The Las Vegas Raiders enjoyed a much-needed bye week during the NFL’s Week 10.
After dropping their fifth in a row with a 41-24 loss at Cincinnati, the Raiders got an extended break to ponder what exactly has gone wrong and how they can fix it.
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said on Wednesday that the break was much-needed for Las Vegas.
“Good, good. Needed it, man. Needed to take a good cold shower, cold bath, wash all that badness off that took place over the nine games. And I think our staff did the same.
“I know our players did, but they were still around the building, which is the best thing about it, right? People might question our locker room, might question our culture, might question me, but you can’t question our commitment. So, we’re committed to this bad boy and turning it around. So, when they got in here Tuesday, that’s what I felt. That’s what they felt from me, and hopefully you feel it right now,” Pierce said.
Pierce and the Raiders didn’t waste any time trying to explore potential fixes right as the bye week arrived.
In the immediate aftermath of the Raiders’ loss at the Bengals, Pierce made the decision to fire offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello and offensive line coach James Cregg.
Las Vegas elevated Scott Turner to interim offensive coordinator and made Joe Philbin their interim offensive line coach. Turner had been serving as the passing game coordinator and Philbin as a senior offensive assistant.
The Raiders also brought in Scott’s father and former Raiders head coach, Norv Turner, as a senior adviser.
Pierce hopes that moving quick will help with the game planning this week for the Raiders’ trip to the Miami Dolphins.
“Huge. I wanted to get it over with. Once I made my decision that we were going to move on, get those two gentlemen in place, get everything that we need to do from an HR standpoint of paperwork, and get them in the building and start working during our bye week to give ourselves 10 days to get ready for the Dolphins,” Pierce said.
Pierce also announced on Wednesday that Gardner Minshew will remain the Raiders’ starting quarterback for their date at Miami.
Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. PT on Sunday from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami where the Raiders can show just how much or how little the bye week and staffing changes have helped fix their ails thus far this season.
