Cincinnati Bengals Key Player Sustain Severe Injury Which May……..

The Las Vegas Raiders will be adding (or subtracting) coaches over the following several days and weeks with the hiring of head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco.

With the top two spots in the Silver & Black secured, the next big piece of information to fall will probably be the hiring of a new offensive coordinator. However, one anticipated change is also in the works: Pierce’s mentor and former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, Marvin Lewis, will be joining the coaching team.

Lewis and Pierce have a long history together. When Lewis was the defensive coordinator and Pierce was a linebacker for the Washington Redskins in 2002, they had a player-coach relationship. Before Pierce joined the Raiders in 2022 as the linebackers coach, the two worked as peers for three seasons at Arizona State under head coach Herm Edwards.

Thus, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Josh McDaniels was fired as the Raiders’ head coach on November 1 and Pierce took over as the team’s temporary leader for the remaining nine games of 2023, when Lewis and the new face of the organization got back together. Both the rookie interim head coach and Pierce’s mentor, the tough-minded former New York Giants head coach who led his team to a Super Bowl victory while Pierce led the defense at linebacker, contributed their knowledge of defense to the renowned defensive mind. Bo Hardegree, the interim offensive coordinator, had help from Adam Gase as well, and it was this seasoned group that gave Pierce counsel that he was anxious to hear and understand.

Early in December, Pierce gathered the opinions of those three coaches in Las Vegas over a wide range of topics, including officiating, scheduling, strategy, and technique.

It only makes sense, then, that Coughlin is reportedly helping Pierce find coaches to join the Raiders staff.

Pierce would be well served by having the highly regarded Lewis on staff. It seems like a matter of when rather than if. In addition, Pierce, 45, benefits from the sensible advice of the 65-year-old coaching veteran. After spending 16 years as the Bengals’ head coach and compiling a 131-122 regular season record as well as a 7-7 postseason record, Lewis is eager to learn what it takes to be an NFL head coach.

With Jim Harbaugh returning to the NFL scene to lead the Los Angeles Chargers, the new Raiders head coach will have even more pressure to succeed in 2024 as he navigates an AFC West schedule. Lewis can give Pierce input in real time, which will be important. The arrival of Harbaugh, who is regarded as a strong offensive strategist, team builder, and leader, electrifies the struggling Bolts. Pierce and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who is expected to rejoin the Raiders, will benefit from guidance and direction from Lewis as they prepare to face not only the revitalized team in Los Angeles but also the remaining opponents in Las Vegas.

Lewis was the Bengals’ accomplished defensive coordinator before they brought him on as head coach. In 1996, he was selected to manage the defense for the Baltimore Ravens, a position he held for six seasons. The 2000 Super Bowl winning season for the Ravens was Lewis’s crowning achievement. In terms of fewest points allowed and fewest yards surrendered, his defense was ranked top. Rich in talent, Lewis made the most of his team in Baltimore before moving to Washington for a year in 2002. He took the helm of the Bengals that following season. By coincidence, Lewis was 45 years old when he was appointed head coach for the first time, the same age that Pierce is currently heading the Raiders.

“You are the sum total of the people you meet and interact with in the world,” wrote author Tanner Colby. The people you encounter and the things you learn come from doors that other people open for you, be they your family, friends, or coworkers.

The combined coaching from Lewis and Coughlin has made Pierce who he is today. And he keeps drawing from those two as well as others for knowledge. Whether he succeeds or fails, who knows what the Raiders will experience during the Pierce period. However, it won’t be for lack of effort if he fails.