The Las Vegas Raiders recently announced that they were going to make interim head coach Antonio Pierce the permanent man for this position. This was met with resounding support from his players. However, there was one other person who praised Pierce after this announcement. That praise comes from someone who used to be Pierce’s head coach.

Tom Coughlin Praises Antonio Pierce

Tom Coughlin was Antonio Pierce’s head coach when both were on the New York Giants. The two share a special bond, as they captured Super Bowl XLII together and upset the undefeated New England Patriots that season. After it was announced that Pierce was going to be the Raiders’ permanent head coach, Coughlin came out and praised Pierce by saying:

-Tom Coughlin

Previous Relationship

As mentioned above, the two spent time together when Pierce was still a player. Coughlin coached Pierce for five seasons from 2005-2009. After Pierce left the Giants, Coughlin stayed with the team until the end of the 2015 season before stepping aside.

When Pierce was ready to enter the coaching world, he relied on certain mentors to help guide him. One of them was Tom Coughlin, as he reportedly consulted Pierce about what to do going forward. Pierce also reportedly received counsel from Marvin Lewis, who will be on the Raiders’ staff in a more formal way next season.

Las Vegas Raiders Moving Forward

Now, Pierce will get an opportunity to run it back with the Las Vegas Raiders. With the help of mentors like Coughlin and Lewis, he hopes to capture a Super Bowl title as a head coach.

The last time Raiders owner Mark Davis was in this position with interim head coach Rich Bisaccia two years ago, he ignored the wishes of the players and hired Josh McDaniels to replace him. You know how that turned out considering Pierce replaced McDaniels earlier this season. Now, Davis has a chance at redemption with Pierce.