Two years ago, Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia made the playoffs through a wave of turmoil punctuated by the Jon Gruden debacle and Henry Ruggs’ drunken driving that killed a young woman and her dog. . The Raiders almost beat the Bengals in the wild card round. It wasn’t enough for Bisaccia to have a chance to become a full-time coach in 2022.
Now, interim Raiders coach Antonio Pierce is trying to do just that. The team scored 63 points against the Chargers. They beat the Chiefs on their own on Christmas Day, but without Josh Jacobs, it was literally a no-passing game after the first quarter.
Why not just give Pierce a chance for a year or two? He did a great job after being thrown into the position on the spot. Give him a full year to make a plan and carry it out. Give it another year to build continuity.
Given what happened to Josh McDaniels, it was unwise not to give Bisaccia a chance. Why is owner Mark Davis willing to risk two-and-a-half when it comes to bringing in the right person as interim coach and firing him? That will put even more pressure on the next coach.
Pierce still has a chance to lead the Raiders to the playoffs. If the Chiefs lose to the Bengals and Chargers and the Raiders beat the Colts and Broncos, the Raiders will win the division.
The fact that the Raiders have a chance to succeed going into Week 17 is reason enough to keep Pierce for a year or two. The Raiders could do much worse. He’s done that most seasons since 2002.