When Jim Harbaugh was hired as head coach, Los Angeles Chargersthe move I was excited about was taking defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to the NFL and calling up L.A.'s defense. His defense at Michigan was incredibly versatile and disciplined, some of the same as it is now. seahawks Head coach Mike McDonald's running back will be with the Chargers.
So far, recruitment has been a huge success. Los Angeles ranks second in defensive EPA per play allowed, fifth in EPA allowed per pass, and gives up the fewest points per game in the entire league. In his first year under coach Jesse Minter, the Chargers' defense has steadily grown into the team I expected at the beginning of the season, and that growth has given rise to their future prospects and Minter's head position. I'm intrigued by the possibilities. coach. In a game won 27-10, brownsthe Chargers held Cleveland to -0.28 EPA per play and picked off QB Jameis Winston three times. Let's take a look at why I'm so excited about this Chargers defense.
For me, it starts up front in the run game. The ability to stop No. 2 shells from running out was critical to overall success. The Chargers allow the sixth-lowest EPA per attempt in the run game when defending in the light box (six or fewer defenders). I think this is primarily due to mechanics that allow them to attack better in front of the run game and pass. If you can stop the run with fewer defenders, you can devote more bodies to the passing game, and this is a prime example of why coaches place so much emphasis on stopping the run.
The Browns are running the zone on the weak side of the formation, but look at how the Chargers line up before the ball is snapped. There is a defensive tackle on the inside shoulder of the left guard (2i technique), another tackle on the outside shoulder of the right guard (3 technique), and two edge defenders. Standard 4-man front in nickel formation. But what makes this possible is linebacker placement. Placing LB Daiyan Henry directly over the B gap should allow him to play the ball faster and avoid contact with the left guard since he has to double in 2i. LB Denzel Perryman also serves as a cutback across the A gap on the backside, so RB Nick Chubb has nowhere to go. EDGE Khalil Mack bounces this run, but since Henry isn't blocked, he's able to dive into this tackle and keep it for a short gain.
They were also able to stop the run game from multiple fronts, and Henry was a big part of that. They initially line up in a nickel formation, but instead of lining up Henry over the B gap, he walks to the edge and creates a five-man front from the nickel personnel. Then, on the snap, he took S Derwin James off the edge and slid EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu inside. On the other side, they had everyone diagonally across the gap, forcing RB Nick Chubb to cut back to the right toward Henry.
They have a superhuman performance on the defensive line in the run game as well. Watch Nose tackle Tear Tart in this split dive action. He's getting doubles, but doesn't give up ground, preventing the left guard from giving Perryman a clean angle and still helping this tackle for a short gain. In addition to the defensive structure, the Chargers are playing really well with everyone on defense, especially up front.
In the passing game, the most noticeable aspect of the Chargers' defense is how much space they close. No, they don't just cover the grass. They're trying to squeeze the air out of every route and make every throw a tight window pass. Minter has his defensive backs play at a high level, which allows them to be really versatile. Here, LA starts with three safeties on third down, but instead of running the Tampa 2 like other teams do with these three-safety looks, S Arohi Gilman runs down the field from the hash marks. Spin to cover 1 by going to the center. robbery. There is no room for any of these paths to be considered truly open and they end up being incomplete.
This is really fun. This is largely due to how Minter is adjusting Derwin James and Daiyan Henry. They both line up as linebackers, but Henry is walked to the line of scrimmage with an electric look on his face. This is a fun way to get into the Tampa 2, with James replacing Henry as the middle runner. But look at this play from the second-year linebacker. He gets tremendous depth and almost picks this ball up. I'm excited about his development in Los Angeles and he could be a potential player if he continues this way.
The Chargers' next opponent is the Titans, and I'm cautiously excited about their playoff hopes. They have a legitimate defense and QB Justin Herbert is playing at a very high level. They soon joined the Bengals, Ravens, Chiefs, Falcons, buccaneersBut Minter has this defensive rolling and is a must-see unit.
