In our latest episode of the Las VegasRaiders Insider Podcast, we explore oh what a difference a coach makes.
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00:00 Hi everybody this is Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Las Vegas
00:06 Raiders Insider Podcast joined by my dear friend the one and only the great Matt Holadek
00:11 from thespun.com.
00:12 Matt great to have you let's get right to it because you're in New York you're a big
00:17 Apple guy you're a huge Giants fan I know you love Antonio Pierce 2 and 0 what a job
00:23 Antonio's doing.
00:26 Yeah I mean listen these are two games that coming into the year you felt like the Raiders
00:32 had a good chance to win as you played out obviously you felt like you had a chance to
00:36 win but I don't know if they win either of these games with Josh Daniels coaching the
00:40 way that things were trending.
00:42 You know I think Antonio Pierce you know the game played out Sunday night kind of the way
00:47 that we both talked about last week that we expected it would you know the like the Jets
00:52 I said the Jets would hit some explosive plays they have a couple of playmakers Breeze Hall
00:56 and Gary Wilson but the Raiders have to buckle down and prevent them from getting in the
01:00 end zone which is exactly what they did.
01:05 I think that some of the aggressiveness that you saw that fourth down play near midfield
01:10 late in fourth quarter you know that sets the tone when you're an interim head coach
01:15 you want to find a way to leave your mark on a team and set the tone and obviously I
01:19 know Josh Jacobs fumbled later in the drive so they had to play defense to close it out
01:25 but that was you know a huge play I felt like because there's a risk there of without question
01:31 I mean you could easily just punted that ball there and trusted your defense against Zach
01:34 Wilson and it might have worked anyway but he went for the kill there and I thought it
01:40 was a great play call.
01:42 I thought that you saw I mean I think the Raiders who both hard agreed did a great job
01:48 of kind of mixing and matching and doing what they knew would work best or what Aiden O'Connor
01:55 would feel most comfortable with against a really good defense so through two games you
01:59 got to be really really happy with what you've seen as a Raider fan and they're fun I mean
02:04 this is a fun team right now which is to me when you're one of the teams in the NFL and
02:10 this is most of the teams in the NFL that aren't the Super Bowl contenders it's only
02:14 a handful of those you have to the best thing your team can be is fun and be an exciting
02:20 team and a team you can rally around and enjoy as a fan and that's what the Raiders are under
02:24 Antonio Pierce.
02:25 You need to dig in a little bit with you because I mean I expect the Raiders to lose the next
02:33 two.
02:34 Can they win?
02:35 Absolutely they can but I'm a realist you know that I'm a realist I think these are
02:39 two games that they'll lose I thought they would lose before the season started I think
02:44 they're going to lose them today.
02:46 It doesn't mean they can't win but our job as journalists is to is to present and discuss
02:52 news not create it.
02:55 So I think that they're going to lose be five and seven.
02:59 They have one more game with the Chiefs that again they could win I expect them to lose
03:04 that puts them at five and eight and then they sit there with four remaining games that
03:09 are all winnable the Bulls the Colts the Broncos and the Minnesota Vikings the Bulls I'm sorry
03:20 Minnesota the fourth the Bulls Colts Broncos in Minnesota.
03:24 Yeah in Minnesota.
03:26 So I think those are all you know winnable games.
03:30 I mean you think about that one.
03:32 They're headed down to Miami this week.
03:35 Take on the Dolphins.
03:36 I mean that that's just a very very you know let's go back.
03:44 I want to talk about this.
03:45 Fans will say to me and you know how can you say that.
03:48 Well I look at matchups Tom Izzo who of his generation is the greatest NCAA coach.
03:54 The stats bear that out.
03:55 It's a fact.
03:57 He used to always say to me you know people say how far you think you can go.
04:00 Well I always think we can go to the championship but sometimes matchups you could see a Cinderella
04:05 team that just matches up really well to the elite eight.
04:09 Anyways and this is one of those things I think the matchups the Raiders biggest weaknesses
04:15 are these teams biggest strengths on the the Dolphins and the Chiefs twice.
04:22 But you look at the rest of those games they are all winnable.
04:25 Doesn't mean they're going to be easy but they're all winnable.
04:27 I would like your thoughts on how that schedule lays out because all of a sudden now I don't
04:33 think your playoff team never thought that but all of a sudden now things are looking
04:37 pretty interesting for him.
04:40 Right again I do think that they do lose these next two.
04:44 I think that you know Miami's coming off a bye.
04:47 They have you know that explosive offense is tough to contend with.
04:52 I don't know.
