Tag: Jerry Tillery

NFL analyst predicts 2020 season awards for Chargers

Who will be the Los Angeles Chargers’ MVP in 2020?

Adam Rank’s name will be remembered after he pegged the Chargers to go 3-13 this upcoming season. While Rank’s record prediction might be atrocious, a handful of fans will agree with his projected individual awards he gave out.

In his latest edition of State of the Franchise, Rank looked at where Los Angeles stands going into the new decade. Included in his piece, he predicted who he believes will be the team’s most valuable player along with who he thinks is going to breakout.

Both players that were given the honors are on the defensive line, with the projected MVP award going to none other than defensive end Joey Bosa.

You have to feel for Joey Bosa here. He’s been one of the best football players on the planet, recording 10-plus sacks in three of his four pro seasons thus far — and he’s been usurped on the national stage by his brother Nick Bosa, who helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl as a rookie last season. But make no mistake, Joey is the original and just as important to his team as Nick is to the Niners. I watched in awe as Joey took apart a pretty good Packers offensive line last year, sacking Aaron Rodgers twice and haranguing him on seemingly every dropback. The Chargers are going to end up having some fluidity at the quarterback position, but the one player they are not going to be able to do without is Bosa.

Heading into the final year of his contract, Bosa is eager to be one of the highest paid defensive ends. The 24-year old earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl after finishing tied for second in the conference in sacks (11.5) while also tallying up the fifth-most tackles (67) of any at his position in the NFL in 2019.

His quarterback pressures have made life easier on the secondary, and will continue to have a positive impact as they look to bring the heat even more this upcoming season. Another candidate to be the team’s MVP when all is said and done is third-year safety Derwin James after being hampered by a foot injury last season.

Rank’s projected breakout player lies inside of Bosa and Melvin Ingram, with that being defensive tackle Jerry Tillery.

The former first-round pick didn’t do much during his rookie season, recording just two sacks and basically sitting behind Justin Jones and Damion Square (Tillery was on the field for less than half of the team’s defensive snaps). But this is a new year. He’s got the opportunity to make that second-year leap in a defense brimming with studs, including their second first-round pick of 2020.

Tillery, the 2019 first-round pick, didn’t have a great rookie season, but he did show glimpses of potentially becoming the dominant interior pass-rusher he was drafted to be. With an offseason under his belt to get stronger, bigger and work on his technique, we could see a significant jump in production in 2020.

Former Notre Dame Star Poised for NFL Breakout?

Drue Tranquill was a star at Notre Dame despite dealing with multiple injuries. Now he’s on the rise for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.

Drue Tranquill was a star at Notre Dame.  After entering school as a safety he transitioned to linebacker where he thrived, starring on the College Football Playoff participant in 2018.

Tranquill was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019 and began the year starring on special teams before getting more playing time on defense as the year continued and him ultimately finishing with the second most tackles on the team.

Tranquill caught the attention of Josh Edwards at CBS Sports, as Edwards calls for a breakout 2020.

Tranquill is a more mobile linebacker used primarily in sub packages. Our breakout defensive team is going to be smaller, but no less impactful in our approach to combat more spread style offenses. Tranquill was all over the field last season. He should have more opportunities to make an impact with an improved defensive unit around him this season. – Josh Edwards of CBS Sports

Tranquill will have competition for playing time with what should be a healthier Chargers defense but certainly looks like he’s a solid NFL player in the making.

Projecting the Chargers’ defensive line depth chart

The Los Angeles Chargers have a sneaky good defensive line heading into the 2020 season.

The Chargers boast a solid defensive front, which consists of arguably one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems and an ascending crop of defensive tackles.

Below, I take a crack at projecting Los Angeles’ defensive line depth chart for the 2020 season:

DE: Joey Bosa

Bosa is entering the final year of his contract eager to become the league’s highest-paid defensive ends. The former Ohio State product earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl after finishing tied for second in the conference in sacks (11.5) while also tallying up the fifth-most tackles (67) of any defensive end in the NFL. As long as he stays healthy, he will be on the field wreaking havoc. In certain situations, his backup, Isaac Rochell, will be on. The 24-year old Rochell has been a key contributor as a rotational pass-rusher, playing in all 16 games the last two seasons and posting seven sacks and 46 tackles in his career. Undrafted free agent Joe Gaziano is a name to remember heading into training camp.

