Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce's Presser After the Season Finale
Las Vegas Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce's final 2023 regular season press conference
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00:00 that everything that's kind of settled.
00:01 What the feedback has been with Mark Davis
00:06 and the conversations with Mark Davis,
00:07 what the timeline for you is now?
00:10 Yeah, I mean, the feedback is out there every game.
00:12 Obviously, you guys know.
00:13 We have a bit of a long conversation.
00:16 And it's about the game, about various decisions
00:18 and things that took place in the game.
00:22 To answer the question about the time frame,
00:23 it's just a process to go through it.
00:26 I guess I'll be informed as it comes up.
00:29 AP, just a systematic question.
00:32 For you now, do you put a plan together
00:35 so that when you meet with him, you can say,
00:36 "Here's what I think about coaching, personnel, all that"?
00:40 Have you already done that?
00:42 Where are you in that plenary process?
00:44 Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I had nine games,
00:46 and I was truly focused on nine games
00:48 as much as we could and put ourselves in the best position.
00:53 Probably over the last couple days,
00:55 started to pen to paper a little bit, brainstorm.
00:58 We got exit interviews, physicals.
01:01 I got to meet with the staff.
01:03 And then AP will have his opportunity --
01:05 or myself, excuse me -- to then work on that.
01:09 But the focus is to take care of this 23-24 season,
01:12 put a bow on it, and then I can get ahead on myself.
01:16 You mentioned last night after the game
01:18 about having the resources, the legends in the locker room.
01:20 What did that mean to have that opportunity,
01:22 especially to the players' faces
01:23 when they saw those guys in there?
01:24 No, it was cool.
01:25 Again, I know we mentioned it in one of our team meetings,
01:28 and then obviously when I saw C. Wood, Marcus Allen,
01:31 and Plunkett in the background,
01:33 I'm like, "All right, here we go, fellas.
01:34 Bring them up."
01:35 And, I mean, that's something special.
01:38 I hope those guys really understand
01:40 what it means to be surrounded
01:42 in the presence of those individuals who have done it,
01:45 put on a uniform, who have played at a high level,
01:48 performed, they're winners.
01:50 And more important, they've done well post-football,
01:53 as you watched them.
01:55 And I think it's just great when you can have
01:56 those kind of examples around you,
01:58 especially to fill that environment.
02:00 And it was good for those players,
02:02 for those guys that's been there, done it,
02:04 to see what we're building and what we're doing here as well.
02:06 And a quick follow-up to that question you were just asked.
02:09 A lot of those guys are advocating now
02:11 for you to get the job.
02:13 And for an organization that once a Raider,
02:15 always a Raider, alumni, players, voices,
02:18 what does that mean to you that the greats are now saying,
02:21 "Hey, this is our guy"?
02:22 Yeah, I'll go back to my statement a few weeks ago.
02:24 Like, my resume is on the grass.
02:27 It's being out there every day that I'm in front of you
02:31 gentlemen and ladies, to the grass, to the practice field,
02:36 to the meetings, to the building.
02:37 I mean, I'm being evaluated each and every day.
02:39 And they know what it looks like.
02:42 They've had some really, really good coaches in their career.
02:45 They know what it sounds like, looks like,
02:46 if it's real, if it's fake, if it's just a momentary deal.
02:52 So to have their blessings and backing is obviously --
02:56 Those blessings all say you deserve a job
02:58 and your players and the former players alike,
03:02 you're a competent guy.
03:04 You deserve a job.
03:05 I would never use the word "deserve."
03:07 Hopefully I've earned it.
03:08 There's a long history of penalties in this organization.
03:11 How do you and your staff kind of turn that around this year?
03:15 That's it right there.
03:17 That's the one I wanted somebody to ask me about.
03:19 When you look at the Raiders and you talk about the Raiders,
03:22 it's penalties, it's ejections, it's rules being changed
03:26 because of how you played here as a Raider organization.
03:29 And I think what we did was really take pride
03:31 in the individual periods and practices,
03:35 techniques, fundamentals, really harped on that
03:37 all the way to our last practice on that Friday
03:40 where we were still working on individuals
03:41 and just the technique
03:42 of how to play each and every position.
