The Las Vegas Raiders have finally done exactly what many hoped they would in removing the interim tag and making Antonio Pierce the permanent head coach. Pierce has clearly won over the locker room, and many inside and outside of the organization felt he had done more than enough to keep the job.
Now it will be up to Pierce and the Raiders to properly fill out his staff with the right coordinators and assistants to help take the Raiders to the next level. And Pierce has been getting some help from an extremely influential person throughout his career.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, who was Pierce’s coach during his time in New York, will be consulting with Pierce throughout the hiring process:
You always want people you trust in your corner, and Pierce obviously trusts Coughlin greatly. Coughlin coached Pierce for five seasons with the Giants, as he was one of the defensive leaders on the Giants’ 2007 Super Bowl team. Coughlin also has front-office experience, having previously been head of football operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As Garafolo noted, Coughlin had been consulting with Pierce during the season as well so the relationship and trust between the two is strong. The bigger question is who ultimately will be brought in as the right staff will make all the difference.
Getting their permanent general manager in place would also be ideal for this process as the Raiders still have yet to do so despite previously saying they wanted to fill that role before the head coach spot.
Interim GM Champ Kelly has been backed by some within the Raiders and was heavily involved in the head coach hiring process, which would seem to indicate he, like Pierce, could have that interim tag removed, but nothing has been made official yet.
Kliff Kingsbury viewed as potential Raiders offensive coordinator under Antonio Pierce
One name that has surfaced as a real possibility for the offensive coordinator position is former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Known for his creative offensive mind, Kingsbury could be the ideal hire to take the offense to the next level for a defensive-minded coach like Pierce.
While his time as head coach didn’t go the way he wanted, a stint as offensive coordinator could be just what he needs to find himself and show exactly why he was such a coveted head coach candidate in the first place.
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