Carolina Panthers vs. Las Vegas Raiders (Photo via NFL)
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce didn’t mince words after his team’s ugly Week 3 home loss to the Carolina Panthers that dropped the club to 1-2 on the season.
Antonio Pierce has the reputation of being a players coach, a strict contrast to the man he replaced (Josh McDaniels) mid-season a year ago. But Pierce was direct and honest with his team’s performance on Sunday.
Per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Pierce told reporters that some players “made business decisions” as the game progressed and that the coaching staff “will make some business decisions” too.
Antonio Pierce didn’t specify names, of course, but new video footage suggests that cornerback Jack Jones was one of those players. Mike Renner of CBS Sports showed a video of the third-year corner showing practically no effort on this running play by Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard:
Jones had a promising rookie year with the New England Patriots in 2022, but he quickly fell out of favor after his off-the-field arrest (he was in possession of two guns at the Logan International Airport in Boston) and missing a team curfew. Jones was waived before getting picked up by Antonio Pierce’s Raiders.
Over his first three NFL seasons, Jones has four interceptions and 14 pass breakups. He has two picks and seven pass defenses over his first 10 games with the Raiders under Antonio Pierce.
Antonio Pierce Falls Back To .500 As A Coach
After replacing Josh McDaniels last season, Pierce led the Silver and Black to a 5-4 finish that was highlighted by an upset of the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Day.
But with the Raiders off to a 1-2 start, Pierce has fallen back to the .500 mark (6-6) as a head coach. Las Vegas will try and get back to .500 on the season when they host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon.
