Richard Skinner

rskinner@nky.com

Coming off a season in which the Bengals ranked third in the NFL in fewest yards allowed and tied for fifth in the fewest points allowed, there wouldn't seem to be cause to make many changes, but new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has plans to make some, and not just because he wants to put his own stamp on the unit.

The Bengals open training camp Thursday, which is when Guenther will continue installing a scheme he started in offseason practices that calls for using multiple fronts more often than the standard four-man front the team mainly used under former coordinator Mike Zimmer and more blitzing.

"We finished third in defense last year in the NFL, and it got us one and out again, so my thing is that (if) we finished 10th in the league on defense and we get in the Super Bowl, then how do you define success?" Guenther said Tuesday before the team's annual media luncheon. "To me there's a fine line there. Certainly I know the scheme and how we had it. I took notes of things I wanted to implement once I got this opportunity."

Guenther has been an assistant with the Bengals since 2005 and was predecessor Mike Zimmer's right-hand man on game days the last few seasons. He's hoping that experience along with the changes he wants to make will help the Bengals finally achieve the postseason success that has evaded them each of the last three seasons.

"The only difference in my job now is that I'm calling the defenses on Sundays and I've got to coach all the positions," said Guenther. "I know the schemes. I know the players. I've added to the scheme. Being up in the box with Zim, 95 percent of the calls he made, I made them two seconds before him. It's all about situations in the game and matchups. I've kept a journal through the six years of stuff I would add: I would do this a little differently; I'd do that a little differently. I did it through the spring."

He learned from his days as an offensive assistant under Steve Spurrier in Washington in 2002 and 2003 that the more confusion a defense can show protection schemes and quarterbacks, the better.

"I learned a lot about how teams try to attack protections and it was invaluable because a lot of coaches don't get to go to the other side of the ball like that," said Guenther. "I do want to put more pressure on the quarterback, make them make throws in crucial situations, but there's going to be times when we're going to need to cover. Maybe we don't have a great matchup on the outside with a wide receiver, but we can't have a guy one-on-one out there. So you've got to pick and choose your spots and when you're going to do it. If I see a team now that has a hole in the protection, I'm going to attack it until they fix it, and once they fix it, we'll do different things. It's all going to depend on the opponent, team and situations. There's some different ways of pressure. Different fronts, different ways of how I can get guys matched up on maybe the worst offensive lineman on the team. Just simple little things that can make us better."

He's going to hold players accountable throughout training camp for learning the new scheme as well.

"Every day a player is going to come down and get on the board and I'll say, 'What if this happens? What if that happens?' and go through it," said Guenther. "I would be surprised if there are many guys that come down into the room and couldn't do it because that's how much respect each and every one of these guys have for each other.

Much of the personnel Guenther inherits is the same as last season, except for free agent defensive end Michael Johnson, who left for Tampa Bay. Guenther should also get tackle Geno Atkins back after he missed the final seven games last season after tearing his ACL, cornerback Leon Hall back after he missed the final nine games due to a torn right Achilles tendon, and, outside linebacker Emmanuel Lamur back after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the 2013 preseason finale.

Head coach Marvin Lewis said Atkins won't be cleared to practice when camp begins Thursday, but Guenther said he expects Atkins to be ready by the time the regular season opens Sept. 7 in Baltimore. Lewis said Hall is expected to begin practice Thursday.

Guenther is especially excited to get Lamur back.

"When he got hurt last year in that fourth preseason game I almost fainted," said Guenther. "There are a lot of things you can do with him. He can cover tight ends and as we know now in the league there are a lot of pass receiving tight ends that we're going to face, particularly probably in the first ball game. He gives you great ability to change the look of the fronts. Having him back is a big advantage for us."

While much was written and said about Zimmer's ability to get the most of his players in his six seasons as coordinator, Lewis said he expects the transition to Guenther to be a smooth one.

"Players play hard for themselves," said Lewis. "They don't play hard for me or Mike. Mike held them to a high standard of play and practice and I think that's important. Paul understands that. Paul has been in that room and been a big part of that. It's good when you elevate from within. We know the plusses and minuses where we've been as a defensive team. He's going to have to grow and develop as a play caller, that's something he hasn't done, but I like where we are right now. They will work their tails off and they'll win games and play hard for Paul. More importantly, you want to develop the feeling they're playing hard for each other. That's the thing you want to have because coaches are going to come and go, unfortunately."