Oakland Raiders

John Marshall played coy when asked how his Oakland Raiders defense would differ from the one run the previous five seasons under former coordinator Rob Ryan.

Marshall said he preferred to wait and let others make the judgment, saying all he knew was that "my hair won't be as long" as the wild-haired Ryan. The Raiders are hoping that the differences in Marshall's defense are much more substantial than hairdos.

Oakland's new defensive coordinator spoke to the media for the first time since being hired in the offseason, vowing to fix the shoddy run defense by focusing on fundamentals and to do whatever it takes to "bring pressure" on the opposing quarterback.

The switch from Ryan to Marshall was one of the most substantial the Raiders made on defense after last season, with nine of the 11 starters from the second half of the season back in Oakland this year.

Ryan had been one of the few constants on the team during his five years as defensive coordinator. The team went through four head coaches, four offensive coordinators and six offensive play-callers in that span, posting a 20-60 record.

Ryan endured through it all, surviving even after former coach Lane Kiffin wanted him replaced following the 2007 season. While he did have some success, most notably with the third-ranked defense in 2006 when Oakland's offense was so bad that the opposing teams spent most of the second halves running out the clock, the Raiders defense under Ryan was often a problem.

In his five years, the Raiders allowed an NFL-worst 101 rushing touchdowns and the second-most yards per game at 138.7. Oakland's 154 sacks in that span were the seventh fewest in the league.

The run defense was one of the glaring weaknesses that stood out for Marshall when he watched film of every game from the past two seasons after taking over the job. He said the talent was there to succeed, but players were too often in the wrong spots.

"That has everything to do with technique, and it has a whole lot to do with attitude and tackling," Marshall said. "Those are the areas, disengaging blockers, fundamentals."

Marshall has been an NFL defensive coordinator in four other stops since entering the league in 1980. He ran defenses in Atlanta, San Francisco, Carolina and Seattle before being hired by the Raiders. He won two Super Bowls as an assistant with the 49ers and a national championship in college with Southern California.

He has placed a heavy emphasis on fundamentals this training camp, making sure players know where they are supposed to be so that all the gaps are filled on each play.

"I've never been of the belief you can't teach old dogs new tricks," he said. "You just kind of have to stay with it longer, have patience and push them harder. Sure, it's a matter of developing new habits for these guys and that's not easy. That's why the transition is not easy on the players."

The Raiders under owner Al Davis have almost always been a man-to-man defense team that rarely blitzes. Davis is known for his involvement on defense, with players and former coaches talking about how he helps shapes the philosophy of his team.

Marshall says he enjoyed his opportunity to talk football with Davis, who was once again out at practice Friday afternoon.

"I know he knows defense," Marshall said. "The great thing is, is he is like me. He's long in the tooth and he's old school. It's line up, there's your guy, cover him. And there goes the ball, you go out there and tackle him. ... He's old school. Keep it simple and play hard. And he's very smart. He knows his football. Believe me."

Marshall says he has never had the cornerbacks to run as much man-to-man defense as the Raiders will employ. They have been showing more blitzes in practice this training camp, but some of that may be to prepare the offense for what opposing teams will bring. Marshall said that if the defensive line can't generate enough pressure on the quarterback, then he will start sending extra rushers.

For players who have been here awhile, they want to see what happens in games before believing there has been a change.

"That's like a wait-and-see type of thing because even in camps previously we were doing a lot of blitzing and doing multiple things defensively and then we got into games and we were pretty basic," star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "So, it's like a wait-and-see type of thing."







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