Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders have not had an ideal start to Antonio Pierce’s first season as the team’s permanent head coach. The team has lost its last five games and is currently 2-7.
The Raiders have a bye this week, but a recent report from CBS’ Jonathan Jones indicates that tension is growing between players and coaches in Las Vegas.
Fans React to Maxx Crosby and Players’ Meeting With Raiders Staff
In the report, Jones mentioned that Crosby and several other Raiders players had a player-staff meeting during the team’s bye week. It came after Pierce fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, and offensive line coach James Cregg.
The Raiders are turning to Scott Turner as the interim offensive coordinator and brought in his dad, Norv Turner, for an advisory role. Senior offensive assistant Joe Philbin is now the new offensive line coach.
As per Jones, during the meeting, the players raised issues regarding “the schedule not being efficient,” “wasting time,” and “lack of discipline and accountability.” Moreover, the meeting ended “uncomfortably for all parties.”
Fans on Reddit were amazed by seeing this development and were upset with Crosby as he was among the players who forced the franchise into hiring Pierce. Here’s how the fans reacted:
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“Crosby is like 80% of the reason Pierce is head coach,” said one fan.
“I believe Crosby pulled an ‘I’m not signing here if Pierce isn’t the coach,’ said another fan about why Pierce became the Raiders head coach.
One fan added, “Crosby was the most vocal about them hiring Pierce as the head coach. He got his wish.”
“The dude has single-handedly cost us like 3 games. I was hoping he would be serviceable. But he has been so scared and frustratingly bad,” said one Raiders fan while blaming Gardner Minshew II for his team’s struggles.
“Maxx literally threatened to ask for a trade if they didn’t hire AP,” wrote a fan on why Crosby should not be the one frustrated with coaches.
“Please give me a QB and Ben Johnson,” added another Raiders fan.
Davante Adams, who recently got traded to the New York Jets, also played a role in Pierce becoming the Raiders head coach. His exit from Las Vegas was not smooth, and there were speculations that things did not look right between him and Pierce.
Pierce went 5-4 as the Raiders’ interim head coach last season, including a big win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas. This season, he’s 2-7, with no solutions to the offensive struggles.
The excitement surrounding Minshew has been a total failure, and Las Vegas is expected to draft a quarterback next year. It will be interesting to see if Pierce remains as the head coach beyond this season. Since Tom Brady is now officially a minority owner of the Raiders, he will oversee team-related matters and might look to clean the house for a fresh start.
Crosby’s Name Was in Trade Rumors Before Deadline
Crosby’s name was floated in trade rumors due to the Raiders’ poor record. The Detroit Lions were projected to be a landing spot for the 27-year-old defensive end, mainly due to Aidan Hutchinson’s season-ending injury.
Raiders owner Mark Davis came out and cleared that Crosby would not get traded, but things haven’t improved since then.
It seems like Pierce has lost the locker room, and his firing remains a strong possibility. If that’s the case, Bill Belichick would be among the candidates who could potentially become the next head coach in Las Vegas.
The Raiders’ next three games are against the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs. If they fail to snap their losing streak during this run, more people will likely lose their jobs.