AFC West: Wade Phillips
If the San Diego Chargers are going to end a two-year playoff drought and coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith are going to save their jobs, the defense must make strides.
The unit was the worst in the NFL on third down last season, and it lacked fire.
Improving the defense was one of the primary goals in the 2012 offseason. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, who some in the organization believe was a major reason for the unit's lack of success, was fired, and linebackers coach John Pagano replaced him. Pagano reminds some of former successful San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips because of his approach.
The team signed underrated former Baltimore linebacker Jarret Johnson in free agency and concentrated on defense in the draft.
San Diego drafted South Carolina pass-rusher Melvin Ingram, Connecticut defensive tackle Kendall Reyes and LSU safety Brandon Taylor in the first three rounds. All three players are expected to contribute right away.
Ingram is highly regarded and has a chance to make an instant impact as a pass-rusher, which the Charges badly need. If these players develop quickly and Ingram is as polished as expected, the Chargers should be much more effective defensively.
Norv Turner
On the necessity for a change like this:
“When the season ends, you go and evaluate the things that you feel are critical. Moving forward, I just thought this was the best opportunity for our team to go do the things we’re capable of doing.”
Jake Roth/US PresswireJohn Pagano, left, takes over as defensive coordinator after coaching Chargers linebackers this season.“I just think right now, for where our team is he’s the right fit. We spent a lot of time with John last year when we were in this process. John’s continued to grow as a coach. He has a great understanding of what we need to do. Particularly on the defensive front, but also on our overall defense, it was a great fit for us.”
On what does the defense need to improve on:
“A year ago we were one of the elite teams on third-down defense. It was a big part of the success we had. This year we were 32nd out of 32 on third-down defense. Certainly it’s getting back to our standards on third down, playing better in the red zone and then we just have to continue to try to create more turnovers.”
On whether the UCLA rumors influenced the decision:
“I think anytime you’re in a process of making a decision, a lot of things go into it. Certainly we considered everything that was involved.”
On the relationship between Pagano and the players:
“As I said, I think John has certainly a track record with our guys and obviously I think it’s going to be a real good fit. That’s why we put him in that position.”
On whether the defense needs to improve personnel-wise:
“Someone asked me about where we rank in our division. Obviously our teams were 8-8 in our division and 7-9. The biggest key for all the teams in our division is who is going to improve the most. There’s a number of ways you can improve. Certainly the first way you get better is add elite players. You have an opportunity to do that through free agency, you have a chance to do that through the draft like all the other teams in our division. Obviously the next way you improve is you continue to get better in terms of the things you’re doing; coaching and all three phases.”
On where Turner is in the evaluation stage of the rest of the coaching staff:
“Again, it is a process. We’re in the middle of it. I don’t think we’ll have major changes. Again, part of it is my conversation with coaches and where they’re at. So it’s an ongoing process.”
On Manusky being a scapegoat:
“That’s always the question that’s asked when you make a change. That’s always what’s insinuated. I don’t believe in that. I think, as I said, I’m not looking back. I’m looking forward and looking for the things we need to do to get better in the future.”
John Pagano
On what immediate changes need to be made:
“First and foremost, we've just got to go out as a staff and coach better and we've just got to go to play better. We’ve had many opportunities to get off the field. With our type of offense and the things that we can do offensively, we have to give them the opportunity to go score. The easiest way for us to do that is try and get as many three-and-outs as we can to put the ball back in our offense. For the most part, we as a coaching and defensive staff have to coach better and we have to go out and play better.”
On whether the team has the right player personnel:
“I believe so. Looking at all our personnel and seeing it over the years — I’ve been here through the good times and the bad times — and seeing the type of defensive players. Can we improve in everything? Sure we can. With the right mixture of guys we have on this team right now I believe we can do some good things here.”
On being a candidate for this job last year and what’s different now:
“I don’t know. That’s a real good question. You sit here, you wonder and you’re always waiting for your opportunity. But I didn’t really ever look into things about that. Just so excited for the opportunity that they are giving me. The good thing was I learned. Every year I’ve been here I’ve learned. I’ve learned from some great defensive minds here. That’s something that I really took a hold of. Last year was a great learning experience because I thought we did, at times, some great things there defensively. Just the interaction and being a part of having the type of players and this coaching staff.”