03:44 And that's something I really told our staff, our players,
03:47 and I wanted to make sure we hit that goal
03:49 because that's huge,
03:51 you know, to be the number-one team
03:53 in the National Football League with the least --
03:55 the least penalized team, not beating ourselves.
03:57 That happened, you know, a few weeks ago
03:59 when we played the Colts, the Raiders beat the Raiders.
04:01 But when we play a clean game,
04:03 don't turn over to football as well
04:05 and play the game the way it's supposed to be played,
04:06 and you can look down there and say, "Wow,
04:08 that wasn't football."
04:09 And that's how you play it.
04:11 That's a credit to our staff and our players
04:12 to really buying in and understanding
04:14 what it takes to win.
04:15 -I know this is -- your heart is here,
04:18 but you've also put yourself, hopefully,
04:19 on some other team's radars.
04:21 You anticipate talking to anybody else at all?
04:24 -That's up to my agent.
04:25 You got to get people to do that.
04:27 I'm a Raider.
04:29 I'm a Raider, so I'm not a Raider no more, right?
04:31 I still got it in my blood, so I'm good.
04:33 -Coach, this is obviously, again,
04:35 we mentioned last year -- last week,
04:37 an interesting season, but here you've come to the end.
04:39 Have you had an opportunity to take a look
04:42 at what the players have said about you away from you?
04:46 And if so, what does that mean to you?
04:48 You know, they've asked them, obviously,
04:50 "Does he deserve the coaching job?"
04:52 But most importantly, what has he brought to the team
04:54 and, you know, involved them?
04:56 -Well, I think the good part, since, you know,
04:58 I joined the staff and the organization on February 15th,
05:01 that I've had great relationships with the players
05:03 and people in the building,
05:04 that those conversations have been had throughout this time
05:07 and not as a head coach or interim head coach,
05:10 but even when I was a linebacker coach.
05:12 And I think I really know where everybody stands in this building.
05:15 I don't need to express it. They've expressed it.
05:17 That's up to them.
05:19 They know where I want to be.
05:20 Hopefully, they've seen the hard work and the effort
05:22 that I put in to try to make this the best organization
05:25 that can be in the National Football League
05:26 and put in the best product out there on the field.
05:28 And that's my goal. That's something I can worry about.
05:31 Everybody's going to have an opinion.
05:32 Everybody's going to write a story today.
05:34 I can just control what AP controls,
05:36 and that's being the best interim head coach
05:39 I can be until otherwise.
05:41 You said something I thought was important yesterday.
05:43 You're not just a Rob Rod guy. You know football.
05:46 How important is that to be displayed
05:49 or just for people to understand that point?
05:52 Well, I think it's displayed back to the previous question.
05:54 We talked about penalties. We talked about turnovers.
05:57 The style of play, the way we change as far as how we play,
06:01 our execution, personnel movements, decision-making.
06:06 All that stuff is a work in progress.
06:08 There's going to be one winner at the end of the season.
06:10 There are all wrestlers who lost.
06:14 The funny part about when people say,
06:15 "You're not an X and O guy," well, I'm like,
06:17 "Well, how did I get in the league this long?
06:18 How did I play this long? How did I get this opportunity?"
06:22 My job is not to call X and Os.
06:24 That's why you got to have coordinators,
06:26 offense, defense, and specialty.
06:27 My job is to put the plan together to get us
06:29 in the best position to win games
06:31 and put the best personnel out there,
06:32 best 11, best call.
06:35 And that's been my role, and that's my job,
06:37 and that's the changes, and I become the coordinator.
06:39 But right now, you have a really good defensive coordinator,
06:41 Patrick Brown.
06:43 Did an outstanding job this year.
06:45 Nobody talks enough, I don't believe,
06:46 about what we've done defensively and the buy-in.
06:50 This was probably a group last year that we didn't buy into.
06:52 Let's talk about that part.
06:54 You see the development of a lot of young players
06:56 on our defensive side of the ball play really well.
06:59 Second-year players, rookies, undrafted guys,
07:02 next-man-up mentality, that's a credit.
07:04 Special team, same thing with Tom McMahon.
