It’s been nearly three weeks since the Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels, and life is good with Antonio Pierce as head coach, winning both matchups thus far. While Sunday will be a much bigger test, with a road trip to Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Dolphins, there’s been a much different vibe around the Raiders’ organization the past few weeks.
According to a Raiders source who spoke with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, “The players have taken this place over. Ownership is fine with it, too.”
Part of the process has included Coach Pierce encouraging players to be more open and discuss their concerns with fellow coaches instead of just toeing the line. This is a stark contrast to McDaniels’ style, which didn’t leave much room for outside input.
According to sources close to the Raiders organization, players “now have more say on how they want to operate.” This even includes flight plans, like delaying their trip to Miami another day so they could get one more day of practice in at home in Vegas instead of Orlando.
These may not seem like big changes, but to the players, it seems to be making an impact. So far, players are responding to a new approach from the coaching staff, and getting wins over the New York Giants and Jets likely haven’t hurt. Yet, as mentioned, Sunday’s battle with the Dolphins looms large for the suddenly 5-5 Raiders.
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