ALAMEDA, Calif. -- If you want a glimpse at what the Oakland Raiders defense of the near future should look like under new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, take a gander at the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Specifically, the guys in purple.
Guenther took on a trait or 10 from Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer during their time together in Cincinnati, when Zimmer was the Bengals' defensive coordinator and Guenther was his linebackers coach.
“I think structurally they’re very, very similar ... 80, 90 percent of the defense, the calls, the fronts, the coverages, the terminology is all about the same,” Guenther, who was elevated to defensive coordinator in Cincinnati when Zimmer left for Minnesota in 2014, said of how his defensive mentality resembles that of Zimmer.