Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce still seems to have lingering frustration with how the roster was built during his brief time leading the Silver and Black.
Pierce, now an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, took a shot at the Raiders during the network's Week 1 pregame coverage, and now he's back for a second straight week to take a jab at Las Vegas.
When analyzing Las Vegas' Week 1 win, Pierce spotlighted the team having a quarterback like Geno Smith. Nonetheless, the analysis didn't stop there, as he had to sneak in a shot at the Raiders.
"Just Geno, baby," Pierce said on the September 14 edition of "NFL Today+." "Not win, but just Geno, player of the week, airing it out. I'm sure Matt Ryan really appreciates the stat line that he had throwing to Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers. But that was a difference for the Raiders.
"Last year, I know, didn't have a quarterback. This year, they have a quarterback. They're winning, and it's because of Geno that's going to continue to happen. We'll see [on Monday Night Football] here with the Chargers coming up."
This week, Pierce pointed out that the Raiders never gave him a quarterback like Smith. Just a week earlier, the former Las Vegas head coach criticized the franchise for its lack of stability with the constant coaching carousel in recent years.
"[The Raiders need] consistency in that building," Pierce said on CBS Sports on September 7. "Pete Carroll, Antonio Pierce, Josh McDaniels, Rich [Bisaccia], [Jon] Gruden -- I mean, how many different coaches have you gone through in the last five or six years?
"At some point, you've got to find a coach that you like. You've got to like the culture, the accountability, the responsibility, and then the commitment. Everything with the Raiders is about commitment to excellence. Well, how do you have excellence? You need consistency."
Smith might not be a quarterback of the elite level, but the veteran brings stability under center. Furthermore, during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, Smith showed that he can win in the NFL after a challenging start to his career.
As a result, when the Raiders hired Pete Carroll and the front office brought a player with whom he is familiar, Pierce stated last week that it was a game-changer for Las Vegas.
"I think the key thing that happened for Pete Carroll, he got his quarterback," Pierce said. "He got his quarterback. He got the guy that -- look, man, I go to war for this guy. And that's what Geno Smith said out the gate. Then he went and got a running back. So it's interesting for me because that's what I wanted last year, and I didn't get it. My guy, Josh Jacobs, he plays for this team, the Green Bay Packers.
"But better yet, I think with him and [general manager John Spytek], they've done a great job of working together. It always starts with the head coach and GM being on the same page."