The All-Pro receiver had high praise on Wednesday for Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce and said that he should be given the full-time job.
‘It’s obviously who I want. That’s my vote and I’ve been vocal about that. That’s basically how the whole locker room feels and with good reason,’ Adams told reporters ahead of the season finale against the Denver Broncos. ‘He’s come in and done a great job. He’s continued to win us over. It’s not just the comfortable thing. I think having AP here will be good for this organization.’
Pierce stepped up from his position as linebackers coach in November when Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were fired after back-to-back losses, including a meltdown on Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions.
Pierce is 4-4 as interim head coach and got an upset victory over AFC West champions the Kansas City Chiefs. He was visibly emotional after the win.
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‘He kind of embodies what it means to be a Raider, that mentality, that swag. All the things that he endorses is the things that I believe in,’ Adams, who notched 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth straight season this year, said. It’s his second year on the Raiders after being traded from the Green Bay Packers. ‘It’s easy for a guy like me, especially having dealt with him a little bit this year now and gotten to know him and see his evolution in front of the team, all those things, all the different fields of being a head coach, so definitely rooting for him.’
Pierce spent nine seasons as a linebacker in the NFL and won Super Bowl 42 with the New York Giants before taking on coaching. After Las Vegas’ win over the Chiefs, he spoke on the potential of getting the full-time head coaching job.
‘My resume is on the grass. What do you want?’ he said. ‘I can put up a fancy presentation, I’ve seen that before. I can put up stats, I can put up my resume, but the best thing that happened for me was an opportunity.’