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Popper answers a Q&A about Gus Bradley and the Raiders defense.
How do you think Gus Bradley’s knowledge of our players’ strengths and weaknesses will help him in game planning for this week? — @gilsery
I posed this question to a few players and coaches this week, and the answers were rather interesting. Bradley, of course, spent four seasons with the Chargers from 2017 to 2020 and is intimately familiar with their personnel on both sides of the ball. Raiders defensive backs coach Ron Milus was with the Chargers from 2013 to 2020, and linebackers coach Richard Smith was with the Chargers from 2017 to 2020. The information they have certainly will not hurt them in game planning for the Chargers offense. And it will not hurt Jon Gruden and the Raiders offensive staff in game planning against the Chargers defense.
But the Chargers’ offensive and defensive schemes are so different that I do not think it is a significant advantage.
“I don’t think that it factors in too much,” Staley said this week. “The thing about the NFL is that you have so much information on most people that there’s not really anywhere to hide. It’s more about the players that are in the game. I think that what Gus can do by being here, and those defensive coaches that were here, is they have a good sense of the talent level of all of our guys. From just a personnel standpoint, they just have a good idea of how good they are, their strengths and weaknesses. But how we’re using them this year is different than it was when he was here. There is that part of it.”
There is a flip side here. The Chargers’ defensive players are intimately familiar with Bradley’s Cover 3 heavy scheme, which originated in Seattle. More importantly, Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen and Williams went up against this defense every day in training camp. So it goes both ways.
“We know how it’s run. We know the way it’s supposed to be run,” Allen said of Bradley’s scheme. “That gives us a great deal of advantage.”
Bradley is notoriously committed to running the concepts he believes in. His defenses are not very multiple. Bradley is a staunch advocate for the less-is-more defensive philosophy. He thinks simplifying things allows his players to play faster. He relies on his players executing better than the offense. I asked Lombardi if he thought Bradley might shake up his game plan considering how familiar the Chargers offensive players are with the scheme.
“I do expect a few wrinkles, specifically, maybe, on third down,” Lombardi said. “This defense has been around for a long time. It’s been proven. I don’t think that they’re ever really trying to trick you. They’re just trying to out-execute you. They often do a really good job of that. You’re always trying to be ready for the unknowns, but I think that he’s going to lean on what they do well.”
I posed this question to a few players and coaches this week, and the answers were rather interesting. Bradley, of course, spent four seasons with the Chargers from 2017 to 2020 and is intimately familiar with their personnel on both sides of the ball. Raiders defensive backs coach Ron Milus was with the Chargers from 2013 to 2020, and linebackers coach Richard Smith was with the Chargers from 2017 to 2020. The information they have certainly will not hurt them in game planning for the Chargers offense. And it will not hurt Jon Gruden and the Raiders offensive staff in game planning against the Chargers defense.
But the Chargers’ offensive and defensive schemes are so different that I do not think it is a significant advantage.
“I don’t think that it factors in too much,” Staley said this week. “The thing about the NFL is that you have so much information on most people that there’s not really anywhere to hide. It’s more about the players that are in the game. I think that what Gus can do by being here, and those defensive coaches that were here, is they have a good sense of the talent level of all of our guys. From just a personnel standpoint, they just have a good idea of how good they are, their strengths and weaknesses. But how we’re using them this year is different than it was when he was here. There is that part of it.”
There is a flip side here. The Chargers’ defensive players are intimately familiar with Bradley’s Cover 3 heavy scheme, which originated in Seattle. More importantly, Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen and Williams went up against this defense every day in training camp. So it goes both ways.
“We know how it’s run. We know the way it’s supposed to be run,” Allen said of Bradley’s scheme. “That gives us a great deal of advantage.”
Bradley is notoriously committed to running the concepts he believes in. His defenses are not very multiple. Bradley is a staunch advocate for the less-is-more defensive philosophy. He thinks simplifying things allows his players to play faster. He relies on his players executing better than the offense. I asked Lombardi if he thought Bradley might shake up his game plan considering how familiar the Chargers offensive players are with the scheme.
“I do expect a few wrinkles, specifically, maybe, on third down,” Lombardi said. “This defense has been around for a long time. It’s been proven. I don’t think that they’re ever really trying to trick you. They’re just trying to out-execute you. They often do a really good job of that. You’re always trying to be ready for the unknowns, but I think that he’s going to lean on what they do well.”
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