Skip to main content

Search TrendsNew Ads Appearances Podcasts API

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click “Accept All” to consent, or “Decline non-essential” to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.

The Football Analytics Show by The Power Rank and Ed Feng

The Football Analytics Show by The Power Rank and Ed Feng

Chargers DC Chris O'Leary is the NFL's most interesting hire

Aug 21, 2026 · 6 min · 7 segments

While most NFL coordinators get promoted from another NFL coaching position, Chris O'Leary became the Chargers DC after a season at Western Michigan in 2025. This episode looks at how he elevated the…

While most NFL coordinators get promoted from another NFL coaching position, Chris O'Leary became the Chargers DC after a season at Western Michigan in 2025. This episode looks at how he elevated the program with players like Nadame Tucker and his prospects with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Football Analytics Show is presented by The Power Rank, a site devoted to predictive analytics for football betting. To get 5-Nugget Saturday, a curated list of bets and analytics, sign up for the free newsletter here: https://thepowerrank.com/

While most NFL coordinators get promoted from another NFL coaching position, Chris O'Leary became the Chargers DC after a season at Western Michigan in 2025. This episode looks at how he elevated the…

Speakers: Ed FengHost

Show signals: SuitabilitySafeBiasNot politicalAudience≈24k followers

Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Amazon Music Website

Top entities: Chris O'leary×20 Jesse Minter×9 NFL×14 Western Michigan Broncos football×12 Los Angeles Chargers×8

O'Leary's Western Michigan Turnaround0:20 – 2:04

0:20

Cardinals OC Nathaniel Hackett, well, he's not boring because he had an epic failure as a head coach in Denver.

0:27

This man still cashes NFL paychecks because of his three years with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

0:34

But Chargers DC Chris O'Leary is not boring.

0:39

He was the Chargers safety coach in 2024 under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

0:44

And then instead of taking another NFL job, he went to Western Michigan last season.

0:51

This probably didn't seem like the right defensive coordinator position to take.

0:57

Western Michigan was terrible the year before he got there.

1:01

Let's look at my yards per play after making adjustments for strength of schedule.

1:07

Western Michigan ranked 127th out of 134 FBS defenses that year.

1:14

They were the eighth worst FBS defense in the nation.

1:19

O'Leary had to come in and rebuild the roster of players that had played 400 snaps the previous season.

1:27

Only four of those guys ended up playing for him last season in 2025.

1:32

Western Michigan wasn't expected to do much in the MAC last season.

1:37

They were picked to finish seventh out of 13 teams in a preseason poll.

1:41

However, they would massively overachieve and win the MAC.

1:46

And the majority of the credit goes to the defense.

1:50

In my adjusted yards per play in 2025, Western Michigan's defense surged all the way to 53rd in the nation.

2:00

A lot of things had to go right for Chris O'Leary to make that defense so good.

Chris O'learyPersonAmerican football coach
98%20 mentions
Jesse MinterPersonAmerican football coach
94%9 mentions
NFLSports OrganizationLeague
90%14 mentions
Western Michigan Broncos footballSports TeamFootball team
87%12 mentions
Los Angeles ChargersSports TeamAmerican football team
83%8 mentions
Khalil MackPersonLos Angeles Chargers linebacker
79%5 mentions
Nadame TuckerPersonAmerican football player
75%5 mentions
Nathaniel HackettPersonAmerican coach
71%3 mentions
Brian DukerPersonCoach
67%2 mentions
Declan DoylePersonAmerican coach
63%2 mentions
Jim HarbaughPersonAmerican football coach
60%4 mentions
Houston Cougars footballSports TeamFootball team
56%2 mentions
Los AngelesCityCity in California
52%2 mentions
DenverCityCity in Colorado
48%2 mentions
Cam HartPersonLos Angeles Chargers cornerback
44%2 mentions
Super BowlEntityChampionship
40%2 mentions
Offensive coordinatorEntityAmerican football coach position
37%1 mention
NCAA Division I Football Bowl SubdivisionSports OrganizationDivision
33%2 mentions
Baltimore RavensSports TeamAmerican football team
25%2 mentions
Ben JohnsonPersonAmerican football coach
25%1 mention
ChicagoCityCity in Illinois
25%1 mention
MiamiCityCity in Florida
17%1 mention
Arizona CardinalsSports TeamAmerican football team
13%1 mention
Aaron RodgersPersonAmerican football quarterback
8%1 mention
Green Bay PackersSports TeamAmerican football team
8%1 mention
Tarheeb StillPersonLos Angeles Chargers cornerback
2%2 mentions

Nadaim TuckerSports > Football > Player Development > Defensive Players
Success RateSports > Football > Team Performance > Defensive Metrics
CoachingSports > Football
Defensive CoordinatorsSports > Football > Coaching
Defensive MetricsSports > Football > Team Performance
MAC ChampionshipSports > Football > College Football > Western Michigan
Player DevelopmentSports > Football
Western MichiganSports > Football > College Football
Jesse MinterSports > Football > NFL > Coaching Changes
Chris O'LearySports > Football > Coaching > Defensive Coordinators
Team PerformanceSports > Football
Coaching ChangesSports > Football > NFL
Defensive PlayersSports > Football > Player Development
Sports
FootballSports
NFLSports > Football
College FootballSports > Football

O'Leary's Western Michigan Turnaround0:20 – 2:04

0:20

Cardinals OC Nathaniel Hackett, well, he's not boring because he had an epic failure as a head coach in Denver.

0:27

This man still cashes NFL paychecks because of his three years with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

0:34

But Chargers DC Chris O'Leary is not boring.

0:39

He was the Chargers safety coach in 2024 under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

0:44

And then instead of taking another NFL job, he went to Western Michigan last season.

0:51

This probably didn't seem like the right defensive coordinator position to take.

0:57

Western Michigan was terrible the year before he got there.

1:01

Let's look at my yards per play after making adjustments for strength of schedule.

1:07

Western Michigan ranked 127th out of 134 FBS defenses that year.

1:14

They were the eighth worst FBS defense in the nation.

1:19

O'Leary had to come in and rebuild the roster of players that had played 400 snaps the previous season.

1:27

Only four of those guys ended up playing for him last season in 2025.

1:32

Western Michigan wasn't expected to do much in the MAC last season.

1:37

They were picked to finish seventh out of 13 teams in a preseason poll.

1:41

However, they would massively overachieve and win the MAC.

1:46

And the majority of the credit goes to the defense.

1:50

In my adjusted yards per play in 2025, Western Michigan's defense surged all the way to 53rd in the nation.

2:00

A lot of things had to go right for Chris O'Leary to make that defense so good.

Sign up to see more

The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode

Create an account Already have an account? Log in

No account is needed to search Radar.