How the Chargers fixed their D... - Page 2

DaWolf · 12-06-2004, 09:00 AM

May or may not apply to us for next year, but interesting read...

Don't overlook Phillips, 3-4 defense for Chargers' success
Dec. 5, 2004
By Clark Judge

SAN DIEGO -- There are two big differences in this year's San Diego Chargers, and one of them is quarterback Drew Brees. But the other is a guy you didn't see and you didn't hear after Sunday's 20-17 defeat of Denver and whose notoriety stems from his experiences outside of San Diego.

I'm talking, of course, about Chargers' defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who in one season has taken one of the league's worst defenses and turned it into one of its most opportune -- and I call Jake Plummer to the witness stand.

The Denver quarterback was intercepted a season-high four times -- including Jerry Wilson's game-clinching pickoff in the end zone in the game's closing minutes -- as the Chargers clinched their first winning season in nine years and moved a step closer to their first playoff spot since making it as a wild-card entry in 1995.

Heck, what are we talking about here? I don't care if coach Marty Schottenheimer and his players won't concede it; the Chargers are all but a lock for the playoffs. They're two games up on Denver in the AFC West with four games left, and only one is against an opponent with a winning record.

You can talk all you want about the contributions of Brees or running back LaDainian Tomlinson, but the club wouldn't be here without Phillips and his 3-4 defense. Yeah, Denver shredded it for 202 yards in the fourth quarter, and that's not good. But it held when it had to, with Wilson making a game-saving interception after cornerback Drayton Florence -- a guy making only his second start -- deflected a pass for Rod Smith.

"He defensed it perfectly," Wilson said of his teammate. "I just kept running to the ball. Good things happen when you do that -- at least that's what I was taught."

And good things keep happening to the Chargers, in the midst of a six-game winning streak. It's not all because of Brees, who failed to throw a scoring pass for the first time in five games, nor is it all because of Tomlinson, who had both San Diego touchdowns. Somewhere in there you have to make room for that defense, especially after what happened Sunday.

It stuffed Reuben Droughns. It frustrated Plummer. And it carried the Chargers to their biggest win of the year.

"I told you three weeks ago, 'Let's see where we are after the next three weeks'," said Schottenheimer. "My assessment is: We're a pretty good football team."

Sure, there are problems, like the team's failure to defend the deep pass, but let's save those for the Dec. 26 date at Indianapolis. For the moment, here's what I like about these guys -- they've forced 23 turnovers, four more than their total for last year, and are plus-12 in the takeaway/giveaway department.

But that's not all. They went into Sunday's game ranked 12th in overall defense and second against the run -- a huge leap forward from last year's 27th-ranked defense and a key reason why they should be taken seriously. Maybe it's the new 3-4; maybe it's new players. All I know is it wouldn't be possible without Phillips, and Phillips wouldn't be here without Schottenheimer.

"I got to thinking about the 3-4 defense a year ago because our defense wasn't doing well, and I didn't think we had enough defensive linemen we could count on," said Schottenheimer. "It made sense to go to the 3-4, and I think he's as good a 3-4 coach as there is. So that was really a no-brainer."

So how come we don't hear more about Phillips? Well, one reason is Brees. His story is compelling. The guy's a lame-duck quarterback, expected to be replaced by No. 1 draft pick Philip Rivers, yet he keeps winning and winning and winning. Another is that Phillips' contact with the media is restricted, just as contact with the rest of the coaching staff is. He's not available for interviews during the week or after games.

So what you see from his defense is what you're going to get from Wade, and what you saw Sunday was a defense that made the critical play when it needed it most.

"Wade Phillips means a lot to everyone on this team," said linebacker Steve Foley, who had one of the team's four interceptions. "We all look forward to seeing what he comes up with next."

What he's come up with this year is a defense that is second only to Pittsburgh at stopping the run and that hasn't allowed over 10 second-half points in its last six starts -- and, yes, that includes the 34-31 win over Kansas City where one of the Chiefs' two second-half touchdowns was a kickoff return.

