Tag: Derrick Ansley

Packers add former Chargers DC Derrick Ansley as pass game coordinator

The Packers are adding former Chargers assistant coach Derrick Ansley as the team’s defensive pass game coordinator under Jeff Hafley.

Jeff Hafley’s first defensive staff with the Green Bay Packers is nearly complete. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers are hiring former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley as the team’s new pass game coordinator, replacing Greg Williams.

Ansley, 42, was the defensive backs coach for two seasons (2021-2022) under head coach Brandon Staley before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2023. A former safety at Troy, Ansley has been a defensive backs coach at seven different stops in college and the NFL. He got his FBS start as a grad assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama.

Ansley did not call plays for the Chargers defense in 2023 until Staley was fired. Over the final three games called by Ansley, the Chargers gave up only 17.7 points per game.

As defensive backs coach, he helped Derwin James become a Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022.

The Chargers ranked 21st in points allowed in 2023.

The New York Giants interviewed Ansley for their open defensive coordinator position earlier this year.

The Packers kept Jason Rebrovich, who will be the new defensive line coach in a 4-3 front, and defensive backs Jason Downard. New additions to Hafley’s staff include Ansley, assistant defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase and linebackers coach/run game coordinator Anthony Campanile.

Giants’ options for defensive coordinator beginning to dwindle

The New York Giants have been thorough in their search for a new defensive coordinator but their options are beginning to dwindle.

After an ugly falling out between head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, the New York Giants were thrust into the hunt for a new DC.

Their search has been thorough but thus far, has yielded no fruit.

Earlier this week, general manager Joe Schoen said he’d like to have a DC in place over the coming days but that clock is ticking.

Nearly a month after the Giants and Martindale “parted ways,’ the Giants are still without a defensive coordinator and following a recent spate of hirings, their options are beginning to dwindle.

Giants request to interview Derrick Ansley for defensive coordinator vacancy

The Giants are eyeing Derrick Ansley to potentially fill their defensive coordinator vacancy.

The Giants have a defensive coordinator vacancy to fill after Wink Martindale resigned, and they are looking to bring in Chargers DC Derrick Ansley for an interview for the job.

Hired to oversee the defensive backs in 2021, Ansley held that role until this past season when he was promoted to defensive coordinator after Renaldo Hill left for a position with the Dolphins.

Brandon Staley called the defensive plays until he was fired in December. Ansley then became the primary play-caller for the last three games of the season. As a result, the defense looked sharper, finishing 16th in defensive EPA.

Ansley has spent most of his career in the college ranks as the defensive backs coach for Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. He was the Raiders defensive backs coach in 2018. He returned to Tennessee as their defensive coordinator and DBs coach from 2019 to 2020.

Giants request to interview Derrick Ansley, Anthony Campanile

The New York Giants have requested interviews with Derrick Ansley and Anthony Campanile for their vacant defensive coordinator position.

The New York Giants continue to seek replacements for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who parted ways with the team last week.

On Monday, they requested an interview with Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley.

The 42-year-old Ansley coached defensive backs before taking over as the Chargers’ DC in 2023. His unit finished 28th overall in total yards allowed (6,170) and 24th overall in points allowed per game (23.4).

Prior to his time in Los Angeles, Ansley spent 15 years at the college level with a stint as the Oakland Raiders’ defensive backs coach (2018) sandwiched in.

In addition to Ansley, the Giants also requested an interview with Miami Dolphins linebackers coach Anthony Campanile.

The 41-year-old Campanile has spent the past four seasons coaching linebackers in Miami. Prior to that, the New Jersey native spent eight seasons coaching at the NCAA level, including stops with Rutgers and Michigan, where he held the title of co-defensive coordinator.

Campanile broke into coaching back in 2006 at Fair Lawn High School before moving on to powerhouse Don Bosco Prep, coaching both their defense and offense during a five-year run.

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Chargers’ Derrick Ansley on Derwin James being sidelined: ‘It was a coaching error’

There was a lot of confusion surrounding Derwin James’ lack of snaps against the Bills.

Much was made about Derwin James’ absence on a 3rd and 8 play in last Saturday’s loss to the Bills in which Stefon Diggs was able to ice the game.

Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley said it was an error rather than a benching.

We didn’t pull him. We went into the game playing different STARS in different packages, and the play call that came out did not have him in the game which, at that moment, I wish I would have called a better play and had him in the game.

On James specifically not being on the field on that play:

We went into the game wanting to move some people around, give us the best chance to matchup. In that situation, you’d love to have Derwin on the field. We should have had him on the field. That is totally on me, I mismanaged that. It was going fast, just mismanaged on my part. Nothing against Derwin. It had nothing to do with his ability. It was just a coaching error.

While it’s believable that the Chargers may have simply not called the rotations correctly at STAR in that moment, it’s hard to fully buy that play changing the macro of story of James’ night. Even if he had played that down, 42 snaps would’ve still been a career low for him, excluding injuries.

With James effectively being relegated to slot cornerback and box roles in the current defense, it’s still fair to wonder about his future. Is this the role James wants for himself long term? Is the former Florida State product’s current usage in the scheme something a new general manager or head coach will want to replicate?

