Tag: Gus Bradley

Will the Jags-Chargers Week 7 game be on TV in your area?

The Jags’ and Chargers’ Week 7 game won’t get a lot of local coverage but certain regions in five states will get to see it.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will take the field for one more game before their bye week and it will involve a long trip to the West Coast to face some familiar foes in the Los Angeles Chargers. When looking at both teams, it could be a close one as both teams are similar in a lot of ways and have two former PAC-12 stars at quarterback in Justin Herbert and Gardner Minshew II, who are trying to build their resumes.

Both coaching staffs will also come into this game with a sense of urgency as the Jags and Chargers have two wins combined this season. Anthony Lynn’s issue has seemingly been closing games with a finishers mentality while Doug Marrone’s defense has put up little resistance against opponents.

With the game between two teams who haven’t garnered good records, the coverage on the Jags’ and Chargers’ game won’t be all that great, only showing in a certain part of five states. Those at home who live in the green areas specifically will be able to watch it locally.

With the game taking place on the West Coast, the Jags will have their first 4:30 kickoff of the year. On the call will be Andrew Catalon (play-by-play) and James Lofton (color commentary) again, who’ve called multiple games for the Jags this season.

The Jags’ and Chargers’ Week 7 meeting will mark their eleventh in their respective histories. The Chargers hold the lead in the series with an 8-3 record. One of those wins was from the team’s last meeting in 2019 when the Chargers beat the Jags at TIAA Bank Field by a score of 45-10.

Will Marrone and company be able to return the favor Sunday? Only time will tell.

What HC Anthony Lynn said following Chargers’ loss to Buccaneers

A lot of blame for the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is being put on the coaching staff.

The Chargers dropped their third consecutive game on Sunday, losing to the Buccaneers by the score of 38-31.

Everything was in Los Angeles’ favor during the first half, as they led by 17 points at one point. However, miscues and a defensive meltdown backfired as quarterback Tom Brady orchestrated a major comeback.

The defense was stout in the first half, but they fell apart right out of the locker room. Brady was lights out, picking apart defenders at all areas of the field. As a result, he finished with 369 yards and five touchdowns.

Coach Anthony Lynn blamed the poor defensive performance on blown assignments, adding they gave up some explosive plays in the second half.

There were a few “what ifs” in this game and one them came with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when L.A. elected to punt on 4th-and-1 at their own 34-yard line, down by four points.

Lynn said he considered going for it, but he thought he had enough time left on the clock to punt it away. Tampa Bay turned the punt into three points, as Brady led the team 72 yards down the field.

“When we have them against the ropes we need to learn to knock them out,” Lynn said. “We had a chance to win. You go out there and get your butt kicked sometimes that happens, but in these games, we had a chance to win these games.”

One of the very few positives from the game was rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, yet again. Herbert finished with 20-of-25 passing for 290 yards and three touchdowns.

“I thought he played well, but we lost the game,” Lynn said. Anytime we lose a game, it’s not good enough, so I can’t say someone played outstanding and we go out and lose the damn football game.”

Lynn went more in depth what how he felt about Herbert’s performance. “I thought he handled the situation we put him in well. He made some great throws early, we took some shots, he stood in the pocket, he got rid of the ball and that’s what good quarterbacks do.”

Lynn was non committal following the game, but he will have a tough decision to make over the next couple of days as he will have to announce the team’s starting quarterback moving forward, with Tyrod Taylor close to being completely healthy.

“I can’t answer that right now. My mind is still on this game.”

What Chargers’ Gus Bradley said about facing Bengals QB Joe Burrow, defensive game plan

The Los Angeles Chargers’ defense will look to slow down Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Sunday.

Led by rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, the Bengals are looking to play spoiler in the season opener against the Chargers.

Even though Los Angeles will be facing a first-year signal-caller, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley knows that he is not to be taken lightly.

Bradley said they’ll have to adjust on the fly on Sunday, but the team thinks they “have a good feel” for what No. 1 overall pick will bring to the table on Sunday.

There’s some familiarity with Bradley and Burrow, as he and Burrow’s dad, Jim, coached together at North Dakota State. He said he has known Joe since he was a kid, and is really excited for the matchup.

Burrow knows that he will be facing a top-10 defense this weekend, and he will be ready for it.

“They’re going to do what they do, but I also anticipate some wrinkles that are going to try to make a rookie quarterback confused, so I’m anticipating some things he may not have shown last year and I’m just going to do my best to adapt to them,” Burrow said.

One of the ways to rain on the rookie’s parade is to bring a lot of pressure and keep the coverage tight.

The Chargers are expected to incorporate more man coverage and blitz more often, looking to avoid being near the bottom in turnovers, like they did in 2019.

Los Angeles will be without star safety Derwin James, who is out with a knee injury. But the team has the reinforcements to still get the job done.

Bradley said they are planning to roll out multiple looks and packages on Sunday, adding that they are going to be cognizant of the players’ level of conditioning, and expects a lot of players to get on the field.

Third down defense needs to be point of emphasis for Chargers in 2020

The Los Angeles Chargers have a talented defense, but they need to be better on third down.

While the Chargers finished with a top-10 defense in 2019, they struggled to stop opposing offenses on third-down situations and in the red zone on crucial possession downs, ranking 29th and 30th in the league, respectively.

A big reason why Los Angeles was unable to get off the field in those situations was because of the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and conservative coverage.

L.A. finished 26th in quarterback pressures with 125. The number doesn’t come as a surprise as the unit blitzed only 75 times, which ranked last in the league.

