Speaker 1: As a lead fifteen to ten touchdown. So what's up, guys.
Speaker 1: Welcome into Charges Weekly, the final one before training camp.
Speaker 1: We are six days away as always, joined by Matt
Speaker 1: Money Smith Mondy mid July. NFL content is tough. People
Speaker 1: are really really stretching it. We have Madden ratings, we
Speaker 1: have bench start cut, you know, all these things that
Speaker 1: have nothing to do really with football, and that's all
Speaker 1: gonna go away next week.
Speaker 2: It is. We're less than a week away as we
Speaker 2: record this on a Thursday Wednesday, we'll be out there.
Speaker 2: Daniel Jeremi actually gonna fill in for Petros because he
Speaker 2: is out at Media Days and DJ and No I'll
Speaker 2: be doing the show one from nine to noon live
Speaker 2: from training camp. So I'm guessing we'll get a lot
Speaker 2: of folks out there, and then I know you and
Speaker 2: I gonna do the pod right after that, so probably
Speaker 2: gonna get a lot of folks as well. And this
Speaker 2: is our last installment a Chargers Weekly, where some would
Speaker 2: say we're vamping, we're struggling to find content, but I
Speaker 2: feel like it's been a good run. We've addressed a
Speaker 2: lot of things. Today It's gonna be fun because clearly
Speaker 2: we're gonna do a little training camp primer, little roster
Speaker 2: primer here for the people.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know, you know, we were in front
Speaker 1: of a few things. You know, this running back thing
Speaker 1: is really blown up this week because the franchise was
Speaker 1: take on Barkley and Josh Jacobs. Austin's been more vocal
Speaker 1: about it. So you know we were on this, you know,
Speaker 1: about a month or two ago with with Austin situation.
Speaker 1: And you know week four circle that against the Raiders.
Speaker 1: Is Josh Jacobs even going to be a Raider or
Speaker 1: is even going to be on the field.
Speaker 2: To me, yes, they're all going to be on the
Speaker 2: field as a running back. And you know, all of
Speaker 2: this coincides and dovetails with Lev Bell saying he should
Speaker 2: have never sat out the year because you learn quickly
Speaker 2: that it's it's unforgiving. It is and for whatever reason,
Speaker 2: the financial dynamics surrounding this particular position right now are
Speaker 2: not to And I get it. I understand why they're upset.
Speaker 2: If you're Josh Jacobs, You're only twenty five years old.
Speaker 2: You'd just led the league in rushing with double digit touchdowns,
Speaker 2: and the offense did not have a lot else going
Speaker 2: and you're seeing DeVante Adams making nearly three times what
Speaker 2: you're making. And I understand, but sitting out games is
Speaker 2: not the answer. Now, they can sit out all of
Speaker 2: training camp because they haven't signed their franchise tag yet
Speaker 2: and not have any penalties. But the idea that you
Speaker 2: would walk away from a one year, ten almost eleven
Speaker 2: million dollar check, to me, just doesn't It doesn't jibe.
Speaker 2: If I'm Josh Jacobs, I go out there, I bust
Speaker 2: my tail, I try to put up another year like
Speaker 2: I did last year, and they'll be a ten million
Speaker 2: dollar a year offer for you out there come next season,
Speaker 2: and you can go wherever you want because the Raiders
Speaker 2: aren't going to franchise you a second time. So I
Speaker 2: suspect he'll be out there. It does appear as though
Speaker 2: they're trying to figure out if they have any sort
Speaker 2: of leverage, and unfortunately for them, I just think the
Speaker 2: answer is no. You know, the NFL has decided that
Speaker 2: premium positions are edge rusher, offensive tackle, quarterback, wide receiver,
Speaker 2: you know, And I'm sure Travis Kelcey and George Kittle
Speaker 2: have and Mark Andrews have the same sort of complaints
Speaker 2: that they're making half of what the top flight wide
Speaker 2: receivers are, and they're putting up better numbers, and they're
Speaker 2: more important because they can block. You know, in the
Speaker 2: case of George Kittle, you busting his tail blocking guys
Speaker 2: when he's not catching passes. So we're always going to
Speaker 2: have it. I feel like a big part of it, too, Chris,
Speaker 2: is that the media has really seized upon it and
Speaker 2: has has chosen to make this a story beyond the
Speaker 2: displeasure of the players themselves. And so it's and look,
Speaker 2: it's not going away. It's going to be a major
Speaker 2: story through camp because Saquon's not going to report. We'll
Speaker 2: see Tony Pollard seems to be fine, he signed his
Speaker 2: franchise tag, and it sounds like Josh Jacob isn't gonna report.