On the rumors of the players wanting him to get this position:
“It’s an honor to have them say that. I don’t know, no one has texted me or called me. This phone’s been buzzing but it’s nice to know that. Our job here, and I’ve been saying this for a long time, is put them in position to make plays. That’s our job and that’s what we have to do. When they go out there and they’re successful, good things happen for us so that’s what we want to do.”
On appeasing fans’ desires for a high-powered defense:
“I’m not big on styles. We’re going to go out and be fundamentally sound. We’re going to play smart football. I believe that’s the most important thing. We got to be able to create turnovers like everybody says. We have to pressure the quarterback because over the years that I’ve been here, we’ve seen those things and I’ve been a part of those things. So, we need to just keep building, keep doing what we’re doing, have the games that we’ve played well in, take from those learn experiences on the things we didn’t do well and move on from there.”
On what happened with the UCLA discussions:
“It was a nice honor to have coach (Jim) Mora be able to want me for that job. It wasn’t a factor of taking this job or that job. I don’t know how my name got out there. I don’t know if it was a recruiting ploy or not. But like I said my family loves it here in San Diego. I love it here, I love this organization, I’ve been a part of this organization for a long time and I’m really excited about the opportunity I have ahead of me. “
On whether he was frustrated he didn’t get this job in the past:
“Everybody’s going to be disappointed if there’s things you want out there in life that you’re not going to get. But the one thing, it made me better. It made me grow into the position I’m in now. I thank the Lord every day that those things happened to me so I could grow, learn, watch and listen and be in a part with a guy like Coach Turner. But also learning for Ted Cottrell, Ron Rivera, Wade Phillips being the mentor and Coach Manusky. All those guys and just being around them. Guys like Steve Wilks and Don Johnson. We have a great staff. We have a great defensive staff. We just got to go out there and get these guys playing better. That’s our job.”
On the likelihood of bringing most the coaches back:
“That’s up to Coach Turner. I hope so. This thing is about us. Those guys have their thumbprint on this defense just as much as I have. I’ve been here just a few years more.”
On communicating with specific player(s) regarding the promotion:
“You always want to reach out to the veterans, but this thing kind of moved so fast that I haven’t really had a chance. I had an opportunity to talk to my dad. It’s humbling. He’s just so happy. Now he’s got another son he can worry about the most with my brother (Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck) being in Baltimore. It’s just family. I’m always proud of my dad bringing us up in these roots. I’m proud of my brother for what he’s accomplished. I’m really excited and happy about the opportunity that’s come up on me.”
Defense is finally first in Denver
Denver has long been an offensive-minded outfit. Until now. New Denver coach John Fox is a defensive-minded coach and Denver’s defenders are relishing the change.
“We finally have the ace card in our hand,” pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil said. “I love it.”
Denver hasn’t been led by a defensive-minded coach since 1994 when Wade Phillips was at the helm. Mike Shanahan ran the show from 1995-2008. Wanting to keep the focus on the offense, the Broncos replaced Shanahan with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He flamed out last December.
In addition to his nine years of experience as a head coach, Denver was attracted to Fox because of his attention to defense. Denver was ranked No. 32 in the NFL in defense last season.
“It’s just nice to have your head coach be on your side of the ball,” Dumervil said. “Coach Fox knows so much about the defensive line and he is always walking around on our side of the field helping. I think is going to make this defense a lot better, much quicker.”
Star cornerback Champ Bailey hasn’t had a head coach who was defensive specialist since he played for Marty Schottenheimer in Washington in 2001.
“It’s been a long time,” Bailey said. “It’s about time. I really like what coach Fox has brought to this team. I’ve been really impressed.”
For those San Diego fans who are looking for a consolation prize, here’s one: Chargers coach Norv Turner will guide the AFC team in the Pro Bowl.
Turner was selected as the coach because the Chargers were the highest seed in the AFC divisional playoffs to lose. The Chargers were the No. 2 seed and they lost to the Jets on Sunday. The NFC will be coached by Dallas coach Wade Phillips. The Cowboys were the No. 3 seed.