04:53 I think the Raiders defense is better than its offense still but I don't know if they
04:57 can hold Miami down enough to score enough to win because you have to score with Miami
05:02 to beat them.
05:04 The Chiefs are the class that division.
05:08 So I am.
05:09 Listen could the Raiders pull off an upset maybe at home in two weeks.
05:11 Things happening in the NFL but I'm expecting them to lose those two games.
05:15 But listen you get home games against the Broncos the Vikings and the Chargers and a
05:21 road trip to the Colts who are playing better this year but they're not you know world beaters.
05:26 Those are like you said I agree those are four winnable games.
05:29 And here's the thing if they can to me going into the season I had them at seven wins maybe
05:35 could get eight.
05:36 You had them at nine maybe get to 10.
05:38 I think if they finish out of this this stretch with eight wins for the season if they get
05:46 to nine I mean that's that's an excellent year considering the start they had and considering
05:52 they are the last half of the season was with an interim head coach and considering you
05:57 know it's a franchise in transition.
06:00 So I think if I'm a Raiders fan listen I said this last week I predicted it beat the Jets
06:06 and a five and five you can dream playoffs.
06:11 You're in the mix.
06:12 You're in the conversation.
06:14 But I don't think you can make that be all end all goal and be angry if you fall short
06:20 of it because it's still a long shot because I think like you said every day in order to
06:27 make the playoffs the FC you're going to have to get to 10 wins and getting to 10 wins is
06:32 going to be almost impossible with the way the schedule sets up and the fact they're
06:35 only five five right now.
06:38 But to me I think that if you can continue to see the signs of growth in this team and
06:43 this team playing hard and competing week in and week out and they get a couple of wins
06:48 maybe pull off an upset and they finish eight and nine nine and eight around there.
06:54 I think you've got to be very happy with the direction of the franchise then if you're
06:57 a Raiders fan.
07:00 Totally agree with you.
07:01 So let's talk about the guts of Antonio Pierce.
07:04 I got a few things I want to discuss.
07:06 I'm going to be writing about it next week but I got a few things I want to discuss.
07:09 Number one he is impress the players because like Rich Versace he's not asked them to go
07:20 win him the job.
07:22 He's asked them to make this about them.
07:24 That's leadership.
07:25 It's not about me it's about we and they've responded.
07:29 They they don't like him Matt.
07:32 They love him.
07:34 In fact I'm going to during the bye week try to get up and see you in New York City.
07:39 My wife and I are going to come up for a weekend.
07:40 I can't wait to read you some of these to show you some of these texts just I mean they
07:45 love him.
07:46 And for them it's fun to watch them respond to a coach isn't it.
07:53 It definitely is.
07:54 And I think when you you see the way that maybe they weren't responding or the way they
07:59 weren't conducting themselves under the old head coach and now they kind of feel that
08:05 connection with the new guy.
08:06 You know he's a guy that's been through the battles in the NFL as a player.
08:11 He's been alongside them as an assistant coach.
08:13 Now you know he's he's leading them.
08:15 And I think when you talk about the guts and the kind of you know go for broke or riskiness
08:22 or willingness to be to to put it on the line the way Antonio Pierce has I think like you
08:29 said he's not asking him to win the win in the job.
08:32 But if you're an interim head coach you can't lose the job because it's not yours.
08:37 You're the guy filling in.
08:38 You know it's not like you say I got a coach not to lose.
08:42 You coach scared.
08:43 You have nothing to lose.
08:44 So you go out there and you go pedal to the metal.
08:48 You try to win job.
08:49 I think that that is what Antonio Pierce is doing with his decision.
08:54 I don't think he's like you said I don't I don't think he's telling the players go with
08:57 me the job I want to be the head coach whatever.
09:00 But the way he is approaching decision making on the field and the way he is going about
09:04 it I think he's showing you know that kind of you know that that zeal for for trying
09:12 to seize the moment.
09:15 One of the things I has impressed me is he didn't ask the players go in me the job he
09:19 didn't ask for their loyalty.
09:21 He's earned it.
09:23 And that that to me is a very very big deal.
09:25 All right.
09:26 I want to talk to you about Aiden O'Connell the Rook.
09:29 My article went viral.
09:31 You're aware of it of you know how it ended for Josh McDaniels.
09:36 The first game I understand it was a start.
09:39 It's going to be on his schedule the rest of his life so it counts.
09:42 But in my mind I just dismiss it because Josh did nothing to accommodate him.
09:47 And oh by the way he still had better stats than Justin Herbert.
09:51 But that's another story.
09:53 These first two starts they have tailored the game plan around him.
