What does Rich Bisaccia need to do to become the Raiders' permanent HC?
The Raiders are 1-0 in the post-Gruden era. In their first game with Rich Bisaccia acting as the interim head coach, the Raiders won by their biggest margin of the year over the favorite Denver Broncos in their own stadium. With the win, the Raiders are back as a factor in the AFC West, meaning they still have a future this season.
Bisaccia has shown himself to be a possible name at the end of the season to take over as the permanent head coach. However, there is still a long way to go. Bisaccia will need to do well in the job this season to be considered for next season. What does that mean? Here are three specific things Bisaccia needs to do to keep the Raiders from looking elsewhere.
What Rich Bisaccia has to do to become the next permanent head coach of the Raiders
#1 - Make the playoffs
If the Raiders make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Bisaccia will almost certainly land the HC role permanently. For Bisaccia, his first goal should be to find himself busy in January. At 4-2, the Raiders are in a prime position to make the playoffs. If they don't, Bisaccia will be the one left holding the bag.
Rich Bisaccia will serve as Interim Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, effective immediately.
Coach Bisaccia will meet with the media at the regularly scheduled media availability on Wednesday.
The Raiders still have plenty of their toughest matchups in the division ahead of them. To win the division and guarantee a playoff spot, the Raiders will have to beat the Chargers and Chiefs at least once. If they can do this, they will at least have a shot at the division and a floor of getting in as a Wild Card.
The Raiders’ interim HC Rich Bisaccia and their former HC Jon Gruden: https://t.co/PLNJn7Z1ly
#2 - No Scandals
This one is common sense after seeing what happened to Jon Gruden. Rich Bisaccia needs to keep it clean and avoid any tabloid or gossip stories. Essentially, he should only be traveling to practice, home, and the grocery store over the next several months. With a head coaching job on the line, he should be taking no risks.
After such a public scandal with Gruden, even a small issue could take Bisaccia off the list. The wound is still fresh for Mark Davis and any action that reminds him of the pain of Gruden could be met with a vicious response. Put simply, Bisaccia should be as boring as one could be.
#3 - Perform well under pressure
Mark Davis will be watching the games and if Bisaccia looks to be out of his element and making questionable decisions in-game, it would be detrimental to his candidacy. Bisaccia can't freeze on the sideline in critical moments or take questionable timeouts. Essentially, Bisaccia cannot make a decision that lose them a game.
His players should also be organized and sharp. Any "12 men in the huddle" penalty will reflect poorly on Bisaccia, as will any unsportsmanlike penalties. Basically, the Raiders will need to avoid being one of the bottom 15 teams in terms of penalties.