07:06 What he's been able to do with those guys.
07:07 And you got to give credit to both.
07:10 What we always wanted? No.
07:11 Is everybody happy? No, I get it.
07:13 But he took on something that was very difficult,
07:18 where maybe he didn't have as much say
07:20 as previous coaching staff allowed,
07:23 but he took on a rookie quarterback
07:25 who, at the end of the season,
07:26 was playing really, really good football.
07:27 And that rookie quarterback had a winning record.
07:31 That does.
07:32 Yesterday, you were talking about
07:35 how much you pride yourself on doing things a little different
07:37 than you might not be the conventional way
07:39 of doing things, but you're going to get the job done.
07:41 How much do you believe that your team has looked to you
07:44 and pride themselves on you doing things
07:45 the unconventional way?
07:47 Well, to me, it's not just unconventional.
07:48 It's the right way, and it's our way.
07:50 I don't know. Every team is different.
07:51 Every player is different. Every coaching staff is different.
07:54 So you do what works.
07:56 These guys know what our schedule is.
07:58 It changes. It's kind of like the weather.
08:00 Whatever works, if it's going to be right,
08:01 that's what we're going to do.
08:02 We're going to do what's right.
08:04 And I understand that football is done this way,
08:07 and everybody interviews this way, they present this way,
08:09 they talk that way, they look this way,
08:11 or look a certain way,
08:13 but there's a lot of different ways it's going to count.
08:15 And I think what we've proven here
08:17 is that you can be yourself,
08:19 you can do things a certain way, and it can work.
08:22 You don't have to be the cookie cutter.
08:24 And I'm not going to be.
08:26 If I'm saying I'm not, that's not going to be me.
08:27 And I don't want our players to understand that.
08:29 That's what brings the building to life.
08:31 That's what allows us to come to work today,
08:32 every day with a smile and ready to work.
08:34 Coach, you mentioned your rookie quarterback,
08:37 Aiden, played really well down the stretch.
08:38 Eight touchdowns, no interceptions
08:40 in those last four games.
08:41 Do you think he showed enough
08:43 that he could be a successful starter in this league?
08:46 One thing, he already has.
08:48 I mean, there's been a lot of quarterback changes
08:50 in the National Football League.
08:51 Got some teams on their third and fourth quarterback.
08:54 And I think for Aiden, what you've seen as a kid,
08:57 be very poised, more vocal.
09:01 I thought last night was huge.
09:03 He had a little injury there,
09:04 a little something going on with his hand.
09:06 Fought through it for an entire drive.
09:08 Tried to come back out and do it.
09:09 Okay, maybe he can't go.
09:11 We make a decision to take him back in the locker room.
09:14 And he comes back out, he looks me dead in the eyes,
09:15 like I'm ready.
09:16 Okay, you got to tell me.
09:19 Go ahead and go out there.
09:20 That confidence that you got to have as a coach
09:23 to look in your player's eyes and know that, like,
09:24 he's really ready and not just saying it,
09:26 because that's the cool thing to do.
09:28 That's special.
09:29 I like what Aiden has done
09:31 as far as how he carries himself on and off the field
09:34 and in his building.
09:36 I get he's a rookie, he's a little bit older.
09:37 He carries himself like a pro.
09:39 Jimmy and Brian have done a really good job
09:41 of mentoring him as well.
09:42 I don't think enough credit's going to those two gentlemen
09:44 of what they've been able to do,
09:45 especially Jimmy with his professionalism
09:47 and the way he stepped in last night.
09:50 The drive was pretty, he held it there good.
09:53 But Aiden has really done a good job
09:54 of putting himself in positions going forward
09:56 to be in consideration
09:57 to be a starting quarterback in the National Team.
09:59 - Jermaine, Jermaine Luber said last night
10:01 that you get the best out of everybody.
10:03 He told me to walk around his locker room,
10:04 ask every player,
10:05 maybe he's got the best out of all of us.
10:06 How did you do that?
10:07 - You got to know what buttons to push.
10:10 You got to know people to do that.
10:12 You can't just go in there and just say,
10:14 I need you to be physical to block.
10:16 You got to know what makes that guy tick.