Speaker 2: So it's going to carry through training camp.
Speaker 1: It's not fruitful to not take the money. Take the money,
Speaker 1: and then you table this to next year, and that's
Speaker 1: when you talk to your un and you figure out
Speaker 1: what can be done at that running back position at
Speaker 1: some point in the next CBA. You know, I think
Speaker 1: Zeke did it best and I saw this somebody wrote
Speaker 1: this that he held out after his sat third year
Speaker 1: and right, that's how you have to do it. Now,
Speaker 1: if you want to get paid his running back, you're
Speaker 1: going to have to be on the offensive and get
Speaker 1: and hold out early in your the first contract that
Speaker 1: you have if you want to get any swell payday.
Speaker 2: And I think for the people that are directing their
Speaker 2: ire and displeasure at ownership or front offices, general managers,
Speaker 2: whomever like, don't forget that contract for Zeke did not work.
Speaker 2: These contracts rarely work out by the time they get
Speaker 2: paid and are rewarded for their production. Rarely. You know,
Speaker 2: Derrick Henry is an anomaly that his contract has been able,
Speaker 2: and you could even argue last year not great. So
Speaker 2: it's that's the problem is history and precedent is not
Speaker 2: on their side. These contracts rarely work. Christian McCaffrey's a
Speaker 2: unicorn because of what he can do in the receiving
Speaker 2: game and how important he is Toyle. He's almost more
Speaker 2: important to kast Shanahan than a quarterback. So there's it's
Speaker 2: a little ridiculous to say that, but you could make
Speaker 2: the case of all the quarterbacks of Kyle's been able
Speaker 2: to plug into his system. They all work, you know,
Speaker 2: by brock Perty mister irrelevant worked went eight to zero
Speaker 2: in the regular season because a lot of the production
Speaker 2: came from Christian McCaffrey. So don't forget that. And then
Speaker 2: the other thing I would say is just always keep
Speaker 2: in perspective what the generations before you did to afford
Speaker 2: you this lifestyle. You know you're going to make ten million,
Speaker 2: you know, Austin Eckler got a four year, twenty six
Speaker 2: million dollar deal. Walter Payton never made more than two
Speaker 2: million bucks in a year. He's the highest paid player
Speaker 2: in the league at eight hundred grand a season at
Speaker 2: one point, and he's in the conversation as the greatest
Speaker 2: football player in the history of the game when you
Speaker 2: think about all the things he was able to do
Speaker 2: at that particular position. So I think it's important to
Speaker 2: figure out all of the hundreds of millions of dollars
Speaker 2: that these teams are making and how it's being divvied up,
Speaker 2: and hoping that these guys that when you're Josh Jacobs
Speaker 2: and you got three hundred and forty touches, and even
Speaker 2: when you don't touch the ball, you're expected to pass
Speaker 2: pro and pick up You know, a linebacker that's flying
Speaker 2: at your neck. Yeah, they deserve to be compensated. But
Speaker 2: ten million bucks, ten point three million dollars, whatever it
Speaker 2: is for a single season, take the money man, cash
Speaker 2: that check and take it from from Mark Davis and
Speaker 2: the Raiders and go play some football and then hopefully
Speaker 2: next year you can get that deal you're looking for.
