It was Halloween night when Raiders owner Mark Davis pulled the plug on his head coach with hopes of energizing a flatlining franchise. Josh McDaniels wore the costume of an offensive wizard, but he was neither that nor an inspirational leader during his 1½ years in Las Vegas.
A change was needed, sooner or later, and Davis opted for sooner. The timing of the coaching switch was bizarre, but so is Davis, who will be praised for the move if the Raiders play with fire and respond by beating the Giants on Sunday.
Antonio Pierce, the interim coach, is a former Pro Bowl linebacker and Super Bowl champion with the Giants. Pierce will get a great effort out of his players, including wide receiver Davante Adams, who said, “I’m already ready to run through a wall for that man.”
The offense is Las Vegas’ big question mark. Aidan O’Connell, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, will start as veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo goes to the bench. O’Connell, a more accurate passer and better deep-ball thrower than Garoppolo, will be better in his second start than he was in his first, a 24-17 loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles in Week 4. He’ll be wise to get Adams more involved, early and often.