10:18 And that takes time.
10:19 I was fortunate when I was a linebacker coach,
10:22 I had a little bit more time than I have now
10:23 to walk around and make those and build those relationships
10:25 and just talk about non-football things
10:28 that motivate players to watch it
10:31 and really just really dissect what makes them click
10:35 and what gets them going.
10:36 I don't know, maybe it's just a knack that you have.
10:40 I don't think everybody has that,
10:41 but I do think that's something that I do,
10:43 one of my tricks.
10:44 - When you were a leader with the Giants,
10:45 you used to tell the young players,
10:47 don't worry about being liked,
10:48 worry about being respected.
10:51 And last night in the locker room,
10:52 your players weren't talking about cigars and rah-rah,
10:55 they were talking about character, integrity.
10:58 What does that mean to you as a man
11:01 that you got those type of words
11:03 to describe you by your players?
11:04 - I think it's interesting,
11:07 'cause when you look at the person,
11:08 you probably think otherwise.
11:10 But when you get to the root and the substance,
11:12 that's what I'm made of and that's my beliefs.
11:14 Fortunate to have a grandmother and mother
11:15 who raised me right,
11:17 taught me how to do things the right way,
11:18 not just on the football field, but in life.
11:20 And I think it's my job,
11:22 my job is to serve those guys
11:23 and make them understand what it's like
11:24 to be a professional football player,
11:27 a husband, a father, a good man,
11:31 a good person in the community.
11:32 All that stuff that's put me in the position I'm at today,
11:34 I just give them my life lessons.
11:36 It doesn't work for everybody,
11:37 it's not everybody's different,
11:39 they don't all come from the same walks of life.
11:41 But I think we all understand
11:42 what it's like to carry those traits.
11:44 Those traits can go into any building,
11:46 any workplace, any facet of our life.
11:49 - Josh Jacobs said he wants to come back.
11:52 If you return, how much would you like to make that happen?
11:54 - I told him when I got here, beginning of the year.
11:57 That's the heartbeat of this team,
11:59 heart and soul of this team.
11:59 I mean, our personality,
12:02 and the way we play and our style of play
12:03 matches with Josh Jacobs.
12:04 So, you know, obviously those conversations
12:06 will come up as we go forward,
12:07 but it was a pleasure to work with Josh.
12:10 I hope things work out.
12:12 That's gonna be something we have to discuss further.
12:14 - AP, I know you said you're used to this,
12:16 or you're comfortable in this role
12:17 of sort of being the CEO,
12:18 aside from not having to hand it,
12:19 calling off the plays because of plays,
12:21 but you were a defensive coordinator here last year
12:23 at Arizona State,
12:23 and that was something that you were involved in.
12:25 Was it a journey for you as a coach
12:26 to kind of get comfortable in that,
12:28 and then delegate it to the assistants around you,
12:30 and trusting the others to do a job
12:32 that maybe you could do yourself?
12:33 - Yeah, I think that's a good point there.
12:36 That was my role,
12:37 and that's something I've done at various locations.
12:40 But, you know, there's nothing like calling defense in.
12:43 I don't get that role.
12:44 I've been at the people,
12:46 and I've been fortunate to be coached
12:48 by some really good defensive coordinators,
12:49 and wanted to study and learn,
12:52 and put my own little twist on it.
12:54 But when you delegate to your assistants
12:57 and allow them to have a say or put input,
13:01 that makes you a better coordinator,
13:02 and that's what differentiates a head coach.
13:04 And that's what I think is giving me the opportunity
13:05 to be in the position I am today,
13:07 is because of our assistant coaches,
13:08 them being the best versions of themselves.
13:11 Understanding and taking input and listening.
13:14 I think the one thing I've learned as I've gotten older
13:16 is becoming a better listener,
13:18 and I think that's obviously a facet
13:22 and a trait that I don't think a lot of people really do.
13:25 Everybody wants to talk. Everybody has answers.
13:27 Like, sometimes you just need to listen.
13:29 You brought in Marvin Lewis and Tom Coplin and others here.
13:32 Then you got the interns.
