Chargers defensive line coach Mike Elston calls defensive coordinator Jesse Minter “the best game-day coordinator I’ve worked with in terms of calling a game.” (Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
The Chargers were supposed to be good defensively under former head coach Brandon Staley.
He had just coordinated the Rams’ defense to No. 1 in points and yards allowed when the Chargers hired him in January of 2021.
Instead, Staley’s defenses underwhelmed in an imperfect storm of unyielding inconsistency, blown assignments and general disarray.
In his just-short-of three seasons, the Chargers finished 29th, 21st and 24th in points allowed and 23rd, 20th and 28th in yards surrendered.
Staley’s final game featured his defense giving up seven touchdowns by the 10-minute mark of the third quarter. He was fired the next morning.
Read more: NFL 2024 schedule: Chargers’ first year with Jim Harbaugh features three prime-time games
Now, the Chargers defense is under the direction of Jesse Minter.
“I think,” Mike Elston said, “he’s the best game-day coordinator I’ve worked with in terms of calling a game.”
Elston, who oversees the Chargers defensive line, is a veteran of 27 coaching seasons, including the last two with Minter at Michigan. All that time adds significant context to his words.
This new era of Chargers football dawned with the hiring of Jim Harbaugh in late January, his arrival signaling a transition to a more physical and pounding offensive approach.
The changes continue today with the development of a defense anchored on the edges.
The Chargers reworked the contracts of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa to retain both and then signed veteran Bud Dupree, adding to a group that also includes Tuli Tuipulotu, who shined as a rookie in 2023.
The addition of Bud Dupree means the Chargers’ defense now has four prominent edge rushers. (Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
Said Tuipulotu on Wednesday, “I think we’re kinda stacked, you know.”
For all the deserved hype attached to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chargers-creating-edge-defense-deploying-013644307.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-05-30 01:36:44
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