Antonio Pierce named Raiders’ interim head coach following Josh McDaniels’ firing, Champ Kelly to replace Dave Ziegler

The Raiders suffered the biggest collapse in history after blowing a 20-0 halftime lead against Arizona.

Antonio Pierce named Raiders’ interim head coach following Josh McDaniels’ firing, Champ Kelly to replace Dave Ziegler

Antonio Pierce will replace Josh McDaniels as the head coach in an interim role (Via CNN/Raiders)

Entering Week 9, the Las Vegas Raiders witnessed a major change in its management. Both head coach and General Manager posts became vacant due to firings. In an official statement released by the team, they announced the appointment of Antonio Pierce as the interim head coach. Champ Kelly will take reign as the interim General Manager following the layoff of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler.

Pierce was a part of McDaniels’ staff and worked two seasons as a linebackers coach. Antonio Pierce also played in the NFL for nine years as a linebacker. He worked as an associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Arizona State under the supervision of Herm Edwards.

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On the other hand, Kelly remained as the assistant general manager for the Raiders for two seasons. He came to the Raiders after working seven years with the Bears and eight with the Broncos. For the next two months, Kelly would hold the general manager position.

While talking about the matter, Raiders owner Mark Davis said: 

After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave.

Davis also thanked them for their time with the team and wished them the best wishes for the future. After parting ways with them, the team is searching for a head coach and general manager after this season. As for now, there is no indication of who can replace them, as he was the first NFL coach fired this season.

Why did the Raiders fire head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler?

The Raiders had major issues regarding underutilizing many players, such as the all-Pros Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs. The duo were not given major roles on offense. The team ranks 30th in points scored per game, 31st in total offense in yards per game, and 32nd in rushing yards per game.

Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler Raiders
Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler (Via Silver and Black Pride)

Moreover, the Raiders suffered the biggest collapse in history when they blew off a 20-0 halftime lead against Arizona. Therefore, when the team dropped to 3-5 after losing to Detroit at 26-11 under coach McDaniels, that was enough for the owner of the Raiders.

GM Ziegler and HC McDaniels joined the Raiders last year, in January 2022. At the time, the team stood at 10-7 with a playoff appearance under interim coach Rich Bisaccia. He was named interim after the resignation of Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock.

Ziegler and McDaniels were hired to take the team to the next level, but unfortunately, the Raiders fell down to a 9-16 and couldn’t even make the playoff appearance.

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