Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce spoke today at the AFC coach’s breakfast during the NFL owner’s meetings. He discussed several different Raiders-related subjects.
Pierce on Jayden Daniels
“I thought he would be a Heisman winner, I did,” Pierce said with a grin. “That was my recruiting pitch to him. I just thought it would be where I was at previously.
“One thing about him, that I think separates him from the rest, is his ability to run. He could run, run. He could run like that in the SEC and put up those kind of numbers? I think that translates very well [to the NFL].”
Pierce on Raiders drafting a quarterback
“It all depends on the quarterback you get and who that guy is,” Pierce said. “I mean, do you want to throw him to the fire? No, I don’t think that’s been the best way. I played with a guy like Eli Manning, first pick overall, didn’t play until Week 8 or 9 his rookie season. Didn’t become a starter until Year 2. So, a thousand ways to skin a cat. We’ll do what’s best for the player and ourselves going forward.”
Pierce on the three quarterbacks on the roster, Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, and Anthony Brown.
On O’Connell: “Would love to see him become more vocal, right? Is he ever going to become a runner? No, not going to happen. That’s OK. But there’s other ways that you can do that and move around in the pocket. I think he’s done a great job this offseason, being in the building, staying in the Las Vegas area and really working on that. So, one thing I’d love to see him do is be more vocal. You don’t want the quarterback being a church mouse. I don’t need him being a rah-rah guy either. But when things are wrong, I need him to fix it and be vocal about it.”
On Minshew: “He’s been through a lot of adversity. We want that experience, as well, in here. So, to me, it was a good fit. And it is a culture fit.”
On Brown: “Extremely athletic … gives you a different dynamic. Very mobile, very athletic, gets out of the pocket. Good poise about him.”
Pierce on losing running back Josh Jacobs.
“Don’t like to see it,” Pierce said at the annual league meeting, via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. “I made it know — [he was] the heartbeat, a Raider through and through. But as we all know, it’s a business.
“You hear that line… money talks, BS walks, right? He had to do what’s best for himself and his family, and I wish him the best, but that one hurt.”
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