‘We need a new voice right now’: Jon Gruden explains the firing of Paul Guenther
After another bad performance by the Las Vegas Raiders defense, calls to find a new defensive coordinator re-erupted on Twitter.
Within a few hours after the game, those calls were answered.
Indianapolis had its way against the porous Raiders in a 44-27 Colts win Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
The dismal performance dealt a serious blow to the Raiders’ playoff chances and delivered a fatal one to Paul Guenther’s career as the team’s defensive chief. He was fired, with a brief statement from the team announcing the move.
“The Raiders have relieved Paul Guenther of his duties as defensive coordinator,” the statement read. “Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli will serve as interim defensive coordinator for the remainder of the 2020 season.”
On Monday, Raiders coach Jon Gruden spoke about the firing of Guenther.
“It is a very tough decision we made,” he said. “Paul is a great friend and a great coach. He’s given a great effort here for 2 1/2 years, and it’s a very tough circumstance with COVID and players coming and going. All the injuries. We need a new voice right now and new energy and with three games left, we’ll let Rod Marinelli call the plays.”
Marinelli served as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator from 2014-2019.
“We have a good staff and a lot of young players and we want to service those players the best way we can with a new voice and a new energy and a guy who has a lot of experience in tough situations. I’m really excited about our football team. We did some good things yesterday in spite of some of the things we didn’t do well.”
All season, the Raiders defense has not played well. The eye test and the raw numbers are proof, and the unit will fall further down the rankings in most of the significant statistical categories.
Las Vegas entered the game with the fifth-most missed tackles with 103, according to Pro Football Focus, and only added to that total in Week 14.
The Raiders were 29th in the league with 15 sacks, just ahead of the Titans and Cincinnati Bengals, and did not pick up any more Sunday.
In fact, the Raiders put little to no pressure at all on Colts quarterback Philip Rivers.
Las Vegas began the day 22nd in the NFL in total defense, giving up 379.2 yards per game. Indianapolis netted 456 yards, including a staggering 212 on the ground.
“It wasn’t good enough today,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “Defensively, we had no answer. You can’t give up that many yards rushing and not get to the quarterback and lose the turnover margin and expect to win in this league.
“We got stuck on some blocks, we mis-fit some runs and we paid for it big time. No answer today, but we better find some answers and as soon as I’m done here, we’ll start searching.”
Las Vegas’ passing defense was ranked 24th, allowing 257.1 yards per game. Rivers “only” threw for 244, but did not have an interception.
The Raiders’ 10 interceptions as a team had them no better than mid-pack in the NFL through last week.
Raiders under Paul Guenther
Guenther became the Raiders’ defensive coordinator in 2018. Final numbers from his previous seasons are just about as ugly.
Here is how the Raiders have ranked under Guenther:
▪ In 2018, the Raiders were ranked 26th overall in defense while also giving up the most points (467) in the NFL.
Against the pass they were 19th (240.8 yards per game) and the run defense was 30th (140.6).
The Raiders were 14th in interceptions (14) and last in fumble recoveries with three.
▪ In 2019, the Raiders were better than the year before, ranking 19th in the league in total defense (354.8) but still were 24th in points allowed (419).
Though the run defense was eighth (98.1), the Raiders were 25th against the pass (256.7), 29th in interceptions (9) and 28th (6) in fumble recoveries.
Raiders draft and free agency moves
How much of it can be blamed on the personnel that Guenther was given? While the coordinator likely has some input, it’s Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock making the final calls on who is added to the roster.
In the 2018 NFL draft, the Raiders selected defensive tackle P.J. Hall, defensive end Arden Key, cornerback Nick Nelson, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst and linebacker Azeem Victor.
Of those players, only Key and Hurst remain on the roster.
In 2019, the Raiders went with defensive end Clelin Ferrell, safety Johnathan Abram, cornerback Trayvon Mullen, defensive end Maxx Crosby, cornerback Isaiah Johnson and defensive end Quinton Bell.
In 2020, the Raiders selected cornerback Damon Arnette, linebacker Tanner Muse and cornerback Amik Robertson.
Bell among the 2019-20 selections is no longer with the team.
It remains to be seen how those still with the club will pan out as their careers progress, but Crosby did have 10 sacks in his rookie season and Ferrell is showing improvements this year (though he left Sunday’s game because of a shoulder injury).
The Raiders clearly miss Ferrell whenever he’s out: They were 0-2 while he was on the COVID-19 list this season.
Las Vegas also went heavy on defense in free agency in the offseason, signing linebackers Cory Littleton (3 years, $35.25 million), Nick Kwiatkoski (3 years, $21 million), defensive end Carl Nassib (3 years, $25 million), defensive tackle Maliek Collins (1 year, $6 million) and safety Jeff Heath (2 years, $6 million).
So far, Littleton and Collins haven’t exactly panned out under Guenther’s direction; Nassib hasn’t even been inactive in the past two games.
Fans came after Guenther again
Raider NatIon wanted change. Fast. In fact, they were ready to dump him after a 45-20 loss to Tampa Bay in Week 7 — if not sooner.
During the course of this week’s game, as the Colts bullied their way past the 200-yard mark on the ground and Rivers connected with T.Y. Hilton for 86 yards and two touchdowns, fans reached another breaking point.
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, a huge Raiders fan, tweeted “We the worse defense in the NFL.”
A fan-driven petition called for the Raiders to fire Guenther. It was well on its way Sunday night to its simple goal of 100 signatures.
Lance Marlow started the drive, writing that “week in and week out Derek Carr and this offense are forced to play at an unreasonably high level just to make up for the disaster that is the Raiders defense. They are wasting talent on both sides of the ball.
“Poor coaching, poor play calling, and bad preparation is costing this team. The fans will no longer stand for this mediocrity. We demand that Paul Guenther is relieved of his duties. It is time for a change.”
Carr, for his part, sidestepped laying the blame on the defense.
“My job is to take care of the football and my job is to move it,” Carr said. “I didn’t do that good enough today. It is what it is.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 7:35 PM.
