Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith game-planned against both the Patriots and Chargers this season, so he's quite familiar with some of the dynamic offensive talent that will be on display in Sunday's AFC Championship game.
Former NFL head coach Dennis Green, whose background was on the offensive side of the ball, has spent considerable time inspecting the defenses of both clubs in his role as an analyst for
And Chiefs special teams coach Mike Priefer knows first-hand how dangerous some of the players in the kicking game can be, especially the Chargers.
So where does one start when dissecting the Patriots-Chargers matchup?
Examining the offenses seems like the right place; that's where the majority of the star power resides. Smith sees both teams as explosive, but in different ways.
"In terms of the New England offense, they're multi-faceted," he said. "You have a number of issues, the first being their passing game. They have two outstanding receivers in [Randy] Moss and [Wes] Welker and you have to give attention to both those guys.
"When you do that, then it opens up the running game, and they have a very good running back in [Laurence] Maroney. So if you commit to double-cover the wide receivers or give guys help or roll to them, you're basically looking at a seven-man box and you have to be able to defend the run with seven guys. Sometimes that's a tough situation."
And, of course, it all starts with the decisiveness of Tom Brady.
"They're always going to go as the quarterback goes, and he's a guy that is operating extremely efficiently right now," said Smith, whose defensive scheme last Saturday against New England focused on taking away deep routes to Moss (one catch) by playing two safeties deep over the top.
"He sees the blitzes when they're coming and can strike quickly. But he's also patient enough that if you're going to play coverage and force him to check the ball down, he's going to check the ball down and throw it underneath, allowing his receivers to make some yardage on their own, which forces the opponent to be crisp in their tackling. He can get you into short and manageable third downs by continuing to dump the ball underneath.
"And when they bring their third-down back in, Kevin Faulk, he creates a mismatch problem as well. So if you're double-covering the wideouts, you're going to have a one-on-one situation with Kevin, and he's a guy that can cause a bunch of matchup problems as well.
"They really have about as efficient an offense as you're going to face. It's tough."
As for the Chargers, it's a different approach, but they can strike just as quickly.
"If the tight end [Antonio Gates] isn't playing, I think your focus starts with stopping one guy, and that's [LaDainian] Tomlinson," Smith said. "You can't let him get going, not only in the running game, but if they get the ball to him with screen and swing passes, he can cause a number of problems. He's an MVP type of player. They go as he goes. When he's operating, they are very, very efficient in what they are doing."
Tomlinson left Sunday's win over the Colts with a hyperextended knee and said yesterday an MRI revealed no further damage. He believes he'll be able to play against the Patriots.
Gates is another question healthwise, as he played Sunday with a dislocated toe. Assuming he plays, the big question is how to defend him - with a defensive back or linebacker.
"He's a guy who can run all the routes in the route tree," Smith said.
Because of that, the temptation is to put a defensive back on Gates. But that sometimes calls for a nickel package (five defensive backs), and such defenses can be compromised against the run; San Diego can take advantage of that with two-back sets led by fullback Lorenzo Neal.
So in many ways, Tomlinson and Gates play off each other.
"That's the thing when we were going in to play them - we wanted to concern ourselves with those two guys, how we were going to create favorable matchups and be able to load the box against the run, but at the same time have some help with the coverage," Smith said. "I think another factor that has helped them of late is that their wide receivers are playing a little more efficiently as the season has progressed, which gives defenses another problem to worry about."
When it comes to examining the defenses, one potential matchup that intrigues Green is San Diego cornerback Antonio Cromartie against Moss.
Green, who is currently retired after stints as coach of the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, believes Moss has redefined the receiver position by bringing the deep ball back to the NFL. Green, who lives in San Diego and thus has watched the Chargers closely this season, is also familiar with Cromartie.
"Cromartie is one of the top athletes in the game, an incredible talent who has what I call 'Florida speed,' " said Green. "They'll match up at times and won't be afraid to play man coverage, which some other teams might be reluctant to do.
"Will they let him go out and play Randy? I think they probably will on occasion, because he's that good of an athlete. They play [cover-2, with two deep safeties], but to do what they want to do, they cannot sit in it all day."
Both teams play the 3-4 alignment, but Green noted that a closer look reveals differences.
Green said that San Diego "plays more of a balanced 3-4 in that both [outside] backers - Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips - will drop equally and blitz an equal amount of time. Both are very athletic and they can really run."
As for the Patriots, Green is impressed with how they can change what they do.
"While I thought [Adalius] Thomas had a quiet day against Jacksonville, those four linebackers are the key," he said. "It's their coordination on dropping into pass lanes, and also blitzing, and Junior Seau running through. He'll run through the back door on the run because he can read and diagnose so quickly."
Green doesn't see the concern that others might with the Patriots' defense, and part of his thinking is that the offense is so explosive that it creates a larger margin for error.
"To beat New England, I think the big thing is that you have to be multi-dimensional in your passing and be willing to run and pass equally on first down," he said. "You also have to be ready to use a lot of personnel groupings. Don't just come out in one group and stay there."
Green believes the Patriots' sub defenses will be key against the Chargers.
"They didn't have to use them as much against Jacksonville because I don't think they felt the receivers were that much of a threat, but they won't have that luxury against the Chargers, who have good size and speed at receiver," he said. "Then the question will be how they hold up against the run."
As for special teams, the Chiefs' Priefer has become familiar with the Chargers, as both clubs play in the AFC West. Having just concluded his sixth year in the NFL and 14th overall in coaching, Priefer has viewed the Patriots only from afar; the clubs did not meet this season.
His thoughts on the Chargers?
"The No. 1 thing that stands out is Kassim Osgood, their Pro Bowler," he said. "We've played them four times in the last two years and every time you play San Diego, you have to prepare for him. In my opinion, he's the best in the business.
"As a coverage guy, and as a gunner on the punt team and on the kickoff team, they move him around and do different things with him to keep you off guard. If you want to double him, you have to switch guys around. He causes so many problems. He might not make a ton of tackles, but it causes havoc for you. He's the ultimate challenge on that team."
Yet Osgood is only part of the problem.
"Overall, I felt they had the best special teams personnel, across the board, of any team we played this year," Priefer said.
Kickoff and punt returner Darren Sproles, whose explosiveness was evident in Sunday's win over the Colts on a 56-yard screen pass that turned into a touchdown, is tough to corral.
"One of the challenging parts about facing him is that on kickoff returns, you can't see him," Priefer said of the 5-foot-6-inch, 181-pound Sproles. "He gets behind that wedge, they do such a good job blocking for him, and he hits that seam and he has no fear. He's special."
In terms of punting, Priefer said the Chiefs made it a priority to try to pressure punter Mike Scifres, because "if he has time, he can really crank it." [The battle of the kickers will be watched closely, as San Diego's Nate Kaeding is only 2 of 6 on field goals in his playoff career, while Stephen Gostkowski is 9 of 10.]
Priefer, who coached Patriots punter Chris Hanson in 2002 when both were with the Jaguars, has great respect for New England special teams coach Brad Seely.
"He's a heck of a coach," Priefer said. "It looks to me like they've taken it up a notch this year."
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.