Speaker 1: It's great segue into contracts as a release to the Chargers,
Speaker 1: and you know, we'll get into the position battles and
Speaker 1: the depth chart and all that good stuff. But number
Speaker 1: one question at camp day won is going to be
Speaker 1: justin Herbert's contracts. Tom's gonna get asked that several times,
Speaker 1: so we'll coach Staley, so we'll justin and we wait. Right.
Speaker 1: It's it's really both he and Burrow that are kind
Speaker 1: of angling to see who's gonna get that first contract.
Speaker 1: Maybe maybe the other doesn't want the first contract right
Speaker 1: to get a little bit more. But this is gonna
Speaker 1: be the hot topic of camp money. Is Jessica Herbert
Speaker 1: going to be locked in for the long time? We
Speaker 1: know he's going to be. It's just a matter of one.
Speaker 2: I think for Look, I'm hopeful that it gets done
Speaker 2: before Wednesday. I'm I don't know whether or not that'll
Speaker 2: be the case. As much as we love Justin and
Speaker 2: believe he's got a chance to be the best player
Speaker 2: in the league. And I don't say that because we're
Speaker 2: doing you know, Chargers Weekly and and you know I'm
Speaker 2: able to do the play by play for the Chargers.
Speaker 2: He's he's at one point in his career going to
Speaker 2: be the best player in the league. I believe that.
Speaker 2: But the idea that he's going to get a bigger
Speaker 2: contract than Joe Burrow right now, it just doesn't line up.
Speaker 2: You know, Burrow's been to a Super Bowl, Burrow's been
Speaker 2: to multiple AFC Championship games. The numbers are similar, if not,
Speaker 2: you know, maybe better last year for Joe. So I
Speaker 2: think the idea that you would wait so you can
Speaker 2: top Burrow's number just doesn't jibe. And I know agents
Speaker 2: people forget it's not just the player, it's the agent,
Speaker 2: and the agent wants to get the historic contract to
Speaker 2: show to Drake May and Caleb Williams and whomever's coming
Speaker 2: out next year. Hey look what I got for her.
Speaker 2: I got Herbert more than Burrow. You want to sign
Speaker 2: with me, you know, so I'm your guy, And that's
Speaker 2: something to remember. I would love for the Chargers to
Speaker 2: just hopefully it's not egregious and unreasonable, and there's something
Speaker 2: in line with Jalen Hurts, who just went to a
Speaker 2: Super Bowl and finished second in the MVP voting, that
Speaker 2: they can get this thing done. The longer you wait,
Speaker 2: the more expensive it's going to be. What do you want?
Speaker 2: It's hopefully right and step you know, here's what Jalen got.
Speaker 2: Where are you at? And let's get this thing done.
Speaker 1: It's always been talked about as if it's a formality going.
Speaker 1: It's a formality. It's going to happen. It's just a
Speaker 1: matter of when, and you hope it's at the beginning
Speaker 1: of can so you know, you don't have to talk
Speaker 1: about it anymore. You know. I give Tom and Austin
Speaker 1: credit for getting this thing done before Mini camp, you know,
Speaker 1: so there's no issues and there's no questions about contracts
Speaker 1: and late July as opposed to just playing ball before
Speaker 1: we get into some of the on field stuff. Money.
Speaker 1: We love Karen from Diehard Bowl Club, she heard you
Speaker 1: about the Navy T shirts last year. She heard that
Speaker 1: it was a little too hot. Cook.
Speaker 2: We love the Diehard ball clubs.
Speaker 1: So they they went ahead and ordered the dark blue anyway,
Speaker 1: but they ordered two for us. She calls them VIPs
Speaker 1: light blue, light blue. So we're gonna get too, Karen.
Speaker 1: iHeart Bolk Club T shirts next Wednesday. Karen is the best.