Backup: Isaac Rochell, Joe Gaziano

NT Linval Joseph

Brandon Mebane manned this spot the past few seasons, but the Chargers wanted a fresh new start after choosing to replace him earlier this offseason. Joseph joins the team with 10 years of professional football service under his belt. The 32-year old shines in the run defense department, showing the ability to take on doubles teams to allow other members to roam freely. However, Joseph possesses an athletic skillset to rush the passer, which he expects to do more. Behind him is Damion Square, who’s been a key rotational piece, especially the past three seasons, combining for 77 tackles, nine quarterback hits, eight passes defensed, five tackles for loss and three sacks.

Backup: Damion Square

DT: Justin Jones

After experiencing an up-and-down rookie season, Jones took a leap in Year 2 after using the offseason to shed weight and become more quicker and agile. Jones finished the season with 30 tackles, six quarterback pressures, two tackles for loss, one pass deflected and a forced fumble. Jerry Tillery, the 2019 first-round pick, didn’t have a great rookie season, but he did show glimpses of potentially becoming the dominant interior pass-rusher he was drafted to be. With an offseason under his belt to get stronger, bigger and work on his technique to make a jump in 2020.

Backup: Jerry Tillery

DE Melvin Ingram

Like Bosa, Ingram is chasing a big contract. Ingram failed to play a full season in 2019, but he still managed to tally 39 tackles, seven sacks, five passes defended and an interception in 13 games. Since making the conversion to a full-time defensive end, Ingram has been a consistent anchor. His backup – Uchenna Nwosu – has made noise in a limited capacity. In two seasons, the former USC product has totaled 59 tackles, 17 quarterback hits, eight tackle for loss and 5.5 sacks. If Ingram isn’t re-signed after this season, Nwosu should be the next man up.

Backup: Uchenna Nwosu, Joe Gaziano

Identifying the Chargers’ most underrated position groups

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists the Los Angeles Chargers’ two most underrated positional groups.

The Chargers have one of the most talented rosters on paper from top to bottom. They’re strong in certain areas, which rank among the best in the NFL, most notably their secondary.

However, there are other positional groups that aren’t getting as much love, but they certainly should as we head into the upcoming season.

On the offensive side of the ball, I believe the running back unit doesn’t get as much attention outside of the talented Austin Ekeler. But with the pieces they have, they could make some noise.

Ekeler has proven to be one of the league’s most dynamic skill players, finishing with 557 rushing yards on 132 attempts with three touchdowns along with 92 receptions for 993 receiving yards and eight receiving scores in 2019.

The former Western Colorado product will again serve as a ball carrier and pass-catcher out of the slot and out wide this upcoming season.

To ensure the team is able to get Ekeler lined up all across the formation, Los Angeles can afford to do so with the tandem of Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley.

Jackson, a seventh-round pick by the Bolts in 2018, has rushed 79 times for 406 yards (5.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in his 20 games (one start) in two seasons.

The former Northwestern product was hampered by injuries last season, but he has shown enough flashes to prove that he can be a threat when he is healthy.

Complimenting him is Kelley, the team’s fourth-round pick. The former UCLA product should see immediate snaps. A well-rounded back, Kelley makes the most of each touch, making it difficult for defenders to bring him down.

Expected to run the ball more so than previous years with their new offensive scheme, the players in this group are capable of becoming the focal point of the offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Chargers are strong across the board. But one unit that isn’t being recognized as much as others is the interior part of the defensive line.

Brandon Mebane is no longer a part of the crop, but his replacement – Linval Joseph – is an upgrade. Joseph, the two-time Pro Bowler is an athletic and powerful take-on player with the backfield vision and handwork to make an impact vs. the run, which is an area that was not a strong suit last season.

Justin Jones, the Chargers’ third-round pick in 2018, made a huge leap from Year 1 to Year 2 after using the offseason to shed weight and become more quicker and agile. Even though he missed four games due to an injury, Jones was arguably one of the team’s best interior defenders.

