The Las Vegas Riders announced their presence on Sunday evening Relief Defensive Coordinator Paul Gunther fulfills his duties. Rod Marinelli, who serves as the team’s defensive line coach, will serve as interim defensive coordinator for the rest of the season.
The Raiders gave the Indianapolis Golds 456 yards and 44 points on Sunday, reducing their record to 7-6. Had it not been for a miraculous comeback that beat the unhappy New York Jets last week, the Raiders would have been under 0.500 and four losers.
Their defense is an issue throughout the year, giving the team at least 24 points per game, but two of the eight games in 13 and 30 or more, while allowing 400 or more yards in seven games in 13 games. John Croton has been the Guardian Riders’ defensive coordinator since taking over his second post as head coach of the organization, having joined him after serving in the same role with Cincinnati Bengal for the previous four seasons. His defense in Auckland and Las Vegas continues to rank at the bottom of the league in terms of yards, scoring and performance, so it was no shock that the team decided to move on.
Meanwhile, Marinelli spent the last several seasons training in Dallas under Jason Garrett. He, along with the rest of the crew, was allowed to go to the last office, during which time he joined the Raiders along with Grouton and Gunder. He is known for playing his defense hard and fast, but the results he gets towards the tail end of his tenure in Dallas are desirable. Unless there are any dramatic changes, the same will be true in Vegas.