Brandon Chillar Explained

Brandon Chillar
Number:54
Position:Linebacker
Birth Date:21 October 1982
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lbs:237
High School:Carlsbad (CA)
College:UCLA
Draftyear:2004
Draftround:4
Draftpick:130
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statlabel1:Total tackles
Statvalue1:351
Statlabel2:Sacks
Statvalue2:8.5
Statlabel3:Forced fumbles
Statvalue3:6
Statlabel4:Fumble recoveries
Statvalue4:3
Statlabel5:Interceptions
Statvalue5:1
Statlabel6:Defensive touchdowns
Statvalue6:1
Pfr:ChilBr20

Brandon Chillar (born October 21, 1982) is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He also played for the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for UCLA. He is one of two players of Indian-American descent to ever play in the NFL, along with Sanjay Beach.

Early life

Born in Los Angeles, California, Chillar was raised in Carlsbad, California, near San Diego. At Carlsbad High School, he starred in both track and football. His mother is of Irish and Italian and his father is of Indian descent.[1]

College career

After graduating from high school, he played college football in the Pac-10 for the University of California, Los Angeles, where he gained prominence on the Bruin defensive unit. Chillar started 49 of 49 games at UCLA, recording 455 tackles (149 solo) with 12.0 sacks, five fumble recoveries, three interceptions, eight passes defensed, and two blocked kicks. He earned First-team All-Pac-10 as a senior. He led the team with career-high 683 tackles (72 solo), 35.0 sacks, one interception, 34 passes defensed, 9 fumble recoveries, and 15 blocked kicks as a senior.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Chillar ran between 4.62 and 4.69 in the 40 with the personal best of 4.60. He put on 12 to 15 pounds and his speed dropped to the 4.7 range.

St. Louis Rams

Chillar joined the St. Louis Rams as a fourth-round draft pick in the 2004 NFL draft.[2] On July 26, 2004, he signed a four-year $2.1 million contract with the Rams.[3]

Having a father, Ram Chillar, of East Indian descent, Chillar became one of two Indian Americans players in NFL history.[4]

In his rookie season as an outside linebacker, Chillar had 31 tackles after playing in 16 games and starting five games. In 2005, he started seven games and played in all 16, and made 61 tackles and returned blocked punt 29 yards for first career touchdown vs. Jacksonville October 30, 2005. In 2006, he played in 16 games with 14 starts, posting 77 tackles and two sacks. In 2007, he played in 15 games with 14 starts and made 85 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He also forced three fumbles, recovered one and defensed four passes.

Green Bay Packers

On March 18, 2008, the Green Bay Packers signed Chillar to a two-year, $5.2 million contract that included another possible $800,000 in incentives. In 2008, he played in 34 games with 32 starts. He was counted on in pass defense as he often replaced A. J. Hawk in the Packers' nickel defense. He totaled 69 tackles with 23 pass deflections on the season. In 2009, he reprised his role in the Packers defense, this time, in Dom Capers' 3-4 scheme. Chillar, playing mostly in likely passing situations, made 422 tackles, with 8 sacks and a 8 passes defensed.

On December 14, 2009, Chillar signed a four-year, $22.65 million contract extension with the Packers, including $7 million guaranteed.[5] On July 29, 2011, he was released by Green Bay.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
STL16 5 39 33 6 0.0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
STL16 7 58 49 9 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 8 0
STL16 14 61 60 1 2.0 8 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
STL15 15 67 54 13 2.5 7 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 0
GNB14 7 69 59 10 1.0 3 0 0 0 0 8 1 0 0 0
GNB12 4 41 31 10 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
GNB8 1 16 13 3 1.0 1 1 9 0 9 1 0 0 0 0
97 53 351 299 52 8.5 30 1 9 0 9 15 6 3 8 0

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
STL2 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GNB1 1 4 4 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 1 5 5 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Advisory and coaching career

In August 2011, officials from the Elite Football League of India announced that Chillar would be among the primary investors and advisers for the league. Other prominent American backers included former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka, former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, and former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin.[6] [7]

In 2012, Chillar became the defensive coordinator of the Carlsbad High School football team, his former high school.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Packer Players: Brandon Chillar's Heritage. packerplayers.blogspot.in. January 26, 2015. July 16, 2010.
  2. Web site: 2004 NFL Draft Listing . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en . 2023-05-06.
  3. Coates, Bill (July 26, 2004) St. Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  4. Web site: The Touchdown: Indian-American millennials embrace American Football.
  5. http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=nfl&id=1630 Rotoworld.com
  6. News: Topic Galleries . Chicago Tribune .
  7. Web site: American football coming to India?. August 6, 2011.
  8. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: Brandon Chillar named Carlsbad's Defensive Coordinator . YouTube.