The biggest hire an offensive-minded head coach has to make is his defensive coordinator. Jon Gruden selected Paul Guenther to fill that role in Oakland. Considering that the Raiders haven’t seen a capable defense in a long, long time, there is even more pressure on Guenther to field a respectable unit.



To get a better idea about what sort of coach Guenther is behind the scenes, I talked to former NFL linebacker A.J. Hawk, who played for Guenther in his second year as defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015. Hawk played in the league for 11 years under several defensive coordinators and offered a unique perspective on what makes Guenther different.



What are Guenther’s expectations for his players?



“He takes pride in all 11 guys knowing the scheme and knowing what other guys are doing. He’ll ask defensive linemen, ‘Hey, what does the linebacker have on this play? What are his responsibilities?’, things like...