As the Las Vegas Raiders are now in a new era, under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, we have already seen a whole new swagger from the team on and off the field.
At the beginning of the season the team seemed to have a completely different approach, as during the preseason things went very well with Aidan O' Connell under center for the time being until things went off the rails, but in one of the rare instances everybody could tell it was because of the direction of a specific person compared to the team as a whole.
It was apparent that the issue was the play calling, and leadership from Josh McDaniels. Once the season started the cracks became very apparent as start players such as Davante Adams was getting barely any targets, and the offense seemed absolutely one dimensional, and it wasn't helping that running back Josh Jacobs wasn't able to produce earlier in the season based off the schemes that were being put in place. This was a carry-over from 2022, where the team did have struggles, but the blame was placed on the quarterback. It appears, now, that Derek Carr was used as a scapegoat, and it appears that it was orchestrated based off of the extension that was given to him in the first place. In the media the fingers were pointing at him, but as stories came out it was clear who was causing it all.
Even after Carr, the changes were still being made. Once other players were moved to fit the "Patriot Way" it was very clear that there were two sides to where individuals wanted to be. Where the failure occurred is pretty straight forward. The failure was that this was the year to "bring in more people who know the system", but the issue wasn't the personnel, it was that this system is now a successful system from the past. Almost every coach from the New England Patriots system has had troubles after leaving the system, and it is even happening to the head of the system as the Patriots have yet to reach success after the departure of Tom Brady.
The Raiders made the playoffs two years ago after the forced departure of Jon Gruden, due to a scandal involving the Washington former Owner Dan Snyder, with then interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. Mark Davis acted in a move that he thought would bring a new approach to the Raiders, but to his credit he realized the mistake and corrected it very early.
The team responded very well, and publicly to support new interim head coach Antonio Pierce, and they showcased a great display in their dominate win over the New York Giants. Aidan O'Connell in his second game starting was able to spread the ball around to eight different targets throwing for a total of 209 yards total, as Josh Jacobs was able to control his game by contributing to two touchdowns with a game stat line of 98 yards rushed. The defense stood out once again, as they were dominate in the pass defense and recorded 8 sacks again New York quarterbacks. This all capping a crazy week where anything could have happened, but it appears the new leadership is moving into a new direction by going "old school" with their approach. The first statement from Antonio Pierce was clear that they were going to establish or reestablish the "Raider Pride" in the organization. Although we have only had a short sample size, it appears that the Raiders are changing their internal image, and it is showcasing so far in how they act as a whole.
