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A lot of people think this team will have a top 5 defense. Looking at the total/overall defense only, where the team was ranked number 6, and the passing defense where they also had a good ranking, the homers will run with those. But they don't explain why the team went 5-11. Yeah James was injured, but the injury excuses are a cop-out. People thought this team was really talented. The team defense struggling the way it did proved otherwise. A team who is that talented would have been able to get things done despite their top player(s) being out. Depth plays a part in it, which is what this team seems to keep coming up short with. Mebane and and Thomas Davis were easy to blame. So was Dzubnar. All those guys are not a Charger anymore. There were more than those guys, and other players who were part of the problems that the 2019 defense had who are still here.
Here is the 2019 defensive efficiency ranking. The team is ranked 21st. https://www.footballoutsiders.com/st...m-defense/2019
Projected ranking for the defense in 2020. Also 21. https://www.lineups.com/nfl-team-rankings/defense
The team was 28 in sacks. This despite having Bosa and Ingram. So what is the problem?
The team was bad in four areas; third down defense, red zone defense, run stopping, and being last in the league in turnovers.
Third down defense was a killer. The Chargers were 4th worst in the league on 3rd downs. Only the Redskins, Texans, and Cardinals were worse. The team had trouble getting off the field on third downs. https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/sta...conversion-pct
People don't realize how lucky this team got in their wins. In the Colts, Dolphins, and Bears games the opponent missed a couple of field goals. In the Dolphins game the defense didn't force the Miami to punt until the second half, in the third quarter. Then there were other games where the opponent missed on their field goals and the Chargers lost. Like the Lions game and the first Raiders game. They were that bad on third downs.
Here are weaknesses of the team. Desmond King turns out to not be that good at cornerback. He lacks athleticism and speed to cover receivers who are good on the move. King got picked by opposing QBs and was targeted against a lot. Gus is replacing King with Chris Harris Jr. in the slot. Jenkins is adequate, but not who you want at free safety full time. Since Gus plans to go into a two deep safety scheme now, you have to hope Adderley is the starter. The defensive line is poor outside of Bosa and Ingram. It had a lot to do with why the team had trouble getting off the field on the third downs. Tillery got better in the last month of the season. He showed more of what he was capable of contrary to popular belief about him. The problem was not having enough speed on the edge and not much pass rush on the inside other than Ingram or Tillery.
A lot of times Melvin Ingram lines up on the inside. Other times he'll line up on the edge. Depending on the situation where Bradley decides to play him. The other edge rushers are Bosa, Nwosu, and Rochell. Here's the problem. Rochell is more of a bull rusher, he doesn't have the speed at DE. He was a DT in his rookie season. You need speed at DE to beat the OT quicker and get to the QB faster. When Rochell is on the edge, you sacrifice speed on the edge. Especially if Bosa or Nwosu aren't on the field and at edge. Since Ingram and Bosa line up on all positions of the field, they get worn out and you need other guys to rotate in for them. If Ingram has to be on the edge, his pass rush threat on the inside is taken away, and you need other guys on the interior. Now as for the interior. Tillery gets a lot of blame, but like I said, he improved. And it'll take more than Tillery when it comes to the interior. Justin Jones isn't much of a pass rusher. He doesn't have the burst to be a successful one. Joseph can rush the passer, but he isn't like guys like Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox, Deforest Buckner, and Geno Atkins. Square doesn't provide any pass rush, he's used more for run stopping, and btw he's a bad run stopper. The DT group is very clearly the worst unit on the defense. There's a lot wrong with it. And people wonder why we don't have a pass rush. Horrible at getting to the QB and opponents killing us.
We acquired players this off-season. We signed Joseph and Harris Jr. They are aging players who are at the decline stage of their careers. Harris Jr. won't lock down on receivers like he did with the Broncos. Joseph won't get to the QB like he used to. They should still do well though. The bright spot about the Chargers defense is the linebacker group. Vigil should help if he's used right. Murray and Gilman were drafted, but it remains to be seen about them.
