Chargers Hire Gus Bradley as Defensive Coordinator

The Los Angeles Chargers have found their Defensive Coordinator...

This move had been talked about and rumored since the hiring of Head Coach Anthony Lynn as they had been considered a package deal of sorts. There was some discussion about Bradley possibly ending up in San Francisco, especially if they had hired Josh McDaniels as their coach, however that ended when earlier today it became official that he would wind up with Los Angeles.

Bradley has been coaching since 1990, getting his start as a graduate assistant at North Dakota State. After being the DC at North Dakota State for 10 years, he became the linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2006 to 2008. While at Tampa Bay, the defense became one of the best in the league, reaching second in 2007 and ninth in 2008 while coaching talented linebackers such as Derrick Brooks, Cato June and Barrett Ruud.

After this success, he would be hired as the Defensive Coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks in 2009 under Jim Mora and serve there for four seasons. During his first two seasons, the defense didn’t perform well, to say the least, finishing in the late twenties both years. 2011 would prove to be that defenses coming out party, ending with a finish in the top 10 and sending players to the pro bowl (Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Brandon Browner). 2012 would be another major step forward as they would end up fourth in the league in total defense and finishing with the top defense in points allowed with a very low total of 245, nearly 30 less than second place.

The Jacksonville Jaguars took notice and hired Gus Bradley to be their head coach for the 2013 season. Things never seemed to come together in Jacksonville, as he would finish with a sad 14-48 record having been fired with two games remaining in the 2016 season. While the HC for Jacksonville, the defense was in the mid to late 20’s in ranking except for 2016 when it jumped in to the top 10, finishing sixth.

It should be noted that Bradley mainly runs a 4-3 defensive scheme, something that many have wanted the Chargers to switch to in recent years. Brandon Mebane, Chargers Defensive Tackle, played in Bradley’s scheme all four years of his tenure there. For a fantastic breakdown of Bradley’s scheme, check out this link to an article on Big Cat Country.

Looks like someone is a bit of a fortune teller...

What do you think of this hire for the Los Angeles Chargers?