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    Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer

CINCINNATI -- Perhaps the most important message Paul Guenther relayed to his players Monday was this: that after the defensive display in Sunday's 33-13 win at Oakland on Sunday, teams are going to be monitoring the Cincinnati Bengals' every post-whistle, overly intense move.

"I told them we are on the reel now. We're on the bad boy reel in the NFL," said Guenther, the Bengals' second-year defensive coordinator. "I'm sure San Diego is going to turn their plays in and they are going to be looking for them."

The Bengals host the Chargers on Sunday.

Guenther made a point to mention that to his players because he was simultaneously giddy and incensed by what he saw during film review the day after the dominating win. He saw taunting penalties, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, personal foul infractions and a fracas that nearly had one of players ejected and could have completely changed the tenor of the game.

While a defensive coach wants players habitually toeing the line of lawlessness, he also wants them to be mindful of how certain actions can be detrimental to the team. Had the Raiders taken advantage of all the 15-yard penalties, much like they did on one fourth-quarter taunting penalty that came when corner Dre Kirkpatrick leaned over and signaled an incomplete pass in the face of Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree, then the game might have been a little closer.

"Listen, when you are playing defense in the NFL you can't be nice," Guenther said. "But at the same time you can't be stupid. I told the team we don't want to back down to anyone, but we've got to be smart. We made the thing last year about being 'smart bullies.' You got to be physical, you got to be violent. That's what this game is, it's a man's game. Especially when you're a defender. There is a difference between being physical and violent and tough and being stupid. I always tell them more games are lost than they are won and the Bengals can't beat the Bengals."

It was cornerback Adam Jones' second-quarter scuffle with Raiders receiver Amari Cooper that drew national headlines. After Cooper threw a high punch or two into Jones' neck while blocking him downfield on a 60-yard run that was negated by a holding penalty, the two got tangled up on the ground. Jones ended up on top of Cooper, slapped his helmet off and then slammed Cooper's unprotected head into the helmet before refs finally intervened throwing flags and getting the play broken up.

The irony about Guenther's statement about being on the "bad boy reel" is that the Bengals stayed off the video the NFL circulated to teams in the preseason highlighting rules of emphasis regarding fighting, fumble scrums and overly aggressive tackling. On one or two clips the league used to highlight 2014 plays that would be infractions in 2015, Bengals players were actually the ones upon which fouls were being committed against. They were the victims then. On Sunday, they were the instigators and provocateurs.

Guenther doesn't consider an appearance on the "bad boy reel" to be a bad thing. Again, defenses conditioned like the Bengals', wants to live on a certain edge, particularly at the start of a new season. With linebacker Vontaze Burfict still healing, Cincinnati wants to have others set a certain tone until the bad boy incarnate returns by midseason.

"I just don't want to get 15-yard penalties," Guenther said.

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