"Let me tell you something," said Schottenheimer, who once coached the Chiefs, "they have five possessions in the second half, and on four of them they don't have a first down. They had 93 yards of offense on us in the second half. ... and it was in Kansas City!

"So why the 3-4? I used it extensively, in fact exclusively, for nine years in Cleveland and another three or four years in Kansas City. It is a defense that enables you first and foremost to defend the run because you have better athletes on the field -- guys who can run and take the big play away from your opponent. Once we went to the 3-4, we got Wade Phillips and then we acquired players to fit the thing."

And then they beat Denver on an extraordinary afternoon -- when it rained, when Brees was not effective and when tight end Antonio Gates was shut down. When that happens you better have more than Tomlinson to answer an opponent, and the Chargers do.

Only, I bet you can't name half of their starting lineup. Sure, there's defensive tackle Jamal Williams and linebacker Donnie Edwards. Cornerback Quentin Jammer and linebacker Randall Godfrey, too. But where do you go from there?

"That tells you we're a pretty good team," said wide receiver Keenan McCardell. "We're very humble around here, but we're getting better each week. And that's what good teams do."

Good teams run. The Chargers do that. Good teams don't make mistakes. The Chargers have done that. And good teams play defense. The Chargers do that, too. They just proved it again.

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/7966452

DaWolf · 12-06-2004, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Seahawk

Off topic Dawolf, but your Bears got screwed by the BCS..

Screwed ain't the word for it Joe. It is BS when you are the No 4 team in america, your only loss came to the No 1 team in America, and you get shafted and have to go play in the Holiday Bowl. I hope Mack Brown and Texas get their asses handed to them.

Still, after years of suffering under Keith Gilbertson and Tom Ho(l)mo(e) I'm real happy with where Tedford has taken the program in so short a time. This guy is a college coaching star waiting to explode, and I hope Cal is smart enough to lock him up...

cash1000 · 12-06-2004, 10:35 AM

They didn't resign a bunch of players from a 32nd ranked defense and drafted for defensev heavily in the draft. They didn't have a top ranked offense then use the draft to improve the top ranked offense for some idiotic reason while they stood pat with the worst defense in football.

ChiefsCountry · 12-06-2004, 10:53 AM

We don't have 4 linebackers good enough, hell we don't 3 linebackers who can start for us right now.

KCTitus · 12-06-2004, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cash1000

They didn't resign a bunch of players from a 32nd ranked defense and drafted for defensev heavily in the draft. They didn't have a top ranked offense then use the draft to improve the top ranked offense for some idiotic reason while they stood pat with the worst defense in football.

That Phillip Rivers pick sure looks genious (chiefsplanet spelling).

cash1000 · 12-06-2004, 11:05 AM

No genuis is resigning Hick and Bartee,giving Warfield a big contract , signing Holiday as a free agent and then drafting Siavii, Wilson and Parker!

KCTitus · 12-06-2004, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cash1000

No genuis is resigning Hick and Bartee,giving Warfield a big contract , signing Holiday as a free agent and then drafting Siavii, Wilson and Parker!

That win really did ruin your day, didnt it?

I gotta say, that makes me happy.

nmt1 · 12-06-2004, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

We rag on the Chiefs for abandoning a quality running game when behind, AND we rag on Marty for sticking with the best RB after Priest with a lead. Hooray for us, we can rag on anything that happens without regard to principle. Difference is, Marty wins and DV loses.

Bottom line is Marty got a 10 point lead, sat on it, and nearly blew it. It was a textbook example of what used to frustrate the heck out of me when Marty was in KC.

shaneo69 · 12-06-2004, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCTitus

Speaking of the Chargers, I noticed Martyball rear it's ugly head in the second half, obviously in preparation for the playoffs...

Marty sat on that lead and stopped attacking the 2nd half and thanks to Plummer pulled that game out. Brees got killed by Lynch and had Denver come up with the ball, it would have been a classic Marty play-not-to-lose losing effort yesterday.

It was good to see Marty return to form in a big game. Should be fun watching them flame out in the playoffs.

