Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen drew a loud reaction from the fans sitting in the bleachers after he used a nifty route to break free from safety Mark Webb Jr. during one–on–one drills.
It seemed the Chargers’ offense was headed for another prolific day against the defense, but cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. quickly regained momentum for his unit by batting a Justin Herbert pass intended for Allen during the early portion of full-team drills.
Later, Samuel broke up a downfield pass for Mike Williams, who’s about six inches taller than the Chargers’ feisty 5'10"cornerback. It was a victory for the Chargers’ defense because push-ups were on the line after safety Derwin James made a bet with Allen, saying his defense would stop the offense from scoring.
“We like to make it a competition, especially when we’re doing 2-minute [drills], gotta-have-it situations,” James told Sports Illustrated after Friday’s practice. “We like to make it a competition. Like, if y’all going to score, we’re going to do push-ups. If we stop y’all, we want y’all doing push-ups.”
oh, no you zonnnt 🚫 pic.twitter.com/fI2VBWrzUw
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 4, 2023
Samuel’s pass breakups and James’s confidence in the defense to win on-the-field bets are just a few ways the Chargers are preparing defensively for a pivotal third season under coach Brandon Staley, the team’s defensive play-caller.
For the past two seasons, Staley and his defensive players have heard the constant criticism and how they’re holding back Herbert and his offense. But many have overlooked the dominant defensive performances that occurred during the Chargers’ four-game winning streak in the final month of the 2022 regular season to lift them into the playoffs.
The Chargers held opponents to 11 points per game from Weeks 14 to 17, after allowing an average of 25.8 points per game during the first 12 games of the regular season.
But defensive linemen Morgan Fox and Sebastian Joseph-Day aren’t looking for credit. No one is going to feel sorry for them for playing without edge rusher Joey Bosa and cornerback J.C. Jackson for most of last season. And they understand it’s easy to forget their progress with most of the focus this offseason on the 27-point collapse that transpired in the heartbreaking wild–card playoff loss to Jacksonville.
“Listen, man, at the end of the day, people are going to say what they’re going to say,” Joseph-Day says. “We’re not worried about that. We’re worried about now. And we know where we struggled. We know what we gotta improve, and we’re going to make adjustments.”
“We understand what’s being said, and what’s being done is a direct result of how we played last year,” Fox says. “But we know, and we showed that we can play better. We can do this every week for the rest of the year. We have this chip on our shoulder.”
After a rough start to training camp against Herbert and his many offensive weapons, the defense has gotten most of the wins during Week 2 of camp. On Friday, however, the two units went back and forth with highlight catches and passes defended. It was a chess match between Staley and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
The intensity and competition displayed how much talent the Chargers have on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Chargers are going to be tough to stop with Herbert throwing to four talented wide receivers in Allen, Williams, Josh Palmer and rookie Quentin Johnston. Defensively, James isn’t the only one with All-Pro and Pro Bowl accolades, with Khalil Mack, Bosa and the arrival of linebacker Eric Kendricks.
“You’re getting receiver 1s from everybody,” James says. “You’re getting to see a [tough] look, no matter who you lined up in front of, whether it’s in the slot, outside, everybody got a guy, and got a guy who can get open. It just makes you better, and if you don’t come out here ready to play, you’re going to get exposed out here against our offense.”
Joseph-Day said Kendricks has provided “premium communication,” and James expects the secondary to make several plays with a healthy Bosa and Mack together on the field providing a consistent pass rush.
If the Chargers’ defense finally lives up to its potential throughout the 2023 season, perhaps this might develop into a special year for the Powder Blues.
