Giants Fans Getting Excited About Wrong Raiders Coach

New York Giants fans have a thing for bringing back one of their own. Arch Manning is the unofficial heir to the quarterback throne, and with defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s seat warming, the eyes of the fanbase have wandered to the open market. That includes newly-fired Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, whose lasting NFL legacy is his contributions to New York’s Super Bowl win in 2007. As a defensive-minded head coach presiding over a decent defense, he has his fair share of fans. But a better option would be his defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham. Fans brave enough to remember the Joe Judge era know that Graham has already been the Giants defensive coordinator from 2020–2021. New York’s defense ranked 16th and 21st in expected points added per play, respectively, during his tenure.

Bowen hasn’t been fired, and head coach Brian Daboll hasn’t suggested that he’s close to pulling the trigger. Graham, though, performed better with similar talent. The Giants’ defense ranked 29th and 28th in expected points added per play and success rate in 2024. The Raiders, meanwhile, ranked 16th and 11th in each of those categories. Graham is a former Bill Belichick position coach who also took on defensive line coaching duties for New York under head coach Ben McAdoo. He’s found success at multiple stops at the NFL level, which if frankly more than Pierce can say.