However, it’s inexcusable when the Chargers have arguably the best pass-rushing duo with defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.

Gus Bradley’s scheme from previous seasons, a Cover 3 system that involves a lot of zone coverage, forced them to play conservative and did not allow many opportunities to attack downhill.

To ensure they have more success on third downs moving forward, Bradley is going to incorporate more split safeties and tighter coverage, which could lead to more takeaways.

This offseason, the Chargers brought in more personnel to help, signing cornerback Chris Harris Jr. to add to the room that consists of Casey Hayward, Michael Davis and Desmond King. They also signed defensive tackle Linval Joseph and drafted linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Having safety Derwin James for a full 16-game slate will also be beneficial. James made a major impact on third-down situations in his rookie season. Unfortunately, he was limited to a few games in 2019 due to a foot injury.

The team is hopeful that defensive tackle Jerry Tillery takes a step forward after an underwhelming rookie campaign. Drafted for his ability to get after the quarterback, Tillery is working hard this offseason to improve his game.

The bottom line is that more pressure and different coverage alignments will hopefully be the solution to improving Los Angeles’ third-down defense in 2020.

Chargers looking to bring more heat on opposing quarterbacks

Gus Bradley is hopeful the scheme change will help this upcoming season.

Despite having one of the more talented rosters on the defensive side of the ball in the league last season, the numbers didn’t reflect that in a specific category.

The Chargers ranked No. 6 in total defense, but they finished second-worst in takeaways with a -17 turnover differential.

A big reason why Los Angeles was unable to produce more turnovers was because of the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

L.A. finished 26th in quarterback pressures with 125. The number doesn’t come as a surprise as the unit blitzed only 75 times, which ranked last in the league.

“Yes, you’ve got to stop the run,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “Yes, you’ve got to eliminate explosive plays. But you have to find ways to affect the quarterback. We didn’t do a good enough job last year in doing that.”

When a team has arguably one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL, the expectations to generate more pressure is a lot higher. Defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram contributed for 18.5 out of the team’s 30 sacks, which ranked 28th overall.

Bradley’s scheme from previous seasons, a Cover 3 system that involves a lot of zone coverage, forced them to play conservative and not allowing many opportunities to attack downhill.

To ensure they’re getting more quarterback pressures moving forward, Bradley is going to start incorporating more two-deep safety looks and man coverage.

This offseason, the Chargers also brought in more personnel to aide in this department, signing cornerback Chris Harris Jr., defensive tackle Linval Joseph and drafting linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Having Derwin James for a full 16-game slate will also be beneficial. After finishing his rookie season with 11 quarterback pressures and 3.5 sacks, the do-it-all defender was limited to only five games in 2019 after sustaining a foot injury last offseason.

There are also high hopes that second-year defensive tackle Jerry Tillery takes a step forward after an underwhelming rookie season. Drafted for his ability to get after the quarterback, Tillery is working hard this offseason to get bigger and stronger.

The motto this upcoming season on the defensive of the ball will be more pressure, more takeaways.

What Chargers’ Gus Bradley said at media availability

Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley touched on handful of topics.

Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley spoke to the media on Wednesday via Zoom teleconference.

Going into the 2020 season, Bradley will have more pieces to utilize which include cornerback Chris Harris Jr, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Harris, the four-time Pro Bowl selection, brings a proven veteran presence to the cornerback room. Bradley said he met him at the Pro Bowl in 2019, and loves how competitive he is and feels like he will be a good addition to the defense.

To fill the void after Thomas Davis released earlier this offseason, Los Angeles traded up 14 spots to snag Murray with the No. 23 overall selection in this year’s draft. Bradley said his intensity, leadership, and length were some of the reasons why they picked him.

The Bolts released Brandon Mebane, too. To fill the nose tackle spot, the team signed Joseph. Bradley hasn’t met Joseph yet, but said that he has heard a lot about the leadership he brings, highlighting his spirited nature and feels like has a chip on his shoulder.

Bradley said that he wants to be more active at the position as a whole.

He believes Justin Jones will benefit from the changes that the team is making with the defensive scheme. As for Jerry Tillery, who didn’t wow as many people in his rookie season, Bradley highlighted his flashes. But the one thing needed to be improved upon was his strength and simply getting bigger. He said Tillery has been working hard this offseason.

A couple of the bigger questions heading into training camp is what role is Desmond King going to play after the signing of Harris, and how will Nasir Adderley see the field more as he showed a lot of promise before having his season come to an end after sustaining a hamstring injury.

Bradley said that King could play safety in their dime package. He said they may move him to the outside. King is going to have a lot on his plate heading into the final year of his contract, but he is a versatile player that they could move around.

Adderley was in the mix for the starting free safety spot, but the injury kept him off the field nearly the entire season. Heading into Year 2, Adderley could earn a job at the position, especially because Bradley said he wants to implement more two-deep safety looks and man coverage this season as opposed to just his Cover 3 system that relies heavily on zone coverage.

Rayshawn Jenkins, the team’s starting free safety from last season, showed have the same role. But Bradley thinks Jenkins might play more linebacker and strong safety this season to help with the dime linebacker void after Adrian Phillips left in free agency.

Bradley said that he could see Adderley, Jenkins or rookie Alohi Gilman in that spot.

One of the biggest goals this season is creating more takeaways. He said the defense didn’t do a good enough job of taking the ball away last season. The unit ranked second-worst in the league with a -17 turnover differential.

The bottom line is that we can expect the majority of the players on the defensive side of the ball to be moved around quite a bit this upcoming season, and a possible change to the scheme could benefit the group as a whole.