Things have been moving pretty slowly for the Las Vegas Raiders in terms of their search for the next head coach, but Maxx Crosby has been very open about his wants. The star defensive end has publicly and privately vouched for the team to retain Antonio Pierce permanently, as have many other Raiders both current and from the past.
This is the second time in the last three offseasons that the Raiders have found themselves in this position after an interim coach turned the season around. The last time, it was Rich Bisaccia who was passed over in favor of Josh McDaniels, and Crosby doesn’t want the Raiders to make the same mistake again.
Crosby recently appeared on The Rush and brought up how the Raiders failed in hiring McDaniels over Bisaccia, adding that it would be ridiculous if they didn’t retain Pierce, via Austin Boyd of Heavy.com:
“I mean, it’s pretty simple,” Crosby said. ” … I’ve made it very public, I made it pretty honest and clear. And for me, it’s Antonio Pierce, without a doubt.
“I mean, we already had this opportunity a couple years ago with Rich [Bisaccia]. We had things going in the right direction, we went to the playoffs, almost won a playoff game. But we ended up deciding to go in a different direction and start from ground zero, and that didn’t work.”
Crosby doesn’t understand why the Raiders wouldn’t hire Pierce.
“I mean, it would be absolutely ridiculous and insane if we didn’t bring back AP and give him an opportunity,” he said.
Crosby is someone who will speak his mind and what he believes, and he strongly feels that the Raiders have to keep Pierce as the team’s head coach. There were even rumors that Crosby could ask for a trade if the franchise failed to do so, and the All-Pro confirmed that to be true as well:
“I want to be here, I want to win here, I want to retire here,” Crosby said. “But I mean, if we go and start from scratch again, I mean, I’ve got to consider everything.”
While it isn’t a guarantee, it certainly confirms that Crosby is serious about winning, and if he feels the Raiders aren’t making the right moves, he will look elsewhere.
Considering how important Crosby is to the Raiders not only on the field but in the locker room as a leader as well, it would be a catastrophic blow to the franchise to lose him. One thing that’s for sure he has put a lot of pressure on the franchise to keep Pierce with the silver and black.
Tennessee Titans request permission to interview Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce
Something else could throw a wrench into the plans of the Raiders and Maxx Crosby, as his performance has drawn interest around the league, and another team could conceivably swoop in and hire him.
The Tennessee Titans have requested permission to interview Antonio Pierce for their vacant head coach position, and if they feel he is the right man for the job and Pierce is unsure of where he stands with the Raiders, he could move on before the franchise makes their decision.
