Antonio Pierce Says He Plans To Institute "The Jordan Rules" When The Raiders Play The Chiefs, Which Essentially Means Kicking The Shit Out Of Patrick Mahomes Whenever They Can
Jeff Bottari. Getty Images.
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PFT- Before Michael Jordan won the first of his six NBA championships, his Chicago Bulls were eliminated in the playoffs three straight years by the Detroit Pistons. Those Pistons teams were known for their “Jordan rules,” a game plan specifically designed for Jordan. Now Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is taking inspiration for that as he prepares his team to face Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes two (or three) times a season, for years to come.
Pierce appeared on Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby’s podcast and talked about how the Raiders need to be as single-minded in their approach to shutting down Mahomes as the Pistons were in shutting down Jordan.
“We’ve got the Jordan rules and we’ve got what I’m calling now, from now on as long as I’m here, the Patrick Mahomes rules,” Pierce said. “You remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the ’80s before he became Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whip his ass. Any time he came to the hole, elbows, feeling him, love taps. We’re in his head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I’m touching you. So I showed my guys Jordan getting his ass whooped.”
Pierce said he shows the Raiders clips from boxing and UFC fights to show them the kind of aggression he wants from his defense, and he said he needs his team to have a fighter’s mentality toward Mahomes and the Chiefs. “We’ve got to knock off the head of the snake. Fifteen. Hate the color red,” Pierce said. “There’s a hatred for the Chiefs.”
Let's send it to Al Davis is in the afterlife to get his feelings on The Mahomes Rules:
Co-sign Al.
Now I'm by no means a Raiders fan and have no beef with Patrick Mahomes since he has been constantly breaking my brain since he became QB1 in KC and has started winning me money now that I have instituted my "Never Bet Against Patrick Mahomes In The Playoffs You Big Fat Dummy" Rule (#DKPartner). But damn it feels good for the silver and black to have a coach that has the Raiders once again acting like the Autumn Wind, pillaging just for fun. He'll knock you 'round and upside down, and laugh when he's conquered and won.
The NFL is indisputably more fun when the flagship teams embrace their roots, like when the Steelers are in a mucky defensive battle for the AFC North crown, the Cowboys offense powering them into being in the mix of the NFC (preferably before gagging in a massive spot), and the Raiders acting as the bad boy team that does whatever they want on and off the field.
I admittedly have no clue how much Pierce's strategy will work considering you can get a 15 yard roughing penalty for looking at a QB too hard, let alone the poster boy of the NFL whose teammate is dating the golden ticket to making millions of women football fans. But creating The Mahomes Rules is as good a strategy as any to stopping the Chiefs during this run considering the only other strategy that has worked in taking Mahomes down is the Have Tom Brady Or Joe Burrow As Your Quarterback strategy. So desperate times call for desperate measures, which means doing shit like this on a football field, even if it results in Roger Goodell filing charges against your defense in the Southern District Court of New York like he has against countless other players.
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Again, I have no clue if any of this will knock Mahomes out of a game or get in his head to the point he stops acting like a cheat code every time he steps on the field. But something tells me Maxx Crosby is not going to have a problem enforcing any of the Mahomes Rules moving forward.