Raiders defensive coaches under pressure to lead turnaround

The spotlight will be squarely on new Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley this season as he tries to perform a complete overhaul on a defense that was hemorrhaging yards and points to opponents last year.

He won’t be attempting to perform the emergency procedure by himself, though.

Bradley brought a pair of veteran assistants with him as he tries to turn the individual talent on defense into a cohesive unit.

Ron Milus is in charge of defensive backs and Richard Smith is coaching linebackers, just as they did under Bradley with the Chargers.

Head coach Jon Gruden, who brought in Bradley this offseason after firing his close friend Paul Guenther late last season, has taken note of their work.

“They don’t get enough credit,” he said of Smith and Milus. “They’ve been not only with Gus for a while, they’ve been in the league a long time. When you sit down with Milus, if you do a one-on-one with him, he’s at the top of the list in terms of secondary coaches.

“Addison Lynch, his assistant, is a young guy I think has a real huge upside. Reminds me of a young (Mike) Tomlin and Raheem Morris when I was in Tampa. So we got a great energy there.”

Bradley’s other top assistant adds value as well.

“I think Richard Smith brings us the veteran presence,” Gruden said. “He coached for the Houston Oilers. He can really rely on a lot of information. Quality guy, quality guy for our young coaches and players to look up to.”

Still, it’s going to be Bradley who gets the credit or blame for how the defense performs. The unit was torched for 29.9 points per game and gave up several late leads for a team that was in the playoff picture until late in the season.

Gruden and offensive coordinator Greg Olson provide continuity for an offense that was efficient and effective. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia also returns and commands a group that showed significant improvement.

Gruden and Olson know tweaks are needed, starting with finishing more drives with touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.

But offense and special teams did not keep the Raiders from making the playoffs last season. It was the defense.

Gruden has enjoyed watching the group make progress.

“It’s been fun to watch,” he said. “No disrespect to Paul (Guenther). We have a completely different group of players, too. Gus is a high-energy coach. He’s upbeat, positive, philosophical, fun to be around. He makes you laugh, but he also pushes you. I think what’s going to make this defense go is how we rush the passer, how it goes up front.”

Bradley has new tools to play with that could help in that area, but a great deal of focus will be on the Legion of Boom scheme he made famous in Seattle and has brought with him to stops in Jacksonville and with the Chargers.

Now the Raiders will find out if it will work with their personnel.

Bradley thinks they are off to a good start.

“As far as their mindset, these guys have been hungry from the day I walked in. My understanding is that’s how they were last year. too,” he said. “They want to learn. They want to do well, so it’s been very good. I’ve been very pleased, as well as our staff with their mindset.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.