Speaker 2: Yes, appreciate you. Karen loves sports on Twitter. Yes, and
Speaker 2: I think Instagram as well. Same thing. Appreciate her, But
Speaker 2: how about take care of your people as well. You
Speaker 2: guys are out there every day. You're looking at Jack
Speaker 2: Hammond as wall.
Speaker 1: Listen. They mustn't like the Navy. I want some white.
Speaker 1: They must like the Navy.
Speaker 2: And perhaps it's because I am not partial to the
Speaker 2: Navy uniforms. We've been through that here. I know the
Speaker 2: players like them, I know the diehard Bolk Club loves it,
Speaker 2: but I am not a Navy guy. I believe the Chargers.
Speaker 2: I've said it, you know, and it's a very unpopular opinion,
Speaker 2: but the best shade of blue for the Chargers is
Speaker 2: Royal blue. I have long held that it's you know,
Speaker 2: age and frame of reference of course play into all
Speaker 2: these things when it comes to nostalgia, but just that
Speaker 2: Dan Fouts era late seventies early eighties of Chargers football
Speaker 2: and Air coriol and just the most exciting offense on
Speaker 2: the grid iron is what did it for me. So
Speaker 2: to see the Royals is what really gets me moving.
Speaker 2: But of course the Powders you can't beat. So thank you, Karen,
Speaker 2: appreciate it. I will wear it proudly.
Speaker 1: The catalog is excellent, right, and I get you know,
Speaker 1: the fans who grew up with Philip Rivers and lt
Speaker 1: and Gates with those and the Navy. Hell, the Super
Speaker 1: Bowl team, that six team that was probably the best
Speaker 1: team in football. They should have won a Super Bowl,
Speaker 1: So everybody can kind of harken back to the time
Speaker 1: where they kind of fell in love with the Chargers.
Speaker 1: So I respect all the Navy, the Navy fans, but
Speaker 1: the Chargers got it all. You know, the white all
Speaker 1: white is beautiful, the powder blue you can't beat, and
Speaker 1: then the Royal blue is managers classic. So money, let's uh,
Speaker 1: let's start on the field. Uh, which position battle are
Speaker 1: you most forward to? Uh? To watching and kind of
Speaker 1: seeing unfold the veterans, like it's fun to see Keenan
Speaker 1: and Mike and Austin and Justin. But really I think
Speaker 1: these first two three weeks and really most of camp
Speaker 1: is about like identifying who's going to be the new
Speaker 1: guy to contribute to this team and make a meaningful impact.
Speaker 2: Well, there's two there's two conversations that we'll have right.
Speaker 2: One is starters, position, battles. The other is roster can
Speaker 2: instruction the back end those final two to three spots.
Speaker 2: So in terms of positions, there isn't much right, there's
Speaker 2: really honestly, there's two that we're talking about. It it's
Speaker 2: going to be wide receiver three. And who's going to
Speaker 2: be that third corner?
Speaker 1: Is?
Speaker 2: I think under the assumption that J. C. Jackson is healthy,
Speaker 2: that's the question. Is the third corner going to be?
Speaker 2: And look, there's I don't think enough people are bringing
Speaker 2: up the idea that JA C. Jackson might play that
Speaker 2: maybe the slot is his best position because of how
Speaker 2: big he is, how strong he is, and how important
Speaker 2: it is to be a good run defender at that
Speaker 2: slot corner spot, you know, and whether or not it
Speaker 2: makes more sense to have. So there's so many things
Speaker 2: at play, I'll start there. I'll start with the corner,
Speaker 2: right because everybody is discussing is it John Taylor, is
Speaker 2: it is Sante Samuel as the slot corner, assuming that
Speaker 2: Jac is going to be healthy and he and Michael
Speaker 2: Davis are the outside corners. So now, because we saw
Speaker 2: John Taylor on against some teams that ran the ball,
Speaker 2: that were heavy runt Tennessee San Francisco, you saw a
Speaker 2: lot of job out there at slot. Because he's a
Speaker 2: bigger guy, he tacked. He's probably the better run defender
Speaker 2: than a Sante Samuel, certainly not the better cover corner,
Speaker 2: but the better run defender. He played really well on
Speaker 2: the slot against Miami, you know, with the scheme that
Speaker 2: Brandon Staley deployed to try to slow down Jaylen Waddle
Speaker 2: and Tyreek and whomever they were going to put in
Speaker 2: the slot. So that's why that's been a topic of
Speaker 2: conversation for a lot of people. And you're probably gonna
Speaker 2: have a lot of the Jeff Miller, Lindsey theory, Daniel Poppers,
Speaker 2: They're all going to be writing about that in camp.
