Safety sees tale of the tape
By: JAY PARIS - Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO -- It's what happens at Chargers Park in the dark which reveals itself in the light.
"We probably watch more film than any other secondary in the league,'' safety Marlon McCree said.
But the Chargers aren't watching a "League Of Their Own" or any other sappy sports flick. Instead it's a 17-week cinema spectacular with each week's rival setting the machine humming.
This week, it's the flight of the Ravens' receivers which has McCree's attention, the undisputed movie lover of the Chargers' top-ranked pass defense.
Few Chargers match the time McCree spends with the shades drawn.
McCree had an extra week to study the undefeated team the Chargers face in Baltimore on Sunday. Although it's their first meeting since 2003, McCree is eyeing a familiar outfit.
Why? Because of the hours of film study, a habit he brought with him from Carolina and Jacksonville when signing as a free agent last offseason.
In 2001, McCree was a hotshot, know-it-all Jaguar rookie.
"I relied so much on just athletic ability, then I realized everybody had it,'' McCree said. "Everybody is on scholarship up here, even the undrafted guys.''
So McCree was drafted into the film club, coaxed there by safety Donovin Darius.
"I had to get that edge and that edge comes in my film study,'' McCree said. "It opens up so much and the game slows down.''
McCree's speed feeds off what his film study told him to analyze. He eyes the offensive personnel, the formations, hints and secrets unearthed from scratching below the surface of a game tape.
McCree does more than watch the ball being snapped and where it is headed. He reads body language, which speaks volumes to McCree.
Does the wide receiver sprint from the huddle when a pass is headed his way? Does the wideout not put his mouth piece in when it is a run? Does an offensive lineman gingerly place his hand down in a three-point just before shifting into his pass-blocking stance?
"You can't get those reads watching the first quarter, especially if it's a home game ---- all that stuff plays into it,'' McCree said. "If it's a home game, they got 70,000 people screaming and he is trying to impress. But if it's an away game, that same guy might jog off the ball when he's not getting it.''
McCree declined to reveal tips regarding the Ravens' Derrick Mason, Todd Heap and Mark Clayton. But one NFL receiver sets the standard for being easy to decipher: the Raiders' Randy Moss.
"He will give it away 100 percent of the time, the way he comes off the ball,'' McCree said. "You know when he's not getting the ball. You know when it's a run, when it's a pass, just by watching him.''
McCree studies first- and second-down passes, third-down passes, play-action passes and the red zone plays. The secondary watches at least an hour of tape after each practice; McCree even eyes it at home.
That off-the-field work paid off on the first play in the win over Tennessee, according to McCree.
When the Titans shifted into an empty backfield, the Chargers knew Kerry Collins would throw a slant to either side. This time, Collins went to his left which is right where cornerback Drayton Florence sat.
"I looked at Flo and he looked at me like, 'Here it comes,' '' McCree said.
"That extra film study almost gave us seven points on the first play of the game. (Florence) didn't catch it, but if we don't watch tape that is a completion.''
Don't believe it? It's all on tape.
Defensive backs need tells too.