13:33 Since you haven't gone through the formal
13:35 NFL head coach interviewing process,
13:37 how much are you going to lean on them and others
13:39 and take their brain before you do sit down with our kids?
13:42 Yeah, no, those are two good gentlemen, right?
13:44 Almost 40-plus years of head coaching experience.
13:48 And that process already started.
13:49 It started from day one.
13:51 To be honest, it started when I was 22,
13:53 23 with Marvin and 25, 26 with Coach Coughlin.
13:56 I mean, they both can tell you.
13:57 I sat in their offices and picked their brains
13:59 on why we would do certain things,
14:00 and that carried over, you know,
14:02 even when I got into high school coaching and college coaching
14:04 and obviously here as a pro.
14:07 But, you know, they'll have this huge impact on me,
14:09 of course, along with others.
14:12 But at the end of the day, AP's got to represent AP.
14:14 You know, I got to represent myself
14:15 when I speak in front of Mr. Davis
14:16 and give him my vision, my ideas,
14:19 what I see that we can do going forward in the future
14:22 to be a successful organization for years to come.
14:25 How much did those guys help you, though, down the stretch,
14:26 just getting more comfortable in the role
14:28 and just knowing that what you were seeing
14:30 was what you were seeing?
14:31 That's really the key right there.
14:32 Like, just asking, like, "Did I just see that?
14:34 Does that sound right? Does that look right?"
14:36 You know, is this --
14:38 And, again, there's not a lot of major tweaks.
14:39 At the end of the day, when you're in a fire,
14:41 like, in the middle of the season,
14:42 you're not doing wholesale changes
14:44 or making a thousand adjustments.
14:46 But it's just kind of checks and balances, right?
14:48 Everybody needs checks and balances.
14:50 You guys write your article, somebody checks what you write,
14:53 for most of us, right?
14:54 So it's no different than a coach.
14:56 And now there's some really good ones in, you know,
14:59 let's talk about, like, Bill Belichick, Andy Reid.
15:00 They've done it for a long time.
15:02 I'm sure they don't have to worry about that as much.
15:03 But every young coach, I think you need that.
15:05 There's no reason not to have that,
15:07 especially when you have that resource right next to you.
15:09 -You mentioned when you were 22 years old,
15:11 having conversations with those guys.
15:13 Was that in a quest to get better?
15:16 I'm sure it obviously was as a player.
15:18 But in the back of your mind, were you ever thinking that,
15:21 you know, you're taking notes
15:22 for something beyond the playing career?
15:25 -Yeah, I just wanted as much information as possible.
15:27 You know, there's certain people that you can --
15:29 you can take a lot of information,
15:31 and you can receive a lot of information.
15:32 For me, I can't. You know, you can give me a lot.
15:34 And I'll departmentalize each and every day that I get
15:37 and put it where it needs to be and store it for later.
15:39 But for me, I wanted to know everything about football
15:41 to make me the best football player at the time.
15:43 And then, obviously, I knew I always wanted
15:45 to be a part of football.
15:46 It was either talking about it like I did at EXPN
15:49 or coaching like I am doing now.
15:50 So, to me, knowledge is power.
15:53 Having wisdom and ideas and being around successful people
15:59 is something that I really enjoy.
16:01 -Let's do two. Let's do just a couple more.
16:02 We'll go Hondo, Allen, and then Paul in the back.
16:05 -Thank you.
16:06 When Champ sat down with Mark
16:08 when he decided to make changes,
16:10 you were the guy that Champ wanted as the head coach.
16:13 I'm just curious what it meant to you.
16:15 I mean, you guys knew each other.
16:16 You were friends, but not even as close as you are today.
16:20 What did that mean to you that when he got his opportunity,
16:23 you were the guy he wanted?
16:25 -I mean, I know I couldn't screw it up.
16:28 But, no, it meant a lot, you know,
16:32 'cause there's a lot of people in this building
16:34 that was probably deserving of it.
16:36 Patrick Graham was one of them.
16:39 Avery Bennett could have been another one.
16:40 You know, names of guys that's been there
16:42 and been in the league and been successful.
16:44 But, obviously, like I told you guys from the very beginning,
16:46 I took it to heart.