I posted a thread about this yesterday after the Chargers settled for their 2nd FG to go up 20-7. They had two "1st and goals" and had to settle for FG's both times. Apparently Marty still isn't afraid of the dreaded 13 point lead.

Brock · 12-06-2004, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaneo69

I posted a thread about this yesterday after the Chargers settled for their 2nd FG to go up 20-7. They had two "1st and goals" and had to settle for FG's both times. Apparently Marty still isn't afraid of the dreaded 13 point lead.

Watch what happens when Peyton Manning or Tom Brady gets a hold of him.

KCTitus · 12-06-2004, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaneo69

I posted a thread about this yesterday after the Chargers settled for their 2nd FG to go up 20-7. They had two "1st and goals" and had to settle for FG's both times. Apparently Marty still isn't afraid of the dreaded 13 point lead.

Ugh! Didnt know that, I caught more of the 2nd half than the first. I wish the game wasnt at the same time as KC's.

shaneo69 · 12-06-2004, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock Landers

Watch what happens when Peyton Manning or Tom Brady gets a hold of him.

What was funny is that Drew Brees was actually morphing into Steve Bono right there on the field in the 4th quarter.

**Lzen** · 12-06-2004, 01:09 PM

It's not only the offense where Marty goes into a shell.

**Rausch** · 12-06-2004, 01:12 PM

Everyone knows Marty doesn't go limp until "big decision" time in the playoffs.

It's the same reason Martz has no ring: poor in game decision making at crucial times...

Frosty · 12-06-2004, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Seahawk

Off topic Dawolf, but your Bears got screwed by the BCS..

They weren't the only ones.