In previous years, the coach who lost in the conference title game coached in the Pro Bowl. But this year, the game is being played before the Super Bowl, so an adjustment was needed.
In other AFC West news:
- The Chargers will draft at No. 28 in the first round.
- The Denver Post is reporting the Broncos will interview Buffalo running backs coach Eric Studesville for the same position. The Broncos have an opening because longtime position coach Bobby Turner went to Washington to reunite with Mike Shanahan. The pair worked 14 years together in Denver.
- San Diego receiver Vincent Jackson had some legal issues Sunday morning before the Chargers’ loss to the Jets. Turner had this to say about the situation Monday: “It wouldn’t have been good if he hadn’t played. He’s a big part of what we do. Vincent, as I understand, was pulled over. He did come to the game with Philip [Rivers]. Philip was here. At 9:30 in the morning, I was driving down Murphy Canyon Road. You know this hill, it’s easy if you’re not paying attention to go faster than you need to. There was a woman pulled over at 9:30, the radar and all that. I thought at that point, ‘That’s an interesting place to have a radar gun out on a Sunday morning at 9:30.’ Vincent was pulled over later and was at the stadium. I made a point Saturday night of telling our guys that there would be a lot of traffic and leave early. We had no problems. When I walked in the locker room after walking the field like I do, Vincent was dressed and getting ready and it was well over two hours before the game, which is normal. I didn’t find out about it until later.”
Jay Pennington from San Francisco wants to know if I think Wade Phillips could resurface as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator if he is fired as the Cowboy’s coach.
Bill Williamson: I think the only way it could happen is if current defensive coordinator Ron Rivera gets a job as a head coach. Rivera will not be replaced. He is doing a nice job. Rivera could be a serious candidate to get a head coaching-gig. He’s been a finalist before and I’d expect him to get some looks around the league. If Rivera goes elsewhere and Phillips is available, perhaps a reunion could occur. Phillips is beloved by many in the San Diego organization.
Tony from Sacramento wants to know if the Raiders are upset that Washington quarterback Jake Locker is planning to return to school next year.
BW: I don’t know if it ruined Oakland’s week or anything, but it does take a quality player off the board at a position Oakland may look at. But there is still Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford for Oakland to consider. Still, it is no sure thing the Raiders will take a quarterback early in next year’s draft. Oakland has other needs, so quarterback could wait another year in the draft.
Jared from JC, Oregon wants to know if any of the five Heisman Trophy finalists will fit in the AFC West.
BW: Jared, it’s an interesting question with many possibilities. So, I’m going to make one connection. I think Stanford running back Toby Gerhart could be a good fit in both Kansas City and in San Diego. Both teams could be looking for running backs and Gerhart could be a good value pick in the second or third round. He is a big, rugged back and could fit both team’s systems. I would not be surprised if the Heisman runner-up landed in this division.
» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South
Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 14:
Kyle Terada/US PresswirePhilip Rivers is one touchdown pass away from 100 for his career.Will the Broncos fare better against Manning this time? Peyton Manning has long been a Bronco killer. The Colts' quarterback has sliced this team up in the regular season and postseason. In two playoff games, after the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Manning was brilliant against Denver, throwing for 835 yards and nine touchdowns. Denver, though, has an improved pass defense this season. The Broncos have the No. 2 pass defense in the NFL, allowing an average of 180.2 yards per game.
Raiders miss a chance to get revenge on Hall: Cornerback DeAngelo Hall was a disaster in his eight-game tenure with the Raiders last season. However, Oakland won’t get an opportunity to pay Hall back for his lousy tenure in Oakland. He is out of Sunday’s game with a knee injury. Oakland gave up two draft picks and a huge contract to Hall. But he never fit in with the Raiders and was cut. Hall cost the Raiders $8 million for eight lackluster games.
Can Cassel bounce back? Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel will try to bounce back from perhaps his worst game as an NFL player. Cassel was awful Sunday against mentor Josh McDaniels and the Broncos in a 31-point Kansas City loss. Cassel completed 10 of 29 passes for 84 yards and was intercepted twice. He was yanked in the third quarter with the game out of hand. Cassel had been making steady strides before the disaster against Denver. He needs to bounce back.