09:58 Now listen I'm not an idiot.
10:02 The time is coming and it's going to probably be this weekend.
10:06 They're going to look at him say OK Rook if we're going to win you got to win it for us.
10:12 Our defense can't hold people to under 20 when they're offensively what the Chiefs and
10:19 the Dolphins are.
10:21 You got to go win this for us.
10:23 And to me and I totally admit to me I just like his maturation.
10:30 In the interest of full disclosure away from the camera I have a very good relationship
10:34 with him.
10:36 I like him.
10:37 I believe in him.
10:39 I think he has done everything they've asked him to do.
10:43 Now they've yet to say hey if you don't overplay we're winning we're not winning.
10:52 I get all that.
10:53 I get the caveat.
10:54 I also know he's a second or third is that two or three starts depending on whether or
10:59 not you equate the first one.
11:01 Give the rooks some room to grow here.
11:03 I'm very impressed with Aiden O'Connell.
11:05 Your thoughts.
11:06 He's doing I thought that he looked very composed the other night overall against a really tough
11:11 defensive line and just get pressure left and right.
11:16 You know Bryce Huff Jermaine Johnson Quinn Williams in the middle.
11:19 They're all always in your face and they make it really tough.
11:23 I mean they made it really tough for the elite quarterbacks in the league that they play.
11:28 If you look at the numbers that Patrick Holmes and Herbert and charts and Josh and I want
11:32 to put up against this team they have limited those guys and I thought that Aiden O'Connell
11:38 made some big throws throws that you know they you know you have to make they didn't
11:44 make ask them to make the throwable an exorbitant amount they leaned on the run game but he
11:48 made the throws he had to make.
11:50 He showed composure in the pocket and I thought he played very well for a rookie making his
11:58 second or third start however you want to define it against one of the league's best
12:03 defense.
12:04 Now Miami is not defensively.
12:08 Miami is not as good as the Jets but they'll make it tough on this weekend.
12:12 He's got two tough matchups after that because the Chiefs are playing.
12:15 We used to do she's having a great offense and they still do have a dangerous offense
12:19 but they're one of the better defensive units in the league.
12:21 And I know Steve Spagnuolo is going to try to make life difficult for him.
12:25 And then later on you know against the following week against the Vikings Brian Flores loves
12:31 the Blitz.
12:32 He loves to get the quarterback.
12:34 So you know he's going to have some challenges coming up here.
12:37 But I think this is all part of the like you said the maturation and the growth process
12:40 because this is you know if Antonio Pierce gets the head coach job permanently now he
12:49 has a base of Aiden O'Connell over these next seven weeks plus these last two games to see
12:56 what he can do.
12:57 So going into the offseason he says all right you know do we want to go into the year with
13:02 this kid as our starter.
13:04 We have we're contractually we're tied to Jimmy.
13:07 Jimmy will still be there but Jimmy's our backup.
13:10 This kid we trust him to be our starter and it could be a long term guy.
13:14 So that's that's great news for Antonio Pierce to get those kind of data points to evaluate.
13:19 And it's also good if they do hire an outside head coach that outside head coach now has
13:23 all the tape and things that he can look at to see you know where where Aiden O'Connell
13:29 fit into his plans.
13:32 I want to talk about Antonio Pierce again because there's something that has really
13:36 impressed me.
13:37 I've been in a lot of situations where I've watched interim head coaches and it's not
13:41 been good.
13:44 The last two happened to be Rich Versace and him and I thought both of them did a
13:49 tremendous job.
13:51 And one of the things that I credit him for he's not as old of a coach as Rich Versace
13:55 was and so Rich had some years of coaching maturity to draw on and hey don't make this
14:04 about me whatever.
14:08 Antonio has done that but he's done a couple other things that I've noticed up close.
14:13 Him and Bo Hardegre and I'm going to have an article coming on their relationship but
14:17 he and Bo Hardegre two completely different guys.
14:22 One's hip hop, one's country, one's offense, one's defense, one's demonstrative, one's
14:30 chill, is what the kids would say chill.
14:33 Do you know what that word means?
14:34 Oh yeah.
14:35 I just learned it.
14:36 Okay so one's chill whatever.
14:39 And the fact that he got to know Bo tells you a lot about his character because they're
14:47 so different nobody would have blamed them for not being friends.
14:50 I mean they wouldn't have hated each other just there wouldn't have been commonality.
14:55 Instead on a treadmill they became friends.
14:59 They found out they both approached football the same way and he has let he's told Bo what
15:05 he wanted which is what a head coach is supposed to do but then trusted Bo.
