NAPA — Paul Guenther isn’t a household name, and his face is certainly not going to be plastered on any Silver and Black billboards or personal seat license brochures, but when it comes to getting the Raiders back on the right track after a disastrous 6-10 season, he’s every bit as important as Derek Carr, Marshawn Lynch, and even the $100 million coach, Jon Gruden.
Yes, the Raiders’ offense will need to bounce back to 2016 levels for the Raiders to contend for the playoffs in 2018, but the defense will have to make an even larger leap.