I'll wrap this up. The defense had issues in many areas that contributed to the 5-11 record in 2019. This team still has weaknesses that plagued them last year. If this team still has problems in one of the areas mentioned, then now more people will know. The weaknesses I point out is the purpose of the thread. I'll be more willing to buy into the defense being that good if they clean up on those areas they've struggled in. I want to see this team hold an opponent to 0 points, then we can talk about the D being top 5.
Here is the 2019 defensive efficiency ranking. The team is ranked 21st. https://www.footballoutsiders.com/st...m-defense/2019
Projected ranking for the defense in 2020. Also 21. https://www.lineups.com/nfl-team-rankings/defense
The team was 28 in sacks. This despite having Bosa and Ingram. So what is the problem?
The team was bad in four areas; third down defense, red zone defense, run stopping, and being last in the league in turnovers.
Third down defense was a killer. The Chargers were 4th worst in the league on 3rd downs. Only the Redskins, Texans, and Cardinals were worse. The team had trouble getting off the field on third downs. https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/sta...conversion-pct
People don't realize how lucky this team got in their wins. In the Colts, Dolphins, and Bears games the opponent missed a couple of field goals. In the Dolphins game the defense didn't force the Miami to punt until the second half, in the third quarter. Then there were other games where the opponent missed on their field goals and the Chargers lost. Like the Lions game and the first Raiders game. They were that bad on third downs.
Here are weaknesses of the team. Desmond King turns out to not be that good at cornerback. He lacks athleticism and speed to cover receivers who are good on the move. King got picked by opposing QBs and was targeted against a lot. Gus is replacing King with Chris Harris Jr. in the slot. Jenkins is adequate, but not who you want at free safety full time. Since Gus plans to go into a two deep safety scheme now, you have to hope Adderley is the starter. The defensive line is poor outside of Bosa and Ingram. It had a lot to do with why the team had trouble getting off the field on the third downs. Tillery got better in the last month of the season. He showed more of what he was capable of contrary to popular belief about him. The problem was not having enough speed on the edge and not much pass rush on the inside other than Ingram or Tillery.
A lot of times Melvin Ingram lines up on the inside. Other times he'll line up on the edge. Depending on the situation where Bradley decides to play him. The other edge rushers are Bosa, Nwosu, and Rochell. Here's the problem. Rochell is more of a bull rusher, he doesn't have the speed at DE. He was a DT in his rookie season. You need speed at DE to beat the OT quicker and get to the QB faster. When Rochell is on the edge, you sacrifice speed on the edge. Especially if Bosa or Nwosu aren't on the field and at edge. Since Ingram and Bosa line up on all positions of the field, they get worn out and you need other guys to rotate in for them. If Ingram has to be on the edge, his pass rush threat on the inside is taken away, and you need other guys on the interior. Now as for the interior. Tillery gets a lot of blame, but like I said, he improved. And it'll take more than Tillery when it comes to the interior. Justin Jones isn't much of a pass rusher. He doesn't have the burst to be a successful one. Joseph can rush the passer, but he isn't like guys like Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox, Deforest Buckner, and Geno Atkins. Square doesn't provide any pass rush, he's used more for run stopping, and btw he's a bad run stopper. The DT group is very clearly the worst unit on the defense. There's a lot wrong with it. And people wonder why we don't have a pass rush. Horrible at getting to the QB and opponents killing us.
We acquired players this off-season. We signed Joseph and Harris Jr. They are aging players who are at the decline stage of their careers. Harris Jr. won't lock down on receivers like he did with the Broncos. Joseph won't get to the QB like he used to. They should still do well though. The bright spot about the Chargers defense is the linebacker group. Vigil should help if he's used right. Murray and Gilman were drafted, but it remains to be seen about them.
I'll wrap this up. The defense had issues in many areas that contributed to the 5-11 record in 2019. This team still has weaknesses that plagued them last year. If this team still has problems in one of the areas mentioned, then now more people will know. The weaknesses I point out is the purpose of the thread. I'll be more willing to buy into the defense being that good if they clean up on those areas they've struggled in. I want to see this team hold an opponent to 0 points, then we can talk about the D being top 5.
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