Tag: Kyzir White

Chargers LB Drue Tranquill makes impact in expanded role vs. Chiefs

Great things happen when Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill is on the field.

After missing nearly his entire sophomore season with an ankle injury, Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill entered the summer with the presumption that he was going to return to the starting lineup alongside Kenneth Murray.

Instead, Kyzir White emerged and beat out Tranquill for the second starting inside linebacker spot during training camp after having arguably the best showings by any defender on the roster.

In the first two games of the season, Tranquill only played a total of 14 defensive snaps, while continuing to make his money on special teams as a core-four player.

While Tranquill remained on the sideline, Murray struggled to find his footing in this defense, which then led to Brandon Staley’s decision that a change was needed at the position.

In the victory over the Chiefs, Tranquill played 34 defensive snaps, the most this season. He replaced Murray early in the second quarter and stayed in the rotation for the remainder of the game.

Showing the athleticism, instincts and relentless energy to make plays against the pass and run, Tranquill accounted for nine tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.

Dating back to 2014, Tranquill has dealt with five significant injuries, including one last year. However, you wouldn’t be able to justify that with how he leaves it all on the field and is around the ball on a weekly basis.

In his rookie season in 2019, Tranquill racked up 64 tackles (50 solo), four tackles for loss and one pass defended.

Going forward, Tranquill should continue to see a hefty workload. If he remains healthy, the 26-year old will be an integral piece on defense.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley acknowledges Kenneth Murray’s early-season struggles

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley addressed the state of the linebacker room.

The start of linebacker Kenneth Murray’s sophomore season has not been all sunshine and rainbows.

Expected to be a key piece in the middle of the defense, Murray has struggled to find his footing in Brandon Staley’s system.

Only a year removed from finishing with 107 tackles in his rookie campaign, Murray hasn’t looked like the same player who was consistently rallying to and making plays on the football.

While opportunities have been there, Murray’s tape has been littered with missed tackles, lack of mental processing, over-pursuing ball carriers and the inability to shed blocks or work off contact, all of which have attributed to the team’s lackluster run defense.

“I think up and down,” Staley said about Murray’s performances. “I think there have been some really good moments. And then, there have been some moments that we need to have him improve.

That’s part about seeing the game, understanding his style of play versus what’s on the other side of the football, understanding where he fits in within our defense.

He needs to improve for us just like a lot of guys. And I think that the exciting thing is that he’s such a hard worker … I think that you’re going to see him continue to improve.”

As for the rest of the group, Kyzir White has been the standout as the other starter in both pass coverage and against the run. White is greatly benefiting from Staley’s scheme that is tailor-made for his overall skillset.

Drue Tranquill, on the other hand, has only played 14 defensive snaps this season, with the majority of his playing time coming on special teams. In the small sample size, Tranquill has still made an impact, and it’s likely that he’s going to see the field more moving forward.

“Drue’s playing well,” Staley said. “We’re going to get him on the football field, that’s for sure. He played well in the Dallas game. He’s practicing great. It’s one thing I said in the preseason, I do feel like he’s a starter. We’re trying to unpack that rotation right now.”

If order to fix the issues, Murray needs to start utilizing proper eye discipline and play recognition to put himself in proper position, stay under control to avoid poor angles and overrunning plays and be more physical and quicker to avoid blockers from stringing him out of the action.

Chargers Week 1 Report Card: How we graded defense in victory over Washington

Grading every position on the defensive side of the ball in the Chargers’ season opener.

The Chargers took care of business in Week 1, defeating Washington by the score of 20-16.

Here’s how every position on the defensive side of the ball graded out in the team’s victory on Sunday:

Interior defensive line — C

The defense was stout against the pass but the run on the other hand, they struggled immensely – allowing 4.7 yards per attempt and 126 rushing yards. The only player who consistently showed up in the department was Christian Covington, who finished with four stops. Linval Joseph and Justin Jones combined for three quarterback pressures, while Jerry Tillery was nonexistent. This a group that needs to improve or else opposing teams will continue to exploit them on the ground.

Edge defender — B

Joey Bosa had the assignment of going up against rookie tackle Samuel Cosmi for the majority of the game, and he gave him his welcome to the NFL. Bosa logged his first sack of 2021 and an additional four quarterback pressures. Uchenna Nwosu also made his presence known with two quarterback hits, one of which knocked Ryan Fitzpatrick out of the game. Kyler Fackrell had a quiet game. Chris Rumph’s playing time came on special teams.

