Add defensive end Maxx Crosby to the long list of Raiders who sound happy to have Antonio Pierce as their new head coach.
Crosby said in an interview with the Raiders’ in-house media that Pierce is the kind of coach he and his teammates need.
“I feel like the No. 1 thing I can say about him is he’s just direct,” Crosby said. “He’s blunt about everything, he’s going to give you the truth. Sometimes you don’t want to hear it, but you’d rather have that than somebody sugarcoat shit. A guy like AP, you’ve got to respect it, because he’s been a player, he’s been in our shoes, he’s been on the other side — he’s been coaching — and he’s seen it all. A guy like that, that can step in front of the room and demand respect, it makes everybody else be a little more dialed in, have a little bit of nervousness — like, I need to be on point, but at the same time, you want to play for somebody like that because you know he’s got your back.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis fired Josh McDaniels this week and named Pierce as interim head coach. Players haven’t necessarily criticized McDaniels directly on his way out, but their comments about their excitement to play for Pierce suggest that they were more than ready for a change.
