Raiders' Maxx Crosby talks going from Josh McDaniels to Antonio Pierce

Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowl pass-rusher Maxx Crosby sounds hyped to play for interim head coach and former New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce. 

"I feel like the No. 1 thing I can say about him is he’s just direct," Crosby said about Pierce during an interview shared by the Raiders' social media team, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "He’s blunt about everything, he’s going to give you the truth. Sometimes you don’t want to hear it, but you’d rather have that than somebody sugarcoat s---. A guy like AP, you’ve got to respect it because he’s been a player, he’s been in our shoes, he’s been on the other side — he’s been coaching — and he’s seen it all." 

The Raiders fell to 3-5 on the season via a 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night. Hours after Tuesday's NFL trade deadline passed, Raiders owner Mark Davis fired both head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler before Davis promoted Pierce from linebackers coach to interim coach. 

A one-time Super Bowl champion with the Giants, Pierce recently earned high praise from former Big Blue head coach Tom Coughlin and former New York defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Coughlin and Spagnuolo mentioned Pierce's leadership qualities and football intelligence while explaining why the 45-year-old may find success with Las Vegas, and Crosby indicated Pierce may be just what the Raiders need this fall. 

"A guy like that, that can step in front of the room and demand respect, it makes everybody else be a little more dialed in, have a little bit of nervousness — like, I need to be on point, but at the same time, you want to play for somebody like that because you know he’s got your back," Crosby added about Pierce.

Sportsbooks clearly think Pierce will give the Raiders somewhat of a new-coach bounce. As of late Friday afternoon, OddsChecker listed Las Vegas as a 1.5-point favorite versus the Giants.