Chargers DC Gus Bradley sees parts of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor in Derwin James
Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley sees All-Pro safety Derwin James as an amalgamation of several great players he coached in the past.
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00:00 [INAUDIBLE]
00:10 >> Yeah, you know what, he is playing fast.
00:11 I think some of the things that you're seeing where it just,
00:15 we're getting there quicker when he's on the field.
00:17 Some of the things that maybe were in the earlier in the year where our tackling
00:21 wasn't as good, and sometimes when a back or receiver catches it in space and
00:25 has a chance to eye up the defender, that's awful tough to make those tackles
00:28 in open space, but I think his speed really eats up the grass.
00:32 And he gives him a chance to make some plays like the tackle he had last week.
00:36 So yeah, he brings that.
00:37 I think we brought him a couple more times.
00:41 We blitzed two times last week, and some of the more than that, but
00:45 those two times we gave up some explosive plays.
00:48 So if we're gonna do that, being more aggressive with him pressuring or
00:52 other guys pressuring, we really gotta lock into our coverage with that.
00:55 And we didn't do a good job of that last week.
00:57 >> A lot of times we talk about the advancement of player race from year one
01:02 to year two, with Derwin obviously he was at a high level to begin with, but
01:06 how much is he maybe behind a little bit where he could have been just based on
01:12 the reps he missed this season?
01:13 >> Well, I think with Derwin, the more he plays, the more plays you see.
01:19 And so he doesn't have a, it's not like you look back and say,
01:22 look at all these games, all the plays he's made.
01:24 He's played a limited amount of plays, but we see it as a coaching staff.
01:28 Some of the plays he made, back to the Jacksonville plays,
01:31 there's a couple third down in shorts or a fourth down he made the plays.
01:35 And if he played the whole season, I think those would add up.
01:38 But he's definitely added to us where we feel like some guys can
01:43 help dictate the outcome of a game defensively.
01:46 He's one of those guys that if we use him right, he has that ability.
01:50 >> How much better can he get?
01:54 >> There's a lot of growth for him.
01:56 Because I think he's created a standard, and
01:59 then I think as he keeps going, that standard will increase.
02:01 So I mean, I think there's areas that he is driven
02:05 not to be satisfied where he's at, nor are we.
02:09 But he's played in multiple positions for us now.
02:12 I mean, he's played a defensive end, he's played a linebacker, so
02:15 we got a lot on his plate.
02:17 But I think that as we look at him more and more,
02:20 we had quite a bit going in into the season, we've calmed that down now.
02:24 But I could see us getting back to more of that, especially in the offseason.
02:28 >> You've had over the course of your career many impressive defensive players.
02:33 Where does Derwin fit into that group?
02:37 >> It's a great question.
02:38 Now, normally, I don't like to compare guys.
02:42 But he's unique because he has the speed of a corner.
02:47 He has the athleticism to make plays in space.
02:52 He can play in the box.
02:55 He's a good rusher.
02:56 So he's got a combination of all those things.
03:00 I remember Cam Chancellor, Cam Chancellor played in the box,
03:03 was a real physical player, and had really, really good instincts.
03:07 And I see some of those traits in DJ.
03:10 I see a guy that can cover a lot of field, like Earl Thomas can cover a lot of ground.
03:16 So I see bits and pieces of that.
03:18 So the challenge for DJ is he does have those skill sets, like you asked.
03:23 How high can he take each one of those skill sets?
03:26 That's where I think he's got a lot of room for improvement.
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