Lack Of Discipline Plagues Raiders and Antonio Pierce Amid Downward Spiral

The Las Vegas Raiders and Antonio Pierce are facing a challenging situation as the head coach attributes the team’s recent loss to a lack of discipline. But wasn’t discipline AP’s specialty?

There’s plenty of blame to go around right now if you’re the Raiders. Naturally, Pierce is getting much of the heat, and rightfully so; he’s the head coach. Still, what about the abhorrent offense under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy?

The team failed to score any points after the first quarter, with the exception of two field goals in the last quarter. Patrick Graham’s defense didn’t fare better as they surrendered 106 rushing yards to running back Najee Harris and two touchdowns on the ground to quarterback Justin Fields.

What is going on with the Raiders?

Following Sunday’s action, Pierce pointed to an apparent lack of discipline for the team’s misfortunes. If you recall, the Raiders offense turned the ball over three times, something that Pierce tried to nail home after announcing Aidan O’Connell as the starting signal-caller. On top of that, the blocked punt didn’t do the Silver and Black any favors. It was an ugly all-around display that just got worse as the game progressed.

“I mean it starts with discipline, right? So, we have four penalties, but they were at critical moments. The turnover thing is embarrassing. We don’t respect the ball enough, so we don’t even deserve a chance to put ourselves in position to win.”

All parties involved, especially Raiders fans, must find it frustrating. If you take away the opening drive from Getsy’s unit (10 plays, 70 yards) that resulted in a touchdown, the Raiders really did flatline afterward. The most disheartening aspect of everything is that Pierce’s specialty was supposed to be discipline. As a former player familiar with the dynamics of the locker room, one would have expected a different outcome.

Regrettably, the mental errors committed present a different perspective.