FCBolt
12-19-2008, 10:31 PM
Bolts 'D' improving under new coordinator (http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2008/dec/19/chargers-s20chargers-defense/?chargers)
Kevin Acee
Friday, December 19, 2008
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Statistics show the Chargers defense has improved since Ron Rivera replaced Ted Cottrell as defensive coordinator after eight games. A look at the per-game averages in several categories, with league rankings in parentheses:
Category ; First 8 ; Last 6
Gross passing yards ; 275.3 (32) ; 223.3 (19)
Passing TDs ; 1.75 (31) ; 1.5 (23)
Passer rating ; 95.0 (26) ; 91.0 (24)
Rushing yards ; 106.5 (16) ; 98.0 (9)
Total scrimmage yards ; 381.8 (26) ; 321.3 (10)
Points allowed ; 24.9 (23) ; 17.2 (7)
This didn't suddenly become the Steel Curtain.
Quarterbacks are not crumpling to the ground with regularity. Antonio Cromartie isn't intercepting passes again. It still seems much too easy sometimes for opposing offenses to move down the field.
But things are better.
“We're coming around – slowly, but we're starting to be effective,” outside linebacker Shaun Phillips said. “Hopefully it's not too late. We're starting to have success.”
In the six games since Ron Rivera took over as defensive coordinator, the Chargers defense has ranked 10th in the NFL in yards allowed and seventh in points allowed.
“Those are things we're going to build on,” Rivera said of the improvement of 16 spots and 17 spots, respectively, in the NFL rankings.
In no way has Rivera or the coaches and players underneath him overlooked Sunday's game or what they hope will be a meaningful tilt with Denver on Dec. 28. But with the realization that there is only so much they can do, so much they can improve in the middle of the season, they have allowed the gradual improvement to spawn thoughts of what can be accomplished in the spring and summer.
Among the things Rivera mentioned was the return of one important toy he has been unable to utilize.
“I look forward to getting Shawne Merriman back and the combination of things you can do with Shawne and Shaun, Shawne and Antwan (Applewhite), Shawne and Jyles (Tucker),” he said.
The evolution of the defense from the deposed Ted Cottrell to Rivera has been limited, too, because there are games to prepare for.
“It's slow because there are some things you want to get completely away from, but you can't because of our situation,” he said. “We don't have the time to sit down and study with the players.”
Still, Rivera has axed more than half the playbook and plans to hack more in the offseason, while adding things, too. His philosophy is that less is more, believing that allows a defense to do what it does well.
“We're going to major in specific things,” he said. “We want to be very specific and very good at what we do. To do that, you have to limit what you ask these guys to do.”
It ought not be construed that Rivera has simply dumbed down the defense.
Things are definitely different. Rivera has shown a willingness to embrace, tinker and adjust.
For instance, over the past two games, the Chargers have played more snaps as a 4-3 defense.
That's not to suggest the defense is changing to the alignment Rivera used as Chicago's coordinator from 2004-06, just that he liked how it matched up against the Oakland Raiders and how it might have worked against the Kansas City Chiefs.
But when various breakdowns and glitches contributed to the Chiefs scoring two touchdowns and gaining 206 yards in the first half, Rivera changed back to the 3-4 exclusively.
Igor Olshansky did not play the first quarter and played some in the second, then he played almost every snap of the second half as Rivera asked his defense to stop the run with just six men in the box. Applewhite played all but five plays in the second half in place of Tucker, providing a more athletic and versatile pass rush. That allowed Phillips to roam the front and get after Tyler Thigpen, failing to sack the elusive quarterback but harassing him consistently and making some plays against the run.
The Chargers stuck with their nickel defense the entire second half, never taking a safety off the field.
All this conspired to limit the Chiefs to 23 plays and 71 yards – 28 on 13 rushes and 43 on six-of-10 passing – in the final two quarters. Three times in the second half, the Chiefs went three-and-out, continuing a trend that has seen the Chargers force 16 three-and-outs (plus four drives that ended with a turnover inside three plays) over the past six games after doing so just 14 times (plus three) in the first eight.
Players speak frequently of being comfortable in Rivera's game plans and excited about the tweaks to the defense – both during the week and in games.
An example of the former is that the defense with Applewhite in was not something the Chargers worked on in practice but only went over in last Saturday's walk-through as a contingency. Rivera uses the walk-throughs as a time to address such possibilities and make sure players understand what might be required.
An example of the latter was Rivera realizing in the first half that the Chiefs had the Chargers' defense figured out.
“A game comes, you're going to have ups and downs, positive and negative plays,” Stephen Cooper said. “He's a good enough coach to rebound and put us in a good defense. We were getting it handed to us; he made adjustments, and we did a good job.”
With each passing game, the players see more of that, and it helps them believe the first half of this season was an anomaly.
