EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) \u2014 In two seasons as the Los Angeles Chargers\u2019 defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter has proven himself to be one of the most creative minds in football. <\/p>\n
But even Minter acknowledges there are times when his scheming is secondary to the natural pass rush talent at his disposal.<\/p>\n
Minter knew he had to reimagine his pass rush this season after the salary-cap release of Joey Bosa<\/a>, the five-time Pro Bowl selection who spent nine years leading the Chargers\u2019 pursuit of quarterbacks \u2014 when he was healthy, at least.<\/p>\n With Khalil Mack returning as the group\u2019s anchor, Tuli Tuipulotu continuing to develop and Odafe Oweh making a major impact as a midseason addition, the Chargers (7-4) believe they\u2019ve cobbled together a pass rush that can keep them in contention in the quarterback-rich AFC West.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, it\u2019s what wins in this league on passing downs is the ability to affect the quarterback,\u201d Minter said. \u201cSome teams do it by designing super-well-designed blitzes and all that stuff, and I think there\u2019s times where you\u2019ve got to do that. I really think most people would say that if you can get the pressure that you want with four and cover the guys that are out there, that\u2019s harder to go against, even though, yeah, the blitzes are really hard, too.\u201d<\/p>\n The Chargers\u2019 ability to disrupt through their edge rushers had been coming together nicely \u2014 at least until their 35-6 loss at Jacksonville last Sunday, when nothing went right<\/a> for the defense at any level. Before that setback, Mack thought the position group was on the right track to maximize its considerable potential.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we building it, we making sure we communicating and all those different things throughout the week, practice and meetings,\u201d Mack said. \u201cIt\u2019s not as great as we want it to be right now, but it\u2019s trending that way.\u201d<\/p>\n The upside of the pass rush grew when the Chargers traded for Oweh on Oct. 7, acquiring the five-year NFL veteran and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick from Baltimore in exchange for safety Alohi Gilman and a fifth-round selection. <\/p>\n Los Angeles made the move because Mack had dislocated an elbow against the Raiders<\/a> in Week 2, sidelining him for four weeks and exposing a lack of consistent production opposite Tuipulotu.<\/p>\n Minter\u2019s first season in charge benefited from the ability to frequently play Mack, Tuipulotu and Bosa together at the same time, with Tuipulotu proving especially adept at pass rushing from an inside position. While the Bolts\u2019 decision to drop Bosa last March was probably prudent since the former No. 3 overall pick had just 14 sacks over the previous three seasons while only managing to play in 28 of their 51 games, the lack of a suitable replacement was evident.<\/p>\n Now, Minter has been able to deploy Mack, Tuipulotu and Oweh on obvious passing downs, and their willingness to work together has helped recharge the ability to create pressure. Minter praised each of their inclinations to run games, stunts and even drop into coverage to create the most favorable matchups for one another.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that makes it work is the unselfishness of the three of them,\u201d Minter said. \u201cReally, Bud (Dupree) as well. So having the edge room be a strength, I think any defensive coach would love to have that.\u201d<\/p>\n That willingness to sacrifice, Mack said, isn\u2019t always a given, especially with the financial rewards that typically come with big individual sack tallies. It hasn\u2019t been an issue for the Chargers, even with Oweh in a contract year and Tuipulotu eligible for a contract extension at the end of this season, his third in the NFL.<\/p>\n \u201cIt keeps the vibes high, you know, everybody can stay happy \u2018cause everybody kind of getting they wins throughout the game,\u201d Mack said. \u201cIt\u2019s super important to keep the vibes high in the edge room \u2019cause it can be a competitive room. Guys (could) probably be hating on this or hating on that, but we ain\u2019t got those kind of guys. <\/p>\n \u201cWe want to win, by any means, and so whatever it takes, whatever it takes to win, we willing to do for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Oweh went from having no sacks in five games with the Ravens to posting four in his first four games for the Chargers. Tuipulotu had four sacks in a five-game span coinciding with Oweh\u2019s arrival. Mack had three in his first four games after returning from injury and being able to play with Oweh.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just getting more familiar with each other,\u201d Mack said. \u201cIt\u2019s just getting more familiar with each other\u2019s games. Knowing what certain guys like, knowing different sides guys like to be on at certain times of the game, and just playing off of each other. So, yeah, that confidence is growing.\u201d <\/p>\n Before the dud in Jacksonville, Los Angeles had 13 combined sacks against Minnesota, Tennessee and Pittsburgh<\/a> during a three-game winning streak. Oweh, Mack and Tuipulotu had eight of them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way those four guys, especially the three that are out there a lot on the passing downs,\u201d Minter said, \u201cthe way they have rushed the past three or four games is a great vision that we have hopefully for the second part of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n