Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce hasn’t had much time to build his team his way, but he knows what kind of team he’s trying to build.
Pierce, who took over last week after the firing of Josh McDaniels, said this week that what he’s looking for more than anything else is the mental approach to the game. And he said defensive end Maxx Crosby is the player he wants the rest of the team to emulate.
“All 11 need to match Crosby,” he said. “I have not ever seen a player be consistent like Maxx Crosby.”
What kind of team will that make the Raiders?
“First and foremost, just a mentally tough team,” Pierce said. “A team that you see out there saying, ‘Damn, that’s how football is supposed to be played.’ . . . More importantly, the love and passion for the game. I hope that if you never get to come to one of our games in the stadium, when you watch on television, you’re like, ‘Damn, them dudes love ball. They love playing for one another.’ If I can get that, I’ve accomplished one of my goals.”
Pierce was dealt a tough hand, taking over a bad team in the middle of the season. But they passed their first test with a blowout win over the Giants, and now Pierce is showing them what kind of team he wants them to be with another test Sunday night against the Jets.