In a crushing defeat against the Carolina Panthers, the Las Vegas Raiders faced a tough loss in Week 3. Coach Antonio Pierce was visibly disappointed with the effort put forth by his team, not holding back his thoughts during the postgame press conference.
Pierce didn’t shy away from pointing out that some players made “business decisions” instead of giving it their all on the field. This sentiment seemed to be echoed by star wide receiver Davante Adams, who agreed with his coach’s assessment of the team.
During a recent appearance on the show, “Up & Adams,” the veteran receiver shared his thoughts with host Kay Adams, stating, “Well, I mean, I agree. I think at the end of the day, you look at the drives we had at the end of that game, and we didn’t really have much to play for other than pride…Just doing it for the Raiders logo and the name on the back as well…Obviously, we got beat by a team that we feel like we shouldn’t have gotten beat by. You can’t change the score late in the fourth and you just gotta put the best stuff you can on tape.”
Adams continued, “I think a lot of people were doing that. And then there were some guys out there who were just trying to see another day. That’s really not what the game is about, and if you look at the tape across the whole game, it wasn’t really just late in the game. It was multiple times throughout the three hours we were out there where people maybe not putting that extra hit on somebody, not putting that extra block, not straining a little bit more.”
It appears that Pierce was not alone in his observations of lackluster effort on the field. While Adams did not call out specific players, it was clear that the team as a whole recognized the issue of not giving their best, and it showed up glaringly on the game tape.
The Raiders will need to regroup and refocus moving forward if they hope to turn the season around and make a push for the playoffs. With key players like Adams speaking out about the need for more effort and dedication, the team will need to come together and work towards a common goal of success on the field. Only time will tell if this candid assessment leads to a positive change in the team’s performance.