James and Ansley will both try to finish out the season strong in the last two weeks against Denver and Kansas City.

4 takeaways from Chargers’ 24-22 loss to Bills

Here are four things to take away from the Chargers’ loss to the Bills.

The Chargers fought hard on Saturday, ultimately falling 24-22 to the Bills. Los Angeles led in time of possession but had fewer rushing, passing, and total yards than Buffalo.

Here are four things to take away from the contest.

4 things to watch in Chargers’ matchup vs. Bills

Here are four things to watch during the Week 16 matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills.

The Chargers host the Bills on Saturday in the NFL’s first Peacock-exclusive broadcast.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on for in the matchup.

Chargers’ JT Woods showing signs of progress ahead of sophomore season

The Chargers are confident in JT Woods, who enters Year 2 with a bigger role.

After a rough rookie season, the Chargers are expecting a full rebound from safety JT Woods.

Woods, a third-round pick in 2022, was taken to play him as the deep safety to allow Derwin James to move all over the field. But that never came to fruition. Woods struggled in his limited snaps, particularly as a tackler.

With James and Alohi Gilman slated to be the starting safeties, Woods is the third safety coming on in dime (six defensive back) packages, and he will be relied upon to patrol the back end of the defense.

As he enters his sophomore season, Woods has made some strides to be a reliable piece in the secondary, recently posting a pair of passes defended in practice this past weekend.

Making plays is not anything out of the norm for Woods. In his senior season at Baylor, he was tied for the most interceptions in the NCAA (5).

He made those plays with his physical profile at 6-foot-2 with a long wingspan and speed and athleticism to close in on the football. That was backed up by running a 4.3 40-yard dash at the combine.

While he’s always been a playmaker against the pass, against the run is where Woods has struggled, whether it’s being unable to finish and bring ball carriers down or taking bad angles.

With a bigger responsibility set in Year 2, Woods needs to put forth his best effort into improving in this department. And it’s up to head coach Brandon Staley, defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley and defensive backs coach Tommy Donatell to unlock the young safety’s potential.

Chargers 2023 roster review: CB Ja’Sir Taylor

Ja’Sir Taylor is going to get a significant amount of playing time in his sophomore campaign.

Generally speaking, teams are pretty lucky to get any sort of contribution from a rookie sixth-round draft pick.

So, the Chargers were probably already pretty happy when Ja’Sir Taylor carved out a role as a core special teamer and the team’s best punt gunner early in the season.

They were probably even happier when Taylor started to see the field on defense and held his own.

Happy enough that they sat Asante Samuel Jr. in favor of Taylor in run defense situations late in the season, at least. Happy enough to let Bryce Callahan, a solid addition a season ago, walk in free agency, where he remains as of mid-July.

Now, Taylor seems to control perhaps not all of his destiny heading into 2023. To open the season, things will be simplest if JC Jackson isn’t ready to play following his torn patellar tendon last season. In that scenario, Samuel and Michael Davis will be the starters on the outside, with Taylor in the slot and Jackson in the training room.

But Jackson seems closer and closer to returning every time a new clip of him surfaces. If he is ready to go, how does the cornerback rotation break down? LA certainly isn’t going to put Jackson on the sideline, not with as large as his contract is. Davis earned a starting job with his play in 2022. Samuel has been up and down but could benefit from a move inside to the slot. Such a move bumps Taylor out, however, and it seems as though the coaching staff trusted Taylor more than their former second-round pick late last season.

Regardless of what you want to call him – the starter in the slot, CB3, CB4, whatever it may be – one thing is clear: Taylor is going to see the field more in 2023.

Contract: Taylor is in the second season of his 4 year, $3,792,012 rookie contract with a $132,012 signing bonus signed in 2022. Base salary of $870,000 with a prorated bonus of $33,003 for a cap hit of $903,003.

Acquired: Drafted in the sixth round and 214th overall in 2022 out of Wake Forest.

Quote: Defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley on Taylor’s mentality:

“He’s mature past his age. He’s a very quiet kid, very observant. He understands the big picture. He’s working hard, just like how the other stars are working hard. That is going to be an interesting battle once we get to camp.”

Highlight:

Chargers DC Derrick Ansley on DB Ja’Sir Taylor: ‘He is mature past his age’

Defensive back Ja’Sir Taylor made a great impression on defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley during the #Chargers’ offseason program

The Los Angeles Chargers will rely on their defensive secondary to shut down opponents during the 2023 season, and coordinator Derrick Ansley told the media on Wednesday that one unheralded player seems poised to help in that effort.

2022 sixth-round pick Ja’Sir Taylor, he said, was showing a savviness beyond what he expected, and may factor into the Chargers’ defensive strategy if he wins a spot on the 53-man roster after the preseason.

“He’s mature past his age,” Ansley said of Taylor. “He’s a very quiet kid, very observant. He understands the big picture. He’s working hard, just like how the other stars are working hard. That is going to be an interesting battle once we get to camp.”

Taylor made three starts last season as a rookie and used his elite speed to chase down ball carriers for 22 combined tackles. With just a single pass defensed in 2022, the jury is still out on his ball skills, but with quotes like this coming out of Los Angeles’ mandatory minicamp, Taylor is certainly a player that fans should keep their eyes on.