Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez that he fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler because he didn't think they were moving the Raiders forward.

"Unfortunately, I had great hopes for Josh and Dave," Davis said. "It just seemed we were going in the wrong direction. So, with the trade deadline, I just felt it was time to make a change, time to make a move."

Davis said he chose Antonio Pierce as interim head coach because he likes Pierce's intensity.

Davis said he believes Pierce will focus on the big picture as the team's leader and will delegate play calling and other responsibilities to the coaching staff.

"Seemed like a fresh approach," Davis said. "Seemed like the adjustment we need at this time. I was impressed."

Davis said he'll be hands-off with Pierce and interim general manager Champ Kelly, allowing both of them to make the moves they believe are best for the rest of the season.

Pierce, at his introductory press conference said he knows what the expectations are for the Raiders franchise.

"The Raider pride. The commitment to excellence. And making sure our alumni, our fans, and Raider Nation are proud of what they see on the field," Pierce said. "We're tired of losing. It's not a good feeling. We're a production-based business."

In addition to McDaniels, the Raiders also fired offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, but Pierce says the rest of the staff is committed to what they're doing going forward.

"We're on the same page," Pierce said. "We had a great team meeting."

Meanwhile, it's worth noting Pierce doesn't have much NFL coaching experience.

After 10 seasons as a player with both Washington and the Giants, Pierce became a high-school coach in 2014. After four years, he joined Herm Edwards's staff at Arizona State.

Pierce elevated from linebackers coach to associate head coach to co-defensive coordinator to defensive coordinator. For his entire tenure with the Sun Devils, Pierce served as recruiting coordinator.

He resigned in early 2022, amid an NCAA investigation regarding recruiting violations.

Pierce then joined Josh McDaniels' staff with the Raiders, as linebackers coach. That's the extent of Pierce's NFL experience.

Of course, as Profootballatlk.com notes, that's a lot more experience than Jeff Saturday had a year ago. Also, the Colts' staff had multiple former NFL head coaches who could have taken over the team. The Raiders had limited options on their current staff.

It's a great opportunity for Pierce to get experience and name recognition in coaching circles.

And if he's successful, maybe Davis will give Pierce more consideration than Davis gave his last interim coach, Rich Bisaccia.

Meanwhile, receiver Davante Adams is as frustrated as anyone about the Raiders' 3-5 start. He made that public numerous times, most recently after Monday's loss to the Lions.

Adams, though, made clear Thursday he is not cheering the firings of Ziegler and McDaniels.

"At this point, don't get it confused, it's not a celebration that we have a new coach and changes were made," Adams said, via NFL Media. "Obviously, I think it was time one way or the other, it was time for some sort of change. Just to bring a little juice in and revitalize the team a little bit."

Against the Lions, Adams had seven targets and one catch for 11 yards, which came on the first play of the second half. He dropped a third-down pass that was slightly behind him and twice was wide open for what might have been 60- and 98-yard touchdowns, but Jimmy Garoppolo didn't give him a chance with wildly off-target throws.

The Raiders also benched Garoppolo for rookie Aidan O'Connell this week.

Adams has 47 catches for 539 yards and three scores in eight games. That puts him on pace for his worst statistical season since 2019 when he played only 12 games with the Packers.

The Jets called about a trade for Adams before Tuesday's deadline, but he remains with the team, at least through this season.

"As I've said countless times, I want to be a Raider," Adams said. "So, I want to try to make this work and do everything I can to keep it going."

Worth noting. ... Adams' high in receiving yards over the past five weeks is 75.

As NBC Sports' Kyle Dvorchak notes, the last time Davante went five games without a 100-yard performance in a season was in 2017. Since his breakout, nothing has been able to slow Adams for this long of a stretch. That was, of course, until he met Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and O'Connell. ...

In his two appearances this season, O'Connell completed 34-of-52 for 313 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

In his one start, O'Connell targets Adams 13 times, Josh Jacobs 11, and then Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow four times each.

And what about Jacobs?

The start halfback has failed to live up to last season's production and the lofty expectations that were placed on him in the preseason, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been a useful fantasy option.

Jacobs is coming off a strong game where he scored more than 16 fantasy points for the third time in his last five contests. He has scored at least 16 and as many as 27 fantasy points in games where he scores a touchdown. NFL Network's Michael F. Florio believes this could be one of those upside games, as he faces a Giants defense that's allowed the fifth-most rushing yards, third-most rushing touchdowns and ninth-most fantasy PPG to running backs.

FantasyPros' Derek Brown agrees, noting the Giants have been a run funnel all season, and losing Leonard Williams this week won't change that.

New York has given up the fifth-highest explosive run rate and the 13th-highest yards after contact per attempt while also having the third-lowest stuff rate.

And did I mention those 11 targets Jacobs drew in O'Connell's previous start?

As DraftKings Network's Chet Gresham suggested, for a rookie it makes sense to target one of the best receivers in the league or check it down to your top running back.

Jacobs and Adams should remain in lineups.