Linebacker — B

Kenneth Murray and Kyzir White primarily made up all of the playing time at the position. Murray led the team with 10 tackles. White did have two missed tackles, but he forced a big fumble to set up a Chargers touchdown late in the game. White finished with five tackles. The two looked comfortable in their new roles, roaming around more freely and having more opportunities to make plays on the football.

Cornerback — B+

Washington was held to 133 yards passing. Yes, it helped that the opposing quarterbacks were pressured 14 times on 30 dropbacks, but it goes to show that the corners played their assignments well and primarily kept everything in front of them. Outside of a play that resulted in Terry McLaurin gaining 34 yards, Michael Davis had a solid game, especially as a tackler. Rookie Asante Samuel Jr. was dinged for a ticky tacky pass interference call, but he followed that up with a few standout plays in coverage on Dyami Brown. Chris Harris Jr. was also strong against the pass, only allowing two passes for 15 yards.

Safety — B+

Derwin James made an impact in his return to the field after missing all of last season. James finished second on the team with seven total tackles and a pass deflection. What stands out the most, however, is that he recorded a 90.0 grade (second among safeties) and a 90.2 coverage grade (first among safeties), per Pro Football Focus. Nasir Adderley had a bit of an up-and-down day. Adderley failed to make a play on McLaurin’s long reception and he gave up a touchdown to Logan Thomas on the following play. In addition, Adderley made a bad read on a deep ball that resulted in Samuel being penalized, which ended in points for Washington. Adderley showed improvement as a tackler, which is a plus.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in season opener vs. Washington

Highlighting Pro Football Focus’ studs and duds from the Chargers’ season opener against Washington.

In the opening game of the 2021 regular season, the Chargers took care of business on the road against Washington.

I chose three players that I felt made a huge impact on the game, but there were a handful of other top performers.

With that being said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s game, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

QB Justin Herbert – 84.7

WR Mike Williams – 79.7

WR Keenan Allen – 75.3

OL Rashawn Slater – 73.5

OL Matt Feiler – 73.2

Top 5 Defense

S Derwin James – 90.0

EDGE Joey Bosa – 82.8

LB Kyzir White – 82.6

CB Chris Harris Jr. – 76.6

LB Kenneth Murray – 75.0

Bottom 5 Offense

RB Austin Ekeler – 58.6

OL Corey Linsley – 58.5

RB Larry Rountree III – 57.2

OT Bryan Bulaga – 55.8

TE Donald Parham – 53.6

Bottom 5 Defense

DL Justin Jones – 54.8

EDGE Kyler Fackrell – 50.9

CB Michael Davis – 46.8

DT Jerry Tillery – 43.7

DT Eric Banks – 29.7

Chargers’ players of the game vs. Washington

Highlighting the most impactful players for the Chargers in their Week 1 victory over Washington.

The Chargers kicked off the 2021 regular season in the win column after downing Washington on the road.

Who had the biggest impact on the game in all three phases?

Here are the players of the game in Week 1:

Offensive Player of the Game: QB Justin Herbert

Either one of wide receiver Keenan Allen or Mike Williams could have been slotted here after their stellar performances but at the end of the day, the engineer of the offense gets the nod.

A stat line of 337 passing yards and a touchdown is seen as pretty normal in today’s NFL, but it is what Herbert did that earned him the award, managing to overcome a fumble into the end zone that resulted in a touchback and a red zone interception.

He led an offense that went 14 of 19 on third down, scoring drives of 75, 76 and 68 yards to close out the game, and a go-ahead touchdown pass to Mike Williams prior to that to make up for the hiccups.

So much for all that talk of a second season regression. Herbert is the real deal.

Defensive Player of the Game: LB Kyzir White

This would’ve gone to Joey Bosa, Derwin James or Asante Samuel Jr. for their outings as a whole but for today, I’m giving it to the player that made the biggest defensive play of the game.

Following Herbert’s interception in the red zone, all the momentum was on Washington’s side. That was until running back Antonio Gibson took a carry up the middle, only to meet White who was able to punch the ball out and have it recovered by Kenneth Murray.

Herbert followed that up with his lone touchdown pass to Williams which ultimately sealed the deal.

White finished the game with five tackles and the forced fumble.

Special Teams Player of the Game: K Tristan Vizcaino

The coaches made the decision to make Vizcaino the starting kicker over Michael Badgley, and he did not disappoint in his regular season debut for the Chargers. Vizcaino was a perfect 4-of-4 on his field goals of 33 and 27 yards and both extra points.

Chargers LB Kyzir White coming into his own

Chargers linebacker Kyzir White has been arguably the best defender this summer.

