After complaining for much of this season that he wasn’t getting the ball enough, Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams was the focal point of the passing game in Sunday night’s win over the Jets. Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce says that was by design.
Pierce said after the game that he wanted to throw to Adams at the very start of the game and keep throwing to him. Adams got 13 targets on Sunday night; every other Raider combined got 12 targets.
“The first couple plays were right to him. Get the ball in his hands, get him going. When you’ve got one of the best receivers in the game, I’m not stupid. I know who to get the ball to,” Pierce said.
That answer may not have been intended as a slight toward former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, but it’s certainly true that McDaniels faced plenty of criticism for not getting the ball to Adams enough. Now McDaniels has been fired and Pierce is 2-0 as the Raiders’ head coach.