In his introductory press conference on Tuesday, new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary laid out his plan for the Chargers‘ defense, which is elevating the existing foundation and evolving the scheme to maximize personnel.
“The foundation of our defense, we’re going to elevate that. We’re going to do what we do better,” O’Leary said. “The second thing we’re going to do is evolve the defense. We’re going to add things, we’re going to tailor things to the players.”
O’Leary plans to build on the core philosophy from his 2024 Chargers tenure and Jesse Minter’s era, which emphasizes block destruction, communication, effort/angles, tackling, and ball disruption, while incorporating elements from his time at Notre Dame under coaches Al Golden, Marcus Freeman, and Clark Lea.
These additions include enhanced pre-snap and post-snap adjustments and more versatile personnel usage.
Using what he learned from these defensive-minded coaches, O’Leary implemented it during his lone stint as Western Michigan’s DC, resulting in his unit ranking ninth nationally in scoring defense (17.4 points allowed per game) and helping the Broncos to a MAC title and a 10-4 record.
O’Leary’s role at Western Michigan taught him lessons in play-calling: achieving a “flow state,” adapting to game flow, and the need for “constant demand” and weekly preparation.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chris O’Leary details vision for Chargers defense