12-06-2004, 09:00 AM
DaWolf Cry havoc... Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10007725	How the Chargers fixed their D... May or may not apply to us for next year, but interesting read... Don't overlook Phillips, 3-4 defense for Chargers' success Dec. 5, 2004 By Clark Judge SAN DIEGO -- There are two big differences in this year's San Diego Chargers, and one of them is quarterback Drew Brees. But the other is a guy you didn't see and you didn't hear after Sunday's 20-17 defeat of Denver and whose notoriety stems from his experiences outside of San Diego. I'm talking, of course, about Chargers' defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who in one season has taken one of the league's worst defenses and turned it into one of its most opportune -- and I call Jake Plummer to the witness stand. The Denver quarterback was intercepted a season-high four times -- including Jerry Wilson's game-clinching pickoff in the end zone in the game's closing minutes -- as the Chargers clinched their first winning season in nine years and moved a step closer to their first playoff spot since making it as a wild-card entry in 1995. Heck, what are we talking about here? I don't care if coach Marty Schottenheimer and his players won't concede it; the Chargers are all but a lock for the playoffs. They're two games up on Denver in the AFC West with four games left, and only one is against an opponent with a winning record. You can talk all you want about the contributions of Brees or running back LaDainian Tomlinson, but the club wouldn't be here without Phillips and his 3-4 defense. Yeah, Denver shredded it for 202 yards in the fourth quarter, and that's not good. But it held when it had to, with Wilson making a game-saving interception after cornerback Drayton Florence -- a guy making only his second start -- deflected a pass for Rod Smith. "He defensed it perfectly," Wilson said of his teammate. "I just kept running to the ball. Good things happen when you do that -- at least that's what I was taught." And good things keep happening to the Chargers, in the midst of a six-game winning streak. It's not all because of Brees, who failed to throw a scoring pass for the first time in five games, nor is it all because of Tomlinson, who had both San Diego touchdowns. Somewhere in there you have to make room for that defense, especially after what happened Sunday. It stuffed Reuben Droughns. It frustrated Plummer. And it carried the Chargers to their biggest win of the year. "I told you three weeks ago, 'Let's see where we are after the next three weeks'," said Schottenheimer. "My assessment is: We're a pretty good football team." Sure, there are problems, like the team's failure to defend the deep pass, but let's save those for the Dec. 26 date at Indianapolis. For the moment, here's what I like about these guys -- they've forced 23 turnovers, four more than their total for last year, and are plus-12 in the takeaway/giveaway department. But that's not all. They went into Sunday's game ranked 12th in overall defense and second against the run -- a huge leap forward from last year's 27th-ranked defense and a key reason why they should be taken seriously. Maybe it's the new 3-4; maybe it's new players. All I know is it wouldn't be possible without Phillips, and Phillips wouldn't be here without Schottenheimer. "I got to thinking about the 3-4 defense a year ago because our defense wasn't doing well, and I didn't think we had enough defensive linemen we could count on," said Schottenheimer. "It made sense to go to the 3-4, and I think he's as good a 3-4 coach as there is. So that was really a no-brainer." So how come we don't hear more about Phillips? Well, one reason is Brees. His story is compelling. The guy's a lame-duck quarterback, expected to be replaced by No. 1 draft pick Philip Rivers, yet he keeps winning and winning and winning. Another is that Phillips' contact with the media is restricted, just as contact with the rest of the coaching staff is. He's not available for interviews during the week or after games. So what you see from his defense is what you're going to get from Wade, and what you saw Sunday was a defense that made the critical play when it needed it most. "Wade Phillips means a lot to everyone on this team," said linebacker Steve Foley, who had one of the team's four interceptions. "We all look forward to seeing what he comes up with next." What he's come up with this year is a defense that is second only to Pittsburgh at stopping the run and that hasn't allowed over 10 second-half points in its last six starts -- and, yes, that includes the 34-31 win over Kansas City where one of the Chiefs' two second-half touchdowns was a kickoff return. "Let me tell you something," said Schottenheimer, who once coached the Chiefs, "they have five possessions in the second half, and on four of them they don't have a first down. They had 93 yards of offense on us in the second half. ... and it was in Kansas City! "So why the 3-4? I used it extensively, in fact exclusively, for nine years in Cleveland and another three or four years in Kansas City. It is a defense that enables you first and foremost to defend the run because you have better athletes on the field -- guys who can run and take the big play away from your opponent. Once we went to the 3-4, we got Wade Phillips and then we acquired players to fit the thing." And then they beat Denver on an extraordinary afternoon -- when it rained, when Brees was not effective and when tight end Antonio Gates was shut down. When that happens you better have more than Tomlinson to answer an opponent, and the Chargers do. Only, I bet you can't name half of their starting lineup. Sure, there's defensive tackle Jamal Williams and linebacker Donnie Edwards. Cornerback Quentin Jammer and linebacker Randall Godfrey, too. But where do you go from there? "That tells you we're a pretty good team," said wide receiver Keenan McCardell. "We're very humble around here, but we're getting better each week. And that's what good teams do." Good teams run. The Chargers do that. Good teams don't make mistakes. The Chargers have done that. And good teams play defense. The Chargers do that, too. They just proved it again. http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/7966452
Posts: 6,798

12-06-2004, 10:35 AM	#17
cash1000 Starter Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: kansas city, mo. Casino cash: $10004900	They didn't resign a bunch of players from a 32nd ranked defense and drafted for defensev heavily in the draft. They didn't have a top ranked offense then use the draft to improve the top ranked offense for some idiotic reason while they stood pat with the worst defense in football.
Posts: 112

12-06-2004, 10:53 AM	#18
ChiefsCountry The Insider Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Lake of the Ozarks Casino cash: $-1391248	We don't have 4 linebackers good enough, hell we don't 3 linebackers who can start for us right now.
Posts: 52,001

12-06-2004, 11:05 AM	#20
cash1000 Starter Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: kansas city, mo. Casino cash: $10004900	No genuis is resigning Hick and Bartee,giving Warfield a big contract , signing Holiday as a free agent and then drafting Siavii, Wilson and Parker!
Posts: 112

12-06-2004, 01:09 PM	#27
Lzen Banded Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Oz Casino cash: $-529308	It's not only the offense where Marty goes into a shell. __________________ Conversation would be vastly improved by the constant use of four simple words: I do not know.
Posts: 42,458