Speaker 2: How many snaps did joh get in the slot? How
Speaker 2: many snaps did as Sante get I think the other
Speaker 2: thing to keep an eye on is whether or not
Speaker 2: we're going to see jac Jackson, if he's ready to
Speaker 2: go from day one, get some inside and you might
Speaker 2: have Michael Davis, J. C. Jackson in the slot and
Speaker 2: a Sante Samuel on the outside. So that to me
Speaker 2: is the number one that's the number one battle. It's
Speaker 2: the way that And look, Brandon will tell you nobody
Speaker 2: plays a specific style of defense anymore. Every every coach
Speaker 2: is going to tell you they're multiple, and that's this
Speaker 2: is four three, and now we're in a three four,
Speaker 2: and now we're in a six to one, and now
Speaker 2: we're wide nines and it's not just umbrella coverage and
Speaker 2: two high safeties. That's just pre snapped the skies and
Speaker 2: before you know what, we got one of those safeties
Speaker 2: in the box and maybe there's six defensive backs out there.
Speaker 2: There's so much of that. I bring that up because
Speaker 2: you're gonna be looking for players that can play multiple
Speaker 2: positions and can move post snap and fill in as
Speaker 2: a safety, as a corner, as a run support corner.
Speaker 2: So all of that's going to come into play. But
Speaker 2: to me, that's that's even more than the third wide
Speaker 2: receiver that corner. The way the corner room sorts itself
Speaker 2: out to me, and look, I didn't even mention Derwin
Speaker 2: in the slot like that. You're gonna see Derwin in
Speaker 2: the slot as well, and that'll get to the other
Speaker 2: position battle Chris, which is safety. But to me, that's
Speaker 2: the number one and much of it is predicated on
Speaker 2: the status of JC Jackson and whether or not he's
Speaker 2: ready to go health wise at the start of training
Speaker 2: camp on Wednesday.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that maybe the number one storyline in
Speaker 1: terms of health, Like is jac Jackson going to be
Speaker 1: ready to go and practice in late July yet alone?
Speaker 1: Like I know you wouldn't put him in a preseason game,
Speaker 1: but like, is he medically cleared to go and be
Speaker 1: ready for Week one against the Miami Dolphins. But we
Speaker 1: forget It's easy to forget because he had a rough
Speaker 1: start the preseason and started the season had that surgery.
Speaker 1: But he had sixteen interceptions over two seasons with the Patriots,
Speaker 1: like the most in football. Like we regard him as
Speaker 1: like maybe the best corner in the NFL coming in
Speaker 1: to this administration last year. So if jac can just
Speaker 1: be close to what he was in New England, that's
Speaker 1: gonna work. Wonders for your secondary and the fact that
Speaker 1: the job got that run last year as a as
Speaker 1: a late round draft pick, The fact that you can
Speaker 1: move Durwin everywhere. Michael Davis maybe the most underrated corner
Speaker 1: in the NFL. The way he played last year was incredible.
Speaker 1: You know, we remember Asante's three interceptions, but you know
Speaker 1: we talked about him going out of that game in
Speaker 1: Jacksonville and how that really hurt the Chargers, but Michael
Speaker 1: Davis was just rock solid all year long. H excuse me,
Speaker 1: it's it's a transition to safety.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna hit that real quick, Chris. I think that's
Speaker 2: important to remember too, right is you're don't don't get
Speaker 2: fooled by draft status.
