Chargers secondary puts tackling first
Shareece Wright read a reverse.
The Chargers cornerback was positioned in the slot last Sunday versus Seattle. He shot inside of wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who was tasked with blocking him, and chopped down wide receiver Percy Harvin for a 6-yard loss in the fourth quarter.
That is positioning. That is tackling.
Through two games, that’s been the Chargers secondary.
Improved tackling was a point of emphasis this offseason under secondary coach Ron Milus and the defensive staff. So far, it’s evident. The unit looks to continue the success Sunday in Buffalo, where the Bills have a few weapons more than capable of testing it during what is expected to be a wet afternoon.
No NFL secondary has missed fewer tackles this season than the Chargers.
The unit missed one the first two weeks, according to Pro Football Focus. By comparison, among the 31 other teams, the average secondary has missed 8.1 tackles in that same span. Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor has missed seven. The Chiefs’ backend has totaled a league-worst 17.
“We focused on it,” said Wright, whose 13 solo tackles lead the team . “We put focus on tackling, tackling, tackling, tackling. Great defenses, they tackle — everybody, not just the linebackers and linemen. Everybody.”
In practice, the Chargers do not tackle to the ground.
Not even in training camp with fourth stringers. Coach Mike McCoy believes technique can be coached without exposing players to friendly fire that increases the risk of injury.
“You work on it. You do drills,” safety Eric Weddle said. “And then every period, it’s a tackling practice: knowing your leverage, coming to balance, tagging off the hips. Because if you tag a full-speed running back at the hips, you’re pretty much guaranteeing yourself a tackle. You just can’t get bored doing the little things. That’s what makes professionals good players.”
The Bills have some.
Their backfield of speedster C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, a 33-year-old veteran with good vision, form one of the better duos in the league. Both are trusted in the passing game. There also is first-round rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins, an explosive athlete coming off an eight-catch, 117-yard performance versus Miami.
The defense will have to contain them while both sides deal with the elements.
According to the National Weather Service, a storm front is expected to hit Buffalo early Sunday morning. Showers with a possible thunderstorm are forecast before the 10 a.m. PT kickoff. A projected wind of 13 to 15 miles per hour could affect the deep ball.
The secondary’s only missed tackle in two games was attributed to Wright. It came during a first-quarter attempt against Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks’ power running back.
“It’s not easy,” McCoy said. “Shareece got run over by The Beast the other day. But he slowed him down, and everyone else rallied to him. Then at the end, he makes the big play on Harvin. There is give and take. ... They’ve taken pride in it and understand what we need to do.”
“To be a top 10 defense in the National Football League, you have to tackle,” coordinator John Pagano said. “Our guys in the backend have been tackling great. We’ve got to keep it that way.”
