New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said Tuesday on SIRIUS NFL Radio that he was "surprised my quotes became bulletin board material" for the Raiders last week. What may have been a bigger shock, however, was the Raiders' 13-9 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles, especially after the way the Giants dominated the Raiders in the Meadowlands the week before, 44-7.
"You know, again, I meant no disrespect by what I said last week," Pierce said. "It was just my opinion of how I felt the game was going. But I was shocked to see how the Raiders went out there and played a very good Eagles team who we know very well. And, you know what, that's how it is in the National Football League, any given Sunday any team can go out there and play well.
"They got motivated by whatever. If it was my comments, you know, I'm happy because they beat the Eagles. But, you know what, they went out there and they played well and they got a win and it's good for the franchise."
The previous week, Pierce raised hackles when he compared the Giants beating up on the Raiders to a "scrimmage."
"I don't like knocking teams, but right now [the Raiders] are struggling," Pierce said at the time. "We were playing that game the other day and honestly if felt like a scrimmage. It felt like a practice. It felt like we were going against our offense or something like that, like the tempo, I mean, as far as there was no vibe of a one-two, or trying, or effort from the Raiders at all from a defensive standpoint against their offense. We are getting three and outs and you don't hear nobody like, 'Hey, let's go,' trying to pick the guys up, rallying them up, getting guys fired up. There was nothing. It was quiet. A guy gets sacked or somebody gets beat, they just get up. No yelling.
"It was shocking to be out there in that game and get that kind of feeling. The good thing I think about our team and what happened in that game, we went out there and handled business regardless. We didn't take our game down to that level and we kept it up to the level that we want to be playing at, a championship level. It's sad because I grew up a Raiders fan living in Los Angeles, but that organization right now, they need somebody to pick them up."
The quotes were highlighted and hung with great care around the Raiders locker room. And after beating the Eagles, Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour was asked if the quotes served as inspiration.
"Ah, I could care less about Pierce," Seymour said. "They got what the deserved today anyway."
Meaning, the Giants losing at New Orleans, 48-27.
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