Paul Guenther shifts out of Mike Zimmer’s shadow

When Mike Zimmer left his post as Cincinnati defensive coordinator to become head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, the Bengals instantly moved to secure Paul Guenther as his in-house replacement.

After all, Zimmer authored arguably the greatest string of defensive seasons in franchise history. The selling point of Guenther made perfect sense.

He was Zimmer’s right-hand man, after all.

During Guenther’s introductory press conference, the first question and answer of his tenure centered around the connection to his former boss.

“Since the first day he got here,” Guenther said on Jan. 16, 2013, “I’ve been by his side most of the time.”

In many ways, Zimmer never left his side. Or at least, his shadow remained. Zimmer goes down as one of the most beloved assistant coaches in Bengals history. Within the I-275 belt, following Zimmer amounts to George Seifert following Bill Walsh, Barry Switzer following Jimmy Johnson or whatever poor soul must follow Bill Belichick.

For any mention of the Bengals' defensive personnel over the past two years, an underlying footnote attached. Sure, they have talent, but can Guenther weave the magic of his predecessor?

He understood that added to the list of challenges.

“He was a fan favorite here,” Guenther said. “A lot of the people liked him so, yeah, you are following a guy who did a great job here people will always compare you to that guy.”

Stepping out of a shadow the size of Paul Brown Stadium takes time. It takes seasons. It takes grand stages.

It takes a year like this one. It takes a game like Monday night's.

Without Andy Dalton at quarterback and AJ McCarron in his second career start against a Denver defense leading the NFL in yards allowed, this unofficial playoff game falls into the lap of the defense.

If the Bengals win, Guenther shifts further out of the Zimmer shadow and deservedly into his own postseason spotlight.

Don’t expect him to care about such repercussions. He’s never been about those intangible pressures since taking over the job two years ago. He’s all about being defined by your bottom line. He will be again Monday.

“First thing I want to do is win,” Guenther said. “This is a huge game. It’s going to be paramount in this game to keep the score down … Ultimately, what I told those guys is what I always tell them. Play to the best of our ability and at the end of the run, whatever the standings say, that’s what we are. In the playoff hunt. In the statistical hunt. All that stuff.”

‘HOW DO YOU MAKE IT BETTER?’

What many might not have realized fawning over the offense’s torrid start was Guenther’s defense this year is on pace to set the franchise record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season. That dates back to 1978.

This year they are allowing just 17.4 points per game, best in the NFL.

Completing the average would mean 278 points on the year. The Bengals' record is 284, set in 1978.

“That would be pretty cool, 1978?” Guenther said when informed of the stats. “That’s a lot of years.”

Zimmer placed two teams (2009, 2013) in the top five of the category. Guenther could accomplish a feat Zimmer never did. You better believe that’s been brought up during the weekly phone calls the two still share during the season.

On Monday or Tuesday every week, the calls are part shop talk, part chop-busting. The two began together on the ground floor of a defensive system they spun off a portion of Jim Johnson’s Eagles in 2008. It’s known by the two linebackers lined up over the center as the Double-A gap scheme. At the time, they created a new wave of defense. Guenther equates it to the spread offense. Once the league saw the success, copycat schemes popped up all over the place.

Guenther coached linebackers, had been in the building since 2005 and specialized in the third-down gameplan during Zimmer’s tenure. Continuity and knowledge of the system set him up, but successfully making his own adjustments, trouble-shooting and motivation on the team were the variables.

“With Paulie, he recognized it was a good system,” defensive backs coach Vance Joseph said. “For him, it was never being compared to Zim, but how do you make it better? He’s put his spin on it.”

Few can deny it’s working. Looking at defensive drive stats, the Bengals are tied for first in percentage of touchdowns allowed. Only the Seahawks (22) allowed fewer total touchdowns than the Bengals.

Cincinnati also ranks tied for second in percentage of drives ended in a score - and in the top ten in drives ending in a turnover.

Deciphering meaningful stats in the scope of winning differs depending on your background, but the Bengals focus on third-down defense (rank 13th), red-zone defense (5th), points allowed (1st) and turnover margin (t-4th).

“Just so happens we’re good in all of them,” Joseph said.

‘HE DESERVES THE CREDIT FOR IT’

One trait Guenther admits he adopted from Zimmer was the blunt truth coaching style. During practices, he won’t be heard as loudly - or let’s say eloquently - as the former DC, but that’s all part of being himself even under the same principles.

“I’m a teacher, I teach, I explain,” Guenther said. “I say we are in this defense and this is why we’re going to run this defense. I think these guys are pro athletes. They want to know how you can make them better. Everybody has different styles. Ultimately you have to be yourself. That’s what I’ve been.”

His teaching began as a 25-year-old head coach at Ursinus College, a small Division III school in Collegeville, Pa. He became a defensive coordinator immediately out of school, then was promoted to head coach. He was the youngest person on his own staff.

“My first meeting was in front of 300 people — 100 recruits and their parents,” he said. “You got to make budget, timeout here, go for it on fourth down, two open games on schedule next year, equipment, travel, all that’s thrown on you. I go out on Sundays (now) and say, I have to call a defense? That’s it.”

Guenther placed a focus this offseason on assuring that reserves saw more time in OTAs and camp, so when injuries struck he wouldn’t feel as hamstrung as his 2014 season. It paid off with backup safety Shawn Williams making critical interceptions against Pittsburgh and San Francisco. Reserve cornerback Josh Shaw played well as Adam Jones and Darqueze Dennard couldn’t play in front of him. His close relationship with Vontaze Burfict proved paramount in ramping up his return from microfracture surgery to assuming a full role for the playoffs.

“He’s done a really good job of the players having a great feel for his vision of it and how it applies,” Marvin Lewis said. “The guys are doing a good job of going out on Sunday of saying these are the things that are important for us to do, let’s get that done.”

At 44, he ranks among a young subset in his industry. Most defensive coordinators in the league are in their 50s and 60s. Wade Phillips, his opponent Monday, was in his first year as a high school defensive coordinator the year Guenther was born.

This young group of coordinators are storming the league. Seattle’s Kris Richard (36), New England’s Matt Patricia (41) and Carolina’s Sean McDermott (41) all boast top defenses approaching a playoff run. Guenther and the Bengals’ numbers say he belongs, but these are the truly defining games for coaches.

Regardless of his age, in big games, basics remain in Guenther’s eyes.

“Believe in your principles and believe in the system you have,” he said. “That’s the thing with Zim, he taught me this system. It always goes back to the fundamentals, hey, you get something funky you go back to this. There’s core values to everything we do. We believe in the system, players believe in the system, we sell it that way and players respond.”

A portion of Zimmer will always remain in Cincinnati, but for those paying close attention, with every game this season the lingering shadow inched away. Comparisons still exist, but the latest comparison could have Guenther owning a franchise record and first postseason bye since 1988.

“Comparisons are going to happen any place when you follow someone who had the production (Zimmer) had, but Paul’s done a pretty damn good job in his own right,” special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said. “I don’t consider him being under that shadow anymore. He’s his own guy. He’s the one that has to call the game. It’s his calls. It’s his stuff. It may have principles behind it from the past but he’s still the one making the calls at the critical times so he deserves the credit for it.”