In a matter of hours, Antonio Pierce went from the ultra-popular head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders to one of the most scrutinized head coaches in the league.
That’s the way it goes in the NFL, and it didn’t help that Pierce’s decision to punt on 4th and 1 in the fourth quarter seemed to seal the team’s demise.
Tony Romo called the game on the CBS broadcast and his message to Raider fans after the loss was to be patient with Piece.
“I wouldn’t worry about the Raiders,” Romo said. “Antonio Pierce is for real. I’ve played against him [and] communicated with him a bunch since he took over last year.”
“I think he’s outstanding almost each area that you want your head coach,” Romo continued. “He has the ability to communicate with the players at a very high level. He has a standard that he sets that they follow. His players play as hard as any team that you’ll see on tape. You’ll see that again today. They had too many turnovers. I think that cost them right when they were in position to extend the lead and, to me, there were a lot of positives there, but they didn’t get the [win]… the Raiders are going to be fine. They’re just going to have to win some of the close ones.”
The Raiders have a lot to figure out between now and next week when they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens.
The Raiders quarterback situation wasn’t particularly encouraging on Sunday and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is going to fall out of favor with the fans quickly if the offense doesn’t improve in the weeks ahead.
It’s only one game, but time isn’t a commodity for most NFL coaches. The pressure will be on Pierce, Getsy and the entire offensive staff to transform the offense into a competent group next week in Baltimore.