Speaker 1: J C.
Speaker 2: Jackson was undrafted, Michael Davis was undrafted. So the idea
Speaker 2: that that a Sante is a second rounder and John
Speaker 2: Taylor is a sixth or fifth or sixth rounder, don't
Speaker 2: don't let that affect what you think is going to
Speaker 2: be the depth chart, because you're talking about the two
Speaker 2: best corners that are solidified and will be starters if
Speaker 2: they're healthy, or Michael Davis and j. C. Jackson two
Speaker 2: guys that were undrafted. So don't forget it. Well, you
Speaker 2: know Sate was the second rounder, John Taylor sixth round.
Speaker 2: Maybe you know that's that's gonna play. That's gonna play
Speaker 2: into it. No, it won't. It won't. The best guys
Speaker 2: are going to play.
Speaker 1: I feel like DZ is kind of reading our minds here.
Speaker 1: Do you think there's a shot for either Aj Finley
Speaker 1: or Tyler Baker Williams to supplant the previous UDFA safety
Speaker 1: Raheem Lane. Seems like both guys had good collegiate careers.
Speaker 1: He's right, he's going deep, deep, deep into the depth chart.
Speaker 1: But this is this is that example. A guy like
Speaker 1: Tyler Baker Williams, I think he played at NC State
Speaker 1: played I think I read that he played in the slot,
Speaker 1: played safety. You know, if one of these guys pop
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, you have another body in the
Speaker 1: secondary that you can rely upon special teams, maybe play
Speaker 1: that John Taylor role. In twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2: I think it's going to be really hard to unseat
Speaker 2: Raheem Lane. He is a coach fick and favorite, And
Speaker 2: the reason he made the team last year is because
Speaker 2: Fick and wanted and thought he was going to be
Speaker 2: one of the best special teams players, and turns out
Speaker 2: he was. It's really good and he is a lot
Speaker 2: of those things that that was a Devin you said,
Speaker 2: who asked the question? Uh, DZ, DZ, Sorry DZ. That
Speaker 2: DZ is bringing up. You know, Lane played both corner
Speaker 2: and safety at IU. Lane was I don't know if
Speaker 2: he was the IU Special Teams Player of the Year
Speaker 2: or the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the year,
Speaker 2: one of those two. So that's what you're talking about
Speaker 2: with that spot. When you've got Derwin, J. T. Woods,
Speaker 2: a Loie Gilman that next spot and it's going to
Speaker 2: be a battle. The only other player I could see
Speaker 2: is ahead. Remember, there's a reason why Finley went undrafted
Speaker 2: despite the ball production, the sort of the knocks on
Speaker 2: on Finley coming out of Ole Miss were doesn't tackle well, okay, Well,
Speaker 2: now you're talking about a safety that with all the
Speaker 2: issues with against the run, someone who why didn't he
Speaker 2: get Okay? Why was AJ Finley not drafted? One some
Speaker 2: taping issues to some diagnosis issues, you know, and being
Speaker 2: able to respond as that last line of defense and
Speaker 2: take angles and figure things out. So if you're going
Speaker 2: to YouTube and typing in AJ Finley and you're seeing
Speaker 2: and they're beautiful, I mean, some of those interceptions are incredible.
Speaker 2: That's what you're seeing. What you're not seeing is the
Speaker 2: reason why he wasn't drafted. So look, he's clearly an
Speaker 2: exceptional athlete. The guy was a starting safety at an
Speaker 2: SEC school, had a pick six against A and M,
Speaker 2: had an interception, had a brilliant special teams play that
Speaker 2: ended up scoring a touchdown against Alabama in his career.
Speaker 2: So yeah, this guy's got some splash plays, but it's
Speaker 2: everything outside the splash that leads you to be undrafted.
Speaker 2: So the other guy that I would keep an eye
Speaker 2: on is Mark Webb, just because he is that hybrid.
