Last season was good enough the Raiders asked Antonio Pierce to stay after the Los Angeles Chargers went to surprising means to secure Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach.
Pierce, the interim for the final two months last season, faces Harbaugh and the Chargers in the regular-season opener Sunday in a game each team hopes to use as a statement.
Pierce put his staff on the “Beat L.A.” assignment more than two weeks ago due to the unique situation of facing a team for the first time with a coach imported from the college ranks and myriad changes to the existing schemes.
“Just to keep pounding away on film and go back as far as we can. And you don’t want to chase ghosts, right? You don’t go back and look at the 2011 season with Harbaugh, but maybe you do,” Pierce said. “And those two gentlemen have been around each other, him and (offensive coordinator) Greg Roman. So, with any little tidbits we can do, we have a pretty good staff upstairs that does a great job of breaking down film. And then, listen, at the day, you have to make the adjustments, and the players have to be able to adapt to it.”
The Chargers enter the Harbaugh coaching era with franchise quarterback Justin Herbert returning as the centerpiece of the offense, after he recovered from recent plantar fasciitis issues. The cast of characters around him? There are changes everywhere.
Gone are offensive veterans like wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and running back Austin Ekeler. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer is Herbert’s go-to guy now, while 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston and rookie Ladd McConkey look to make their mark. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards take over at running back.
Wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (hip), was the only Chargers player missing from practice Wednesday, while cornerback Tarheeb Still (hip) was limited.
Known for his quirks — already using birth, airplane takeoff and first-day-of school metaphors — Harbaugh simply wants the Chargers to focus on the basics.
“Just want to keep building,” Harbaugh said. “Just the idea of seeing if we can be better today than we were yesterday, better tomorrow than we were today. Just that so-simple-it-might-just-work approach. Keeping guys healthy, continuing to get bigger and stronger.”
Never one to show his hand — or his depth chart — Harbaugh gave away very little in the preseason. Fresh off a national championship at Michigan, he returns to the NFL after he guided the San Francisco 49ers to a 44-19-1 record and one Super Bowl berth from 2011-14. He accepted the offer, reportedly $16 million per year on a five-year deal valued at $80 million.
The Chargers will put pressure on opposing quarterbacks with a pair of elite edge rushers in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Bosa has struggled with injuries and broke his left hand just a month ago but is set to play Sunday. Mack enters off a 17-sack season, fourth best in the league.
“If anything, it was time off the body, less stress on my legs and let some things heal up,” Bosa said about missing nearly four weeks of practice time. “Now I’m feeling ready to go.”
The Raiders head into the opener with no playoff victories since playing in the Super Bowl following the 2002 season.
Pierce took over as head coach on an interim basis last season and guided the Raiders to a 5-4 finish. Pierce officially was anointed the position in the offseason and has named Gardner Minshew II as quarterback for the opener over Aidan O’Connell.
“Gardner gives us the best opportunity to get off to a fast start,” Pierce said.
Pierce said this game isn’t about him getting the job in Las Vegas or returning home to his Los Angeles roots this week.
“We’re trying to get our first divisional win against a really good opponent, who’s going to be motivated, well coached, physical, tough. I mean, we got to bring our hard hats,” he said.
The Raiders were one of seven teams in 2023 that averaged less than 300 yards per game at 289.5 and were 23rd with 19.5 points per game. On defense, a talented front four is led by defensive end Maxx Crosby (14.5 sacks in 2023).
Crosby is the player that Herbert is thinking about most when he breaks the huddle.
“We know how talented he is, we know how talented that team is. That defense really flies around, makes a lot of plays,” Herbert said of Crosby.
Under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, the Raiders will look to improve on an average of 90.7 rushing yards per game that was 30th in the NFL last season. With Josh Jacobs now with the Green Bay Packers, Zamir White takes over as the lead back (451 yards, one TD in 2023).
“I always say, Week 1, the opening week of the playoffs and the Super Bowl, those are different speeds of football and that shows up with the younger guys,” said Pierce. “Hopefully, we have prepped them in the way we prepare and practice.”
The Raiders were fully represented at Wednesday’s practice with tight end Brock Bowers (foot), linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (knee) and cornerback Decamerion Richardson (hamstring) all limited.
–Field Level Media