Raiders players want Bisaccia back
Rich Bisaccia steadied the Las Vegas Raiders after taking over during a tumultuous season, guided them to the playoffs for the second time in 19 years and earned the support of his players.
The first question facing the Raiders this offseason after a 26-19 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in a wildcard game Saturday will be whether that’s enough to remove the interim tag and make Bisaccia the full-time coach.
“I think we can all agree that he’s the right guy,” quarterback Derek Carr said after the game. “He’s proven that people listen to him. Not just people but our team listens to him. I love him so much, I’m thankful for him. All those things will be decisions that I don’t make, I don’t get to make. I just play quarterback and do my best to complete every pass. But with everything that went on, if you really look at what happened, all the pieces missing, everything that changed. He held it together.”
Bisaccia took over after Week 5 for his first stint as coach in a most difficult situation. Jon Gruden had built the team and was involved in every part of the organization before being forced to resign after the publication of offensive old emails.
Bisaccia, a longtime special teams coach in the NFL, rallied the team together and helped lead the Raiders to back-to-back wins to make them 5-2 heading into the bye.
Then the Raiders were dealt another challenge when receiver Henry Ruggs III was charged with felonies in a fatal DUI crash that killed a 23-year-old woman. Ruggs was immediately released and the Raiders went into a tailspin, losing five of the next six games and looking as if they were playing out another lost season.
But the players never quit and Las Vegas won the final four games by four points or fewer to make the playoffs for the second time in the last 19 seasons before falling short on the final drive in Cincinnati.
“If it was up to me, I think everyone in the world knows what my decision would be. I love Rich. You know, I’m biased, obviously. But he’s a great coach,” star defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “He came in and got us to 10 wins. We came on the road, on a short week and gave Cincinnati everything they could handle. It just shows, you know, Rich is a great leader. One of the best people I know. One of the most honest dudes I know. I’ll go to bat for him any day of the week.”
The Raiders were the first team since the 1961 Houston Oilers to make a coaching change during the season and make it to the playoffs.
Now owner Mark Davis must decide if that’s enough to run it back with Bisaccia or to find someone new to help the franchise make the next step.
Davis had the option to start interviewing candidates during the final two weeks of the season, but opted to wait until Las Vegas’ season ended.
He’s required to go through a coaching search and comply with the Rooney Rule, which requires interviews with minority candidates before making any final decision. While the players are backing continuity, they know change could be coming.
Sweat sidelined by scary situation
Philadelphia defensive end Josh Sweat was inactive for Sunday’s NFC wild-card loss to Tampa Bay after being admitted to the hospital last week for what the team described as a “life-threatening situation.”
The Eagles released a statement before the game saying Sweat underwent “an emergency procedure.”
“In the following days, Josh and our medical team did everything possible to help him return to play,” the statement said. “He improved every day, but it was determined by doctors today that he was not quite ready. The fact that Josh came so close to playing is a credit to his toughness and our medical staff.”
Sweat tied for the team lead in sacks with 71⁄2.
Vikings search
Minnesota interviewed Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, the son of former USC coach Paul Hackett, for the Vikings’ coaching job and Tennessee director of player personnel for general manager.