Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers: 3 up and 3 down

Paul Guenther

Gruden isn’t the only coach who’s letting his ego affect his game plan. Guenther is so strung on about some of his players, (ex. Reggie Nelson) that he’ll play them even if they’re not producing. You can tell he’s so unsure by the way he continues to rotate the corners.

He doesn’t base his defense by the best players, he does it off who he likes. It’s not even so much of who is a fit in his scheme. I don’t know how he scales it, but if he likes you you’ll play regardless. That’s likely why this defense has been so horrible through five games.

To allow seven yards per play is just a straight dumpster fire. The players aren’t doing their part either, but Guenther isn’t doing much to mask his defenses deficiencies. When the Raiders brought in Guenther, I thought we’d see a much improved defense, even without Khalil Mack.

It really couldn’t have gotten worse than Ken Norton jr, but apparently it is. I understand these aren’t the players the team is going to keep moving forward, but he’s not even making do with what he has. He too is not adapting to his players strength.

For example, cornerback Rashaan Melvin is at his best when he’s allowed to jam his receiver. His long arms allow for great recovery to jump back into coverage if he slips. Yet Guenther refuses to let him do his thing. It’s my way or the highway and coaches with that mentality will never succeed in the NFL.

Adapt or die is the motto in the NFL and clearly it’s proving truthful with this defense.