Will Phillips upend the Chargers? Dallas coach Wade Phillips is very familiar with the Chargers. He was their defensive coordinator before leaving to become the head coach in Dallas in 2007. Many people think Phillips would have been the choice to replace the fired Marty Schottenheimer instead of Norv Turner had Phillips not left for Dallas before Schottenheimer was fired. Phillips is familiar with the Chargers’ offensive players. Expect him to go back to the future and throw some wrinkles at the Chargers.
It is Mosley’s contention that the Cowboys made a mistake in 2007 by not hiring Turner and hiring Wade Phillips. Turner was then hired by San Diego.
Mosley is spot on about Turner, who's a quality coach. San Diego is lucky to have him. A big reason why San Diego is 9-3 and has won seven games in a row is because of Turner’s leadership.
I know many Chargers fans point fingers at Turner when things go bad. But things are going great for San Diego, so he deserves credit. In fact, if the Chargers finish the season strong, Turner will deserve consideration for NFL coach of the year.
His team was 2-3 earlier this season. The pressure was on. Turner responded by getting his team together. This spring, San Diego general manager A.J. Smith said one of his favorite traits about Turner is his ability to stay calm and keep his team focused during difficult times.
Turner has also been terrific for the development of quarterback Philip Rivers. Getting the most out of quarterbacks has been Turner’s signature trait in his career. His work with Rivers hasn’t disappointed. Rivers has gotten better each year under Turner and he is on the doorstep of becoming an elite player.
And don’t forget the fact that Turner has been perfect in December as San Diego's coach. The man wins when it counts.
Whether or not Dallas made a mistake by hiring Phillips over Turner really isn’t the point in San Diego. The point is Turner has been great for the team and Chargers fans should appreciate him.
Rivera bringing fresh approach to San Diego
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| George Gojkovich/Getty Images | |
| Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera is focusing on teaching fundamentals and preaching accountability to San Diego's defense. |
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
The first stage of Ron Rivera's new job was about survival.
The newly promoted defensive coordinator had to figure out a way to get the San Diego Chargers' defense turned around in the second half of the 2008 season. There was no time for research or even teaching. The plan was tighten your chinstrap and make a play.
Rivera made it through the initial breakneck portion of the job. Now he can step back and prepare for the future.
"It's like I'm just starting this job," Rivera said. "All the stuff I had no time to deal with I'm finally getting a chance to do. It finally feels like it's my defense now."
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Rivera did just fine when he moved from inside linebackers coach to coordinator midway through last season, replacing Ted Cottrell when San Diego had a 3-5 record and appeared to have little chance of making the playoffs. The Chargers caught fire after Rivera took over and the team's defensive production improved dramatically. San Diego ended up winning its final four games to capture the AFC West division title.
But Rivera is looking at the defense anew in his first full season as coordinator in San Diego.
"We have a long way to go," Rivera said. "We can't look at what we did last year. It's all about getting our program going."
To begin his own program in San Diego, Rivera is looking to the past. He is studying the Chargers' defense from 2006 -- when the unit led the NFL in sacks -- which is helping his transition to a 3-4 scheme. Rivera coached in a 4-3 alignment when he was Chicago's defensive coordinator.
"I'm open to everything," Rivera said. "We're going to do what's best for this defense."
San Diego general manager A.J. Smith feels Rivera is best for the Chargers' defense. Rivera reminds Smith of former coordinator Wade Philips because of the way he teaches the game to players.
"He has that teaching instinct and ability," Smith said of Rivera. "He gives individual attention to players. He really stresses the classroom."
Smith said he believes the improvement of the pass defense is the key to whether San Diego can be a legitimate contender in the AFC this season.
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| Phil Carter/US Presswire | |
| With Shawne Merriman sidelined, the Chargers didn't make as many big plays last season. |
The return of Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman, who missed all but one game last season because of a knee injury, and the addition of top pick Larry English should help. Rivera has spent the past several weeks crafting ideas of how to use Merriman, English and Shaun Phillips in packages. The influx of pass-rushers -- along with a rebound year from cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who was hampered by a hip injury last season -- should help the team in passing situations.