The former North Carolina State product finished the season with 30 tackles, six quarterback pressures, two tackles for loss, one pass deflected and a forced fumble.

Expectations were set high for 2019 first-round pick Jerry Tillery, but he was unable to meet them. However, throughout the course of the season he showed glimpses of untapped potential despite failing to make his presence known on the stat sheet.

Tillery also didn’t have a full offseason heading into his rookie season since he spent the majority of it rehabbing his torn labrum. Now healthy and a full slate ahead of him, Tillery has that to has full advantage to get bigger and stronger.

If he puts the pieces together in his second season, showing he can play with better leverage and out-power interior blockers, he could become the dominant pass-rushing defensive tackle the team was hoping to get.

Los Angeles could look to bring in another player to compliment Joseph at the nose tackle position. Damion Square and Sylvester Williams, both key contributors last season, are still on the market to fill out the room.

Notre Dame to Re-Air 2018 Win over Michigan

Notre Dame vs Michigan was a huge way to open the 2018 season. Relive it Saturday-many national writers seemed to have missed it originally.

Some people, national football writers and media members specifically, almost want to refuse to believe that the biggest game of college football’s opening weekend in 2018 actually happened.

However, it did.  Notre Dame beat Michigan 24-17 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.  You can relive that on Notre Dame’s YouTube channel this Saturday night starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

As the year went on Notre Dame kept winning, albeit not always in the most impressive of ways.  However, it was often treated as if that season opener was never actually played because Michigan would wind up being a team that much of the media wanted to treat as a legitimate championship contender, even with the Notre Dame loss.

Michigan would end up getting pummeled by Ohio State to close the regular season while Notre Dame would go 12-0 before getting run out of the Cotton Bowl by Clemson.

Maybe much of the college football world will actually watch it this time around because they seemed to have missed the boat on it originally.

3 Chargers primed for breakout seasons in 2020

The Los Angeles Chargers have a few players that could turn heads in 2020 for the first time.

Every season, there are players who break out onto the scene who may not have been dominant the season before, whether they were a backup, dealt with an injury or just improved as a player in the offseason.

There are a few candidates to break out in 2020 for the Chargers, and I take a look at them in no particular order.

RB Justin Jackson

Jackson, the seventh-round selection of 2018, has flashed each and every time that he is on the field. In 20 games played, Jackson averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 79 touches. In his rookie season, he was buried on the depth chart and didn’t get many opportunities because Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler carried the load. In the following season when he had the opportunity to break out, Jackson was held back by an injury, limiting him to just seven games. Entering his third campaign, the team is still “very high” on Jackson despite the durability concerns. After drafting RB Joshua Kelley in the fourth-round of this year’s draft, it’s evident that the backfield will likely be a committee. But with the team expected to run the ball more now that a mobile quarterback will be under center, Jackson will will have the chance to return back to his old ways, if he can stay healthy.

DT Jerry Tillery

Tillery had expectations like any other first rounder would. He did not live up to those, failing to make his presence known in his rookie season. He was drafted to give the interior part of the defensive line a boost in the pass rushing department. Even though he never put it all together, he still managed to do positive things that might have gone unnoticed since he didn’t fill up the stat sheet. Tillery didn’t have a full offseason heading into in Year 1 since he spent the majority of it rehabbing his torn labrum. Now healthy, Tillery has that to has full advantage to get bigger and stronger. I could see him taking a big leap in his second season, similar to how Justin Jones did a couple of years back. If he puts the pieces together, showing he can play with better leverage and out-power interior blockers, him, Jones and newly acquired Linval Joseph will present a solid interior defensive line trio.

