Inside the Raiders: Sorry Raider Nation, firing Paul Guenther isn’t a solution

The Raiders are not a good defensive team through six games. That’s being nice, considering they’re giving up 32.8 points per game. That puts the Raiders ahead of the Dallas Cowboys (34.7) and no one else.

The only time in franchise history they were worse was 1961, when the Raiders lost the first two games by a combined score of 99-0 and were giving up 38.0 points per game through the first six.

Whether it’s a weekly mailbag or the “off with his head” cyberspace environment of social media, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is in the crosshairs. The Raiders being bad on defense is nothing new and predates Guenther, but this is Year 3 in his system and more is expected. Guenther expects it. His players expect it.

The advent of social media, availability of all-22 game tape and the Madden video game has spawned a Raider Nation of experts who from the comfort of their own home who are certain they can fix what Guenther cannot.

But Guenther will be running the Raiders defense Sunday on the road against the Cleveland Browns, as well as through the rest of the season. And that’s the way it should be.

For reasons that escape me, there’s an initial bloodlust and joy that comes with coaches losing their jobs. If coach Jon Gruden canned Guenther, there would be much rejoicing.

And then what?

There are two former coordinators on staff, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and defensive backs coach Jim O’Neil. They’ve both got their hands full with units that have contributed to giving up that 32.8 points per game.

Bringing in an outside coach with nine games to play isn’t going to happen, and would be a bad idea anyway. If you want to radically change scheme, maybe switch to a 3-4 defense, you do it in the offseason assuming there’s a normal one coming up in 2021

You don’t have defenders still attempting to grasp one system make an immediate jump to another.

I asked Guenther about the criticism, some of it fair, some of it unfair, and he said he’s oblivious to it.

“Honestly, I don’t have social media. I don’t really look at it. I don’t have time to pay attention to it,” Guenther said on a video teleconference. “I come in here every morning, stay here late at night to try and put these guys in the best position to succeed. I do the best job we can with the coaches that we have so we can do the best job with these players to put them in a position to make plays, and when those plays are there to be made we got to make the play.”

What, you expected him to bare his soul? Of course Guenther hears it, and he’s got two teenage sons who have cell phones. Just because he’s paid well and criticism is part of the territory doesn’t make it easy.

But then things are seldom easy when it comes to be a Raiders coordinator. Back in 2013, Dennis Allen hired Greg Olson to replace as offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. Olson’s quarterback was to be Carson Palmer. Instead, the Raiders cut Palmer and replaced him with Matt Flynn. When Flynn faltered, Olson had to retool the offense to suit Terrelle Pryor.

The following year, Matt Schaub was brought in to play quarterback. Problem was, rookie second-round pick Derek Carr won the job, so Olson had himself a promising rookie starter with a dubious supporting cast. Olson was out the next year.

Guenther came aboard with Gruden in 2018 thinking he was going to be coaching Khalil Mack, on anybody’s shortlist of the most dominant defenders in the NFL. A generational talent. We know how that turned out.

Continuity has been a rumor. Of the 11 defensive starters in Guenther’s first game in 2018, not a single player remains. In three years, the Raiders have cycled through 66 players who have received playing time. So if it seems like Raiders defenders aren’t always on the same page, maybe it has something to do with the fact that each time they crack open a playbook there are new faces everywhere you look.

Only six players have been in the system for three years — linebackers Nicholas Morrow and Kyle Wilber, defensive end Arden Key, defensive tackles Maurice Hurst and Johnathan Hankins and and safety Erik Harris.

Useful role players, perhaps, but nothing approximating a Pro Bowl core of defenders.

The Raiders made defense an off-season priority, signing Maliek Collins and Carl Nassib on the defensive line, Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton at linebacker and Jeff Heath to play safety along with Johnathan Abram, who missed 15 games last year.

There are promising young players in Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell, Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette. An off-season with all these parts playing together was hugely important. There was none. It was the same for all 32 teams, but not everyone made as many personnel changes as the Raiders did.

So the Raiders are 3-3 through six games, a potential playoff team if the defense could go from bad to average. There are changes afoot, subtle tweaks in scheme and use of personnel more than anything dramatic.

Guenther isn’t beyond criticism, but a lot of the Raiders struggles have been due to circumstances beyond his control. He deserves the rest of the season to figure it out.

OFFENSE IS ALL WET

The forecast in Cleveland Sunday calls for rain, and the Raiders’ offense practiced accordingly.

“Today we spent a number of periods with what we call wet ball, where we have the managers,the guys that are spotting the ball, they squirt water on the football,” Olson said. “We had our wide receivers and quarterbacks wearing their wet-weather gloves, so we had a good day of that today and we’ll do the same tomorrow as well.”

WAITING ON TRENT

Right tackle Trent Brown was not removed from the COVID-19 reserve list list, meaning he remains under quarantine. The Raiders depart for Cleveland Friday, so he’ll need to be cleared before then.

Gruden said Wednesday he hoped to have Brown available.

Tackle Sam Young, first in line to replace Brown, is limited with a knee injury. He’s backed up by Brandon Parker.

Also limited in practice were cornerback Keisean Nixon (groin), wide receiver Brian Edwards (ankle), Carl Nassib (toe), Josh Jacobs (knee) and Mailek Collins (shoulder). Key has not practiced all week because of a foot injury and center Rodney Hudson has sat out both practices for maintenance purposes.