“I feel like it's getting better,” Cooper said. “Look at our statistics. You can see by that the level we're playing.”
Kevin Acee
Friday, December 19, 2008
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Statistics show the Chargers defense has improved since Ron Rivera replaced Ted Cottrell as defensive coordinator after eight games. A look at the per-game averages in several categories, with league rankings in parentheses:
Category ; First 8 ; Last 6
Gross passing yards ; 275.3 (32) ; 223.3 (19)
Passing TDs ; 1.75 (31) ; 1.5 (23)
Passer rating ; 95.0 (26) ; 91.0 (24)
Rushing yards ; 106.5 (16) ; 98.0 (9)
Total scrimmage yards ; 381.8 (26) ; 321.3 (10)
Points allowed ; 24.9 (23) ; 17.2 (7)
This didn't suddenly become the Steel Curtain.
Quarterbacks are not crumpling to the ground with regularity. Antonio Cromartie isn't intercepting passes again. It still seems much too easy sometimes for opposing offenses to move down the field.
But things are better.
“We're coming around – slowly, but we're starting to be effective,” outside linebacker Shaun Phillips said. “Hopefully it's not too late. We're starting to have success.”
In the six games since Ron Rivera took over as defensive coordinator, the Chargers defense has ranked 10th in the NFL in yards allowed and seventh in points allowed.
“Those are things we're going to build on,” Rivera said of the improvement of 16 spots and 17 spots, respectively, in the NFL rankings.
In no way has Rivera or the coaches and players underneath him overlooked Sunday's game or what they hope will be a meaningful tilt with Denver on Dec. 28. But with the realization that there is only so much they can do, so much they can improve in the middle of the season, they have allowed the gradual improvement to spawn thoughts of what can be accomplished in the spring and summer.
Among the things Rivera mentioned was the return of one important toy he has been unable to utilize.
“I look forward to getting Shawne Merriman back and the combination of things you can do with Shawne and Shaun, Shawne and Antwan (Applewhite), Shawne and Jyles (Tucker),” he said.
The evolution of the defense from the deposed Ted Cottrell to Rivera has been limited, too, because there are games to prepare for.
“It's slow because there are some things you want to get completely away from, but you can't because of our situation,” he said. “We don't have the time to sit down and study with the players.”
Still, Rivera has axed more than half the playbook and plans to hack more in the offseason, while adding things, too. His philosophy is that less is more, believing that allows a defense to do what it does well.
“We're going to major in specific things,” he said. “We want to be very specific and very good at what we do. To do that, you have to limit what you ask these guys to do.”
It ought not be construed that Rivera has simply dumbed down the defense.
Things are definitely different. Rivera has shown a willingness to embrace, tinker and adjust.
For instance, over the past two games, the Chargers have played more snaps as a 4-3 defense.
That's not to suggest the defense is changing to the alignment Rivera used as Chicago's coordinator from 2004-06, just that he liked how it matched up against the Oakland Raiders and how it might have worked against the Kansas City Chiefs.
But when various breakdowns and glitches contributed to the Chiefs scoring two touchdowns and gaining 206 yards in the first half, Rivera changed back to the 3-4 exclusively.
Igor Olshansky did not play the first quarter and played some in the second, then he played almost every snap of the second half as Rivera asked his defense to stop the run with just six men in the box. Applewhite played all but five plays in the second half in place of Tucker, providing a more athletic and versatile pass rush. That allowed Phillips to roam the front and get after Tyler Thigpen, failing to sack the elusive quarterback but harassing him consistently and making some plays against the run.
The Chargers stuck with their nickel defense the entire second half, never taking a safety off the field.
All this conspired to limit the Chiefs to 23 plays and 71 yards – 28 on 13 rushes and 43 on six-of-10 passing – in the final two quarters. Three times in the second half, the Chiefs went three-and-out, continuing a trend that has seen the Chargers force 16 three-and-outs (plus four drives that ended with a turnover inside three plays) over the past six games after doing so just 14 times (plus three) in the first eight.
Players speak frequently of being comfortable in Rivera's game plans and excited about the tweaks to the defense – both during the week and in games.
An example of the former is that the defense with Applewhite in was not something the Chargers worked on in practice but only went over in last Saturday's walk-through as a contingency. Rivera uses the walk-throughs as a time to address such possibilities and make sure players understand what might be required.
An example of the latter was Rivera realizing in the first half that the Chiefs had the Chargers' defense figured out.
“A game comes, you're going to have ups and downs, positive and negative plays,” Stephen Cooper said. “He's a good enough coach to rebound and put us in a good defense. We were getting it handed to us; he made adjustments, and we did a good job.”
With each passing game, the players see more of that, and it helps them believe the first half of this season was an anomaly.
“I feel like it's getting better,” Cooper said. “Look at our statistics. You can see by that the level we're playing.”