FS Nasir Adderley

Like Tillery, Adderley had high expectations heading into the summer, but he was derailed by a lingering hamstring issue that had been ongoing even before he was drafted. Adderley’s injury forced him to miss mandatory minicamp and most of training camp. He made his NFL debut in the preseason finale, where he recorded an interception, giving fans a glimpse of the talented safety. Unfortunately, his hamstring continued to be an issue, which forced the team to place him on the injured reserve. While Adderley was out of the action, Rayshawn Jenkins started at free safety all 16 games, playing the most snaps by any player. Since Jenkins earned the trust of the coaching staff, it may seem like an uphill climb for Adderley earn snaps, but a systematical change might make it easier than originally expected. The Chargers are expected to show more two-deep looks and man coverage and less Cover 3. This will mean that both Adderley and Jenkins would be on the field. If Adderley can stay healthy, he could be a difference-maker on the backend of the defense.

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.

Isaac Rochell pegs Chargers’ defensive line as best in NFL

The Los Angeles Chargers defensive line is loaded heading into the upcoming season.

Like many athletes worldwide, Chargers defensive end Isaac Rochell has been doing whatever he can to stay in shape during the global pandemic that has been going on for over the past month.

Rochell, the former Notre Dame product, has the luxury of training in Southern California where he calls it “the nicest part of the country,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Bill Enright.

Rochell is using the workouts that he can do on the beach to get him ready for his fourth season in the NFL. Since being drafted in 2017, the 24-year old has been a key contributor as a rotational pass-rusher, playing in all 16 games the last two seasons and posting seven sacks and 46 tackles in his career.

Rochell has been a part of a defensive line that features the dynamic duo of defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, along with an interior that boasts Jerry Tillery, Justin Jones and newly acquired Linval Joseph. They also have linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and defensive tackle Cortez Broughton.

Rochell believes the Bolts’ defensive line is the best in the NFL. He called Bosa the best pass rusher in the league and gives defensive coordinator Gus Bradley credit for being creative with the usage of the members.

“So, yeah, [defensive coordinator Gus Bradley] definitely moves me around, which I’m super thankful for because I like to be able to do different things. And, again, we have guys like Corey Liuget, used to play for us. I learned a lot from him on the inside.

And you got guys like Joey who I can learn a lot from on the outside. And I just mentioned Justin Jones, younger than me but I’ve learned a lot from him. Just talking about D-line, he’s a beast. I’m just so thankful that I can utilize the guys around me and also be able to play inside and outside,” Rochell said.

Last season, the Chargers finished No. 28 in the league with 30 sacks. While it was near the bottom in that given category, the defense, which was led by the men up front, held their opponents to 21.6 points per game. Bosa and Ingram combined for 29 tackles for loss, 43 quarterback hits, and 18.5 sacks last season.

Chargers DT Jerry Tillery flashes skill vs. Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Jerry Tillery had his best game of the season against the Oakland Raiders.

There isn’t another player on the Chargers roster that has gotten as much heat as rookie defensive tackle Jerry Tillery has.

Tillery, the former Notre Dame product, had expectations like any other first rounder would. He did not live up to those, failing to make his presence known, which made many believe that he was a waste of a pick.

He was drafted to give the interior part of the defensive line a boost in the pass rushing department. Even though he hasn’t put the pieces together, he has still been doing positive things that might have gone unnoticed since he isn’t filling up the stat sheet.

In the Week 17 loss to the Oakland Raiders, Tillery took a step forward, which raised some eyebrows. The rookie defensive tackle had half a sack, showing the pass-rushing skills that he was coveted for coming out.

On the play, Tillery burst off the ball and dipped his inside shoulder to loop his way around the guard to bring down quarterback Derek Carr, along with defensive end Melvin Ingram.

[wpvideo gZZAenC8]

On the following drive, Tillery was close to acquiring another sack but he was unable to bring down Carr. Instead, Ingram was credited for the sack. Tillery beat the guard with a club-rip move and speed on this play.

[wpvideo KVjIXnOG]

Coach Anthony Lynn said that it marked his best game of the season.

Tillery, who has two sacks now, will have a full offseason to develop his game. For someone who is as tall as he is playing the defensive tackle position, it’s essential that he plays with proper leverage at all times. That, and continuing to work on his hand usage and countering will be key.

Tillery didn’t have a full offseason heading into his rookie season since he spent the majority of it rehabbing his torn labrum. But with that under his belt, he could take a giant leap in his second season, similar to how Justin Jones did.

[lawrence-related id=32199,32185,32177,32163]