Antonio Pierce, head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, is gone due to…

The Raiders’ defense has improved this year, and he has invigorated the previously lifeless locker room. Conversely, Pierce has had trouble making judgments during games; he frequently punts on the side of the field where the opposition is playing and wastes timeouts.

All of that might not matter if owner Mark Davis is already determined to pursue a coach like Jim Harbaugh, who has guided Michigan to the national championship game against Washington on Monday, and to once again follow the bright light.

But Sunday’s season finale against the Denver Broncos could mean more to coach and staff if Davis is still thinking about taking the interim tag off Pierce’s job title.

“Everything will ultimately be evaluated based on wins and losses, and I believe that’s fair and the purpose of this industry,” Pierce remarked. However, I also believe that it has to do with the foundation you develop. And I believe that overall, over the course of these eight or nine weeks, we have established a strong foundation for ourselves as a group and as a company, one that will allow us to look back and say, “Well, those are the things that went well, and there are some other things that we can do better.”