Interim coach Antonio Pierce has strong message for Raiders

“It’s a new day, it’s a new chapter, it’s a new era, it’s a new mindset,” Pierce told reporters. “What is that mindset? It’s that of the Raider pride, the commitment to excellence, and making sure our alumni, our fanbase, and Raider Nation are proud of what they see on the field. What does that look like? Tough, passionate, effort, energy, that enthusiasm that you see when we all watched our kids, and these young men who are now pro athletes, play when they’re in Pop Warner.

“We’re tired of losing. It’s not a good feeling. We’re a production-based business. We’re about competition, being competitive, playing with an edge and a swag and a certain confidence when we walk out that damn tunnel and everybody watching TV can see it.”

The Raiders fired McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler roughly a day after an embarrassing Monday night loss to the Detroit Lions on national television. Pierce has already made one major change, and there is probably more coming.

Perhaps the biggest thing? Pierce, a former NFL linebacker, clearly brings more energy and a different attitude than McDaniels ever did. Whether that translates to results remains to be seen, but it cannot hurt.