16:48 I took it serious.
16:50 I poured everything I had into the last 9 to 10 weeks
16:54 to try to prove him right, prove Mr.
16:55 Davis right, and see what happens.
16:59 -Coach, from a team marketing standpoint,
17:01 if you do get the job,
17:03 is there some way to bottle that Raiders stream you do
17:06 and, like, use it as a, like,
17:08 do a strategic content or jumbotron or something?
17:11 -Yeah, that would be kind of cool.
17:12 I just got to save my voice to hear it on the horse,
17:14 you know, like, Raspy, that and the cigars and everything.
17:16 But, I mean, listen, when I was a young kid
17:20 and a fan, obviously, of the Raiders,
17:22 I mean, I loved hearing that stuff, you know?
17:25 And I think right now, that was the last question?
17:27 -No, one more.
17:29 -I'll come right back to you.
17:32 -We're going to have something real quick.
17:33 -I don't even know where this is going.
17:34 -Right.
17:36 -I talked to Mark Davis last night,
17:38 and he said that he was excited about the job you had done,
17:42 that, you know, he initially elevated you
17:43 to the interim position,
17:45 that he didn't necessarily want you to coach as much as lead.
17:48 So I asked him, did he do that?
17:50 And he said, without a doubt.
17:51 So when he said those things in the wake
17:53 of what happened last night, how does that make you feel?
17:55 How do you compartmentalize those feelings
17:57 and realize, you know what, the job is still not done?
17:59 -Yeah, it's still not until it's final, right?
18:00 So we put pen to paper, and, listen,
18:02 that's kind of the question I was asked last night about X and O.
18:05 It's like, that wasn't what I was asked to do.
18:07 Even though I'm still coaching the backers,
18:10 I'm still with the defense, I'm over here with the O line,
18:12 the running backs, maybe no one sees that,
18:14 but I do want to sit up at my desk all day.
18:17 But at the end of the day, like I said,
18:20 when you're in that position, when it changed so suddenly,
18:24 there was no need for me to try to act like
18:25 I could do everything at one time.
18:27 I put one hat on, and that was a hat of coaching,
18:30 getting this team right, getting the mindset right,
18:32 getting our building together, getting us to buy in,
18:35 chemistry, accountability, pride, poise, passion,
18:38 all the stuff that you hear me talk about
18:39 each and every game, and that's not going to change.
18:41 And I think you saw last night, finally,
18:45 a body of work all come together at one night
18:47 in front of our fan base at home.
18:50 That was really a Raider game.
18:51 That was a Raider game.
18:52 That was a Raider home game
18:53 for the first time since I've been here.
18:55 That was a Raider home game,
18:56 and our players played to that.
18:59 We talked about that.
18:59 That's how we create that environment.
19:01 So everything that Mark asked me to do,
19:03 I tried to do my best to accomplish that.
19:05 You know, we came up short with the playoffs.
19:07 But I think what you saw was a team
19:09 that was very competitive each and every week,
19:12 total buy-in, total team.
19:15 We took out the I and the me,
19:17 talked about us and we, the team,
19:19 and that was good to see,
19:20 and that's what that was last night.
19:22 People think we smoke cigars
19:23 because we're celebrating victory.
19:26 That's not what we're doing.
19:28 That's not what we're doing.
19:30 It's not about the one game against the Giants.
19:33 It's not about beating the Broncos.
19:35 It's about, that's what the team decided to do together.
19:38 And I think when you see it from the outside,
19:42 it can come off a lot of different ways.
19:44 But what this team has shown is that they're together,
19:46 they're one, they finish,
19:47 and what we wanted to do was have one last impression.
19:51 So today and right now,
19:52 'cause this is our last time together,
19:54 we're gonna have our one last impression.
19:56 All right, so I'm gonna say,
19:56 you guys stay with me now.
19:58 You ready? - I got you.
19:59 - All right, here we go.
20:01 Raiders!
20:02 - Raiders!
20:05 - So listen, I get the job,
20:11 we're gonna work on that together.
20:12 All right, we'll be back.
20:13 Appreciate you guys.
20:14 - Thank you, AP.
20:15 (laughing)