Few teams in the National Football League have needed a bye week this season as much as the Las Vegas Raiders did.
Over the last few weeks, the Raiders traded their All-Pro wide receiver, fired their offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, and benched their starting quarterback twice. They are also currently on a five-game losing streak.
Knowing how badly his team needs a break, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce explained how the bye week will benefit the players individually and collectively.
"Yeah, when I was a player, just get my body right,” Pierce said. “Long season. Luckily for us, this is Week 10, and we played nine games. Got a lot of guys that's in the injury room, and they need to get healthy.”
Pierce explained that he used the time off primarily for rest and recovery during his playing days. Considering how many injuries the Raiders have suffered this season, Pierce suggested the players in the locker room do the same this week. The shorthanded Raiders will need all the bodies they can get for the season's final stretch.
“For myself, that will be the number one thing, taking care of my body, making sure I can finish the season on a strong note.
“Because like I told these guys, and I know I can't speak on our first half, which has been frankly sh–y, but the second half, we need to play our best football, and that's going to be our goal.
The Raiders seem to have little to play for. However, Pierce believes otherwise and plans to draw on the team’s experiences from last season. The Raiders are 2-7 this season but were 3-5 when Pierce took over at almost the same time last season.
Las Vegas would go 5-4 over the final eight games of last season. Pierce knows it is his responsibility to try and create a similar spark this time.
“And it's kind of ironic that I took over around this time last year, and we played better football at the end of the season,” Pierce said.
“I've got to find a way to get that back into these guys, starting with our staff and our players, and make sure that we get back in this building next week, we're energized, we're focused, and we're going to do whatever it takes to get a win in Miami.”