15:10 Same way with Patrick Graham.
15:12 He's allowed these guys to go coach and that's what builds loyalty in your staff.
15:18 Would you just I mean I am so impressed with Antonio Pierce.
15:22 So impressed.
15:23 I'm impressed with the fans are saying I'm impressed with his guts.
15:28 Everything talk about just how he's handled the spotlight because man he's been like he
15:33 was as a player.
15:34 He's not moved.
15:37 Well I think that whenever you become a head coach especially the first time whether it's
15:43 as interim or permanent I think being yourself and being authentic is so important.
15:49 I think that's what you're seeing from him.
15:52 You know based out of what you're saying based out of what else has been reported and what
15:55 the players are saying.
15:57 And I think that that is kind of the way he approached the game as a player.
16:03 You know he was who he was.
16:05 He was you know authentic.
16:07 He was up front.
16:09 He was the guy he was a leader.
16:10 He was the guy who and he led in different ways.
16:13 He could lead intensely but you know get in your face and motivating you that way and
16:20 he would lead by you know studiously by being able to pick up other team signals or know
16:26 what plays were coming in and blow up a play before you had a chance.
16:31 He was great at that when he was with the Giants.
16:34 He had such an immense knowledge of what teams were trying to do on the field.
16:38 So you know he he could lead in different ways and he was true to himself.
16:43 I think that's one of the hallmarks of being a good head coach.
16:48 Doesn't guarantee you'll be successful but it gives you a better chance of being successful
16:54 because the biggest thing that players can sense when a guy is BSing them or when he's
17:00 not authentic or when he's trying hard or trying to be something that he isn't.
17:05 And I think that that's doesn't seem to be the case at all with how Antonio Pierce is
17:09 approaching the job.
17:12 I agree.
17:13 He has been I am.
17:14 First of all without getting into details that don't matter.
17:18 I knew Antonio before he came here.
17:22 I like him.
17:23 I've always liked him as a person.
17:26 But he has won and earned my respect as a man and a coach.
17:33 Just the way he has handled himself.
17:35 I'm sorry.
17:38 Patrick Graham deserves all the praise.
17:40 Bo Hardegre deserves all the praise.
17:43 The captains on this team deserve the praise.
17:46 The owner deserves the praise.
17:49 But there ain't nobody.
17:52 That's even in the stratosphere of the praise that Antonio Pierce has earned.
17:57 Very very impressed.
17:58 OK Matt.
18:01 I want you to give me your prediction for this weekend.
18:06 Again I think this weekend you'll see the Raiders will finally play one of the better
18:12 teams in the league.
18:16 I think that Miami this year has done a good job of taking care of business against the
18:21 teams they should be.
18:22 Where they've been a little bit lacking so to speak is they haven't really showed up
18:28 against elite teams or teams that they're supposed to be in the company of.
18:33 But they've beaten the teams they should.
18:35 I think that'll happen this week.
18:36 I expect the Raiders defense will kind of keep things close for a little bit.
18:43 I think Miami pulls away at the end.
18:45 I'm looking at 31-17 final 31-20 final somewhere in that area.
18:52 So Matt Hladdyk picks 31.
18:55 You said 31-17?
18:56 Yeah.
18:57 Oh and you pick Miami.
19:02 Yep.
19:03 All right.
19:04 There you go.
19:05 Man that was a great podcast just breaking down the Raiders where the Raiders are.
19:10 And I want to remind everybody coming up later this week I have an article on the dilemma
19:15 facing Mark Davis.
19:17 I think everyone's going to really enjoy that one.
19:19 That's going to be super good.
19:21 Got a lot of stuff coming.
19:22 Matt I can't wait to see you in a couple weeks.
19:24 We're just we're literally just flying into New York City in the morning spending the
19:28 day having dinner.
19:29 Hope to see you.
19:30 We're going to go catch a show and fly out the next day man.
19:33 Hey that's fun man.
19:35 That's a great way to spend an off day and a bye week.
19:39 Off day and the bye week in the Big Apple at Christmas time.
19:42 Come on.
19:43 Few things better.
19:44 It's going to be great.
19:46 All right.
19:47 I'm Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.
19:51 Thank you all for joining us.
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20:10 Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.
20:13 Part of the Fans First Sports Network from the Spun.com that is my colleague and one
20:17 of my best friends on the planet the great Matt Holadek.
20:20 I'm Hondo Carpenter.
20:21 Thanks for following us everybody.
20:23 Happy Thanksgiving to you.
20:24 We'll see you soon.
20:24 We'll see you soon.