The Chargers have always had a talented player with linebacker Kyzir White, but his true colors have yet to show.

Whether that be due to injuries that hampered him in the early years of his career or playing in a limited role in Gus Bradley’s defense, White had always been lost in the shuffle.

Now in head coach Brandon Staley’s system, White has been displaying why he could experience a monstrous season in 2021, as he has been arguably the team’s best defender this summer.

At training camp, White has posted two pick-sixes and a handful of other eye-popping plays in coverage and against the run.

This past Saturday in the preseason opener against the Rams, White’s instincts, speed and high energy flashed, as he had three tackles near or behind the line of scrimmage.

Following the matchup, head coach Brandon Staley said that he views White as a co-starter at linebacker alongside Kenneth Murray and Drue Tranquill, which means that we can expect to see plenty of him this season.

Earlier on, Staley called the group the “strength of this football team,” and based on how they will be utilized and how much success Staley had with the Rams linebackers last season, I see high production from them.

Studs, duds from Chargers’ preseason victory over Rams

Highlighting the Chargers players who helped and hurt their stocks in the preseason opener.

The Chargers kicked off their 2021 preseason slate with a 13-6 victory over the Rams on Saturday night.

In games like this, the scoreboard is irrelevant and it’s the individual performances that matter the most.

Here are the best and worst outings that I saw:

6 takeaways from Chargers’ preseason victory over Rams

Highlighting what stood out from the Chargers’ preseason victory over the Rams.

The Chargers kicked off the 2021 preseason with a win over the Rams in the first game that fans were allowed in SoFi Stadium by the score of 13-6.

With that being said, here are six of my biggest takeaways from the contest.

 

Chargers vs. Rams: Takeaways from first half of preseason opener

Highlighting the first half of the preseason matchup between the Chargers and Rams.

The Rams and Chargers are currently tied up in the preseason opener by the score of 6-6.

Here are a few quick takeaways from the first half of play:

Short lived, but so good

Rashawn Slater only played in the first drive of the game, but he showed a lot of promise. The majority of his work came against his former Northwestern teammate, Earnest Brown IV and he kept him at bay in pass protection and provided a charge in the running game by clearing lanes with pure strength and physicality.

Josh Palmer has the makings of a PPR monster

If you play fantasy football and you’re in a points per reception league, you just might want to target Palmer in your drafts. The rookie currently has six receptions for 36 yards. While the majority of his work has came in the short parts of the field, Palmer has consistently been open, which mirrors what he’s been showing throughout camp.

The Drue Tranquill and Kyzir White show

On defense, Tranquill and White were lights out. They were let loose, not only serving as defenders to fill holes at the line of scrimmage, but act as blitzers and move freely in space to prevent the pass and run, highlighting their speed.

Special teams coverage is still a work in progress

One of the main priorities was rebuilding the special teams department, including the coverage units, but they have done nothing to provide reason to be optimistic. Returners have had too much space to run. As a result, the Chargers have allowed a 25-yard average on kick returns and 23 on punt returns.

3 defensive players to watch in Chargers’ preseason opener vs. Rams

Highlighting three Chargers defenders to keep an eye on in the preseason opener against the Rams.

Even though we likely won’t see much of the starters for the Chargers in the preseason opener against the Rams, there will still be enough to keep your eyes on Saturday night.

With that being said, here are three players on the defensive side of the ball to watch for when the two Los Angeles teams clash in SoFi Stadium, eager to make statements for themselves.

DT Justin Jones

Entering the final year of his contract, Jones is equipped to have his best season to date. Based on glimpses at practices, Jones has not only shown the ability to hold his own against the run but the movement skills and baseline pass rush moves to disrupt the backfield.

With head coach Brandon Staley utilizing multiple alignments, schemed twists/stunts, pressure packages and 1-on-1 matchups up front coupled with his skillset, it’ll be enticing to see the dominant force that Jones is capable of truly being.

LB Kyzir White

I’ve been tabbing White as one of the most underrated players on the team for years and after being overshadowed by others at the position, he is ready to make his mark in his fourth season.

White, who’s been lights out in camp, will be able to showcase his strength as a multi-dimensional defender in this system, with his ability to cover tight ends and play the run at a high level.

CB Asante Samuel Jr.

The Bolts drafted Samuel Jr. to strengthen the secondary and up to this point, it appears the selection was well worth it, as he has been impressive in coverage, even against wide receiver Keenan Allen.

Samuel Jr. has been lining up near the boundary and in the slot, which is what I’m expecting to be the case tonight. Seeing how he performs in both alignments and various coverages is something to watch for.