starts at quarterback for 5 teams over 14 seasons.
Since hanging it up in 2001, all he's done is win on the sideline, starting as the Raiders quarterback coach in the team's Super Bowl run in '02.
"Coach Harbaugh is such a phenomenal coach," Michigan running back Blake Corum said. "If you look up his legacy as a player and a coach, he's won everywhere he's gone. Maybe it took a couple of years, but the coach, at the end of the day, is a winning coach. He's won every single place he's been to. So, who wouldn't want him?"
If given the opportunity to hire an offensive-minded coach with proven success grooming quarterbacks, the Silver and Black have historically pounced on that.
