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Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce’s ‘ruthless’ advice to team despite record-breaking halftime lead against Brandon Staley’s Chargers
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders did something impossible against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. They gained a mammoth lead of 42-0 in halftime. It was a franchise record.

However, the head coach (HC) Antonio Pierce was not satisfied with the team’s performance. Citing Amazon Prime Video’s reporter Kaylee Hartung, Sports Illustrated revealed in an article that he had asked for more from his team.

The interim HC had said to the players:

Press the gas pedal even harder. Antonio Pierce to his team

Since taking charge, Pierce has changed the mentality of a shaken Raiders team. He not only ensured a few wins for this broken Raiders squad but also secured a comfortable atmosphere in the team’s dressing room. The latter was significantly missing in the tenure of Josh McDaniel. The players were unhappy. They openly criticized the decisions taken by the then-HC McDaniels. Senior players like DaVante Adams openly revolted against him and the team’s environment turned sour. Nonetheless, Pierce’s way of coaching ensured strict discipline in the dressing room.

The game had a huge impact in changing the fortune of two coaches in two completely different directions. While Pierce is presently on cloud nine, the Chargers HC Brandon Staley found himself on the other side of the spectrum. He was fired after the shocking result his team had against the Raiders. During the halftime break, the HC was asked to give an interview in regard to the performance of the team. The HC seemed helpless as he said to the reporters:

This wasn’t good enough. That wasn’t us out there. You know, did not come ready to play.

After the game, the Chargers decided to sack him with immediate effect.

Brandon Staley was under a lot of criticism

Brandon Staley was subjected to a lot of criticism since the beginning of the season. He had been subjected to difficult remarks from the fans as well as the analysts. After the game, both he and the team’s general manager Tom Telesco were fired.

The Chargers are presently standing with a 5-9 record after their 14 games. The statistics reveal that they have lagged since the beginning of the season.

Moreover, their quarterback was also ruled out for the rest of the season. They have three games left. It will be interesting to see how the new head coach manages the team for the next three games.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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