Speaker 2: He can play safety, can play corner, you can play
Speaker 2: slot corner, play outside corner, can play high safety, can
Speaker 2: play box. Safety's very versatile. Get all of that at
Speaker 2: Georgia and we saw him do quite a bit of
Speaker 2: that in preseason games as well. So to me, that's
Speaker 2: that battle for that fourth safety is going to be
Speaker 2: Raheem Lane versus Mark Webb. And I would put aj
Speaker 2: Finley as someone who's trying to crack into that battle,
Speaker 2: you know, and he's going to have to show that
Speaker 2: he can make up that ground because I would say
Speaker 2: Lane is the favorite Mark Webb is because he's dealt
Speaker 2: with injuries. If Mark Webb could stay healthy, that would
Speaker 2: be a heck of a battle for that fourth safety
Speaker 2: and that you know, fifty first, second, third spot on
Speaker 2: the roster.
Speaker 1: We've heard the coaches be really high on Mark Webb.
Speaker 1: It's just the oh yeah, juries. Man, he hasn't been
Speaker 1: able to stay on the field. The gap between I
Speaker 1: think fans, if you're going out to jack him with
Speaker 1: Sports Complex next week, is j T. Woods is the
Speaker 1: guy that Money and I have talked about. I think,
Speaker 1: since you know, March and April about a guy who
Speaker 1: we want to see take that next step. The gap
Speaker 1: between he and a Lohi Gilman, I think is pretty
Speaker 1: wide at this point. And I feel comfortable with Derwin
Speaker 1: and Alohi as the starting safeties. I think Alow he
Speaker 1: has really found his groove and Brandon Staley's defense. I
Speaker 1: think Brandon stalely trusts him. I think Derek Ansley trusts him.
Speaker 1: But the gap between JT and a low heat Money,
Speaker 1: how far do you think that is for JT to
Speaker 1: get meaningful snaps this year?
Speaker 2: Well, to me, it's it's not necessarily a JT. Woods
Speaker 2: versus a Loie. I think let's just think about Week
Speaker 2: one in Miami and what we think Brandon Staley would
Speaker 2: like to do. When you look at the way Miami
Speaker 2: lines up, you don't have a lot of thump. You
Speaker 2: got a butt ton of speed everywhere, is what you're
Speaker 2: talking about, So you're gonna want both. In a perfect world,
Speaker 2: you got both JT and Ae Looi playing high, you're
Speaker 2: playing quarters umbrella coverage, and you've got Derwin out there
Speaker 2: with Jah with you might have six defensive backs against
Speaker 2: Miami and one linebacker is what you could be talking,
Speaker 2: you know, or you could be talking five, one linebacker five.
Speaker 2: It's if I had to guess, I would say, ask
Speaker 2: Brandon Staley what he'd want. He wants Kendricks out there
Speaker 2: as just a single linebacker. He wants j T and
Speaker 2: a lowie up high, and he probably wants Derwin in
Speaker 2: the slot with with j C and and Mikey Davis
Speaker 2: and and a Sante sam you know, so like that's
Speaker 2: that's probably in a Sante Samuel. That's what we're talking about.
Speaker 2: You got four guys up front and and and a
Speaker 2: lot of defensive backs because you got speed everywhere, and
Speaker 2: we know he wants to keep everything in front of him,
Speaker 2: make him have ten play drives no explosives. So that's
Speaker 2: to me, it's not necessarily Kenny unseen to Lowie. It's
Speaker 2: Kenny play next to him. So Derwin can play slot corner,
Speaker 2: Doran Drwin can play star and you can really change
Speaker 2: the look of your defense.
Speaker 1: To be like we said.
Speaker 2: So Brandon Staley wants to be. He wants to be.
Speaker 2: He wants to have this sort of not the Amoba
Speaker 2: defense of New England. That's that's probably the wrong term.
Speaker 2: But he wants it to look one way pre snap
Speaker 2: and be something completely