The Chargers were pushed around at times with Merriman on the sideline. The big-play defense San Diego became known for was absent without him.
"We need to be together at all times," Rivera said. "We need to make key stops. That's what this offseason is all about. It's about getting all on the same page. It's about knowing each other better as we start the new season."
During the team's minicamp last month, Rivera worked to implement his philosophies and marry them with what the Chargers are used to.
"We all believe in what Coach Rivera did for us last season," safety Eric Weddle said. "Last year, it was about accountability and we all believe in each other. It's the same this year, but it's also about fundamentals and doing things the way he wants us to do it. He is always teaching. That is going to be the way it is here."
The Chargers got a dose of the way Rivera plans to conduct business on the first day of minicamp: He gave the team a film study of their 35-24 loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC divisional playoffs.
"We're only as good as our last game and we weren't very good in that game," Rivera said. "I showed specific breakdowns. It's the only way we are going to get better around here."
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
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The San Diego defensive lineman has signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Olshansky's departure from San Diego was expected. The team had no intentions of re-signing him.
Olshansky had an underwhelming season in 2008. Olshansky fits in Dallas because the Cowboys use a similar scheme as the Chargers. Dallas head coach Wade Phillips is familiar with Olshansky from his time in San Diego.
The Chargers may look for defensive line help early in the draft.
Where will Mike Shanahan end up?
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Now that every NFL team has a head coach (all of the jobs were filled when Oakland and Kansas City made hires last week), barring an unforeseen bombshell, Mike Shanahan will be taking the 2009 season off.
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| Rick Stewart/Getty Images | |
| Mike Shanahan will likely be a hot coaching candidate following the 2009 season. |
It will be Shanahan's first season away from being a head coach in the NFL since he was hired by the Denver Broncos in 1995. Denver unexpectedly fired Shanahan on Dec. 30 after 14 seasons with the team.
Shanahan said shortly after he was fired that he will definitely coach in the NFL again, and that he would require a special situation to coach in 2009. Several teams poked around Shanahan, but he opted to wait for an ideal situation.
He will now be part of an all-star cast of Super Bowl-winning coaches who could come back to the league in 2010. The others are Bill Cowher, Mike Holmgren and Jon Gruden. Shanahan will be as sought after as any of the coaches because of his pedigree, his offensive resume and his ability to lead a franchise.
Here is a look, alphabetically, at some of the potential fits for the former longtime Denver czar after the 2009 season:
Why: If the Bengals struggle again, coach Marvin Lewis will likely be in real trouble. The Bengals have a good passing game and Shanahan would have an instant centerpiece in quarterback Carson Palmer. Just like in Denver, Shanahan's biggest issue would be defense.
Stumbling block: Hiring a big-name, big-dollar coach such as Shanahan would be way out of character for the Bengals and Shanahan would likely have sexier options.
Chances: Not high.
Numbers don't lie: Cottrell struggled
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Want some cold, hard numbers on why the Chargers fired defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell on Tuesday and replaced him with inside linebackers coach Ron Rivera?
Thanks to ESPN Stats & Analysis, here are some charts illustrating the difference in the Chargers' defensive statistics under former coordinator Wade Phillips from 2004-06 and under Cottrell the last two seasons.
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Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
The latest episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks" featured the Cowboys' preseason game at San Diego.
The cameras caught a great pregame moment when Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (just voted the Chargers' all-time franchise player) was chatting with Dallas coach Wade Phillips. The two knew each other from Phillips' days as the Chargers' defensive coordinator.
Tomlinson told Phillips that the two teams should play their final game of the season against each other. Phillips laughed and told Tomlinson it was a good idea.
Tomlinson was not predicting that the Chargers and Cowboys would meet in the Super Bowl. He was having fun with a friend, talking about how cool it would be.
My thought when I watched that moment on the show: It's possible. Very possible.
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Bill Williamson
Williamson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Denver Broncos for the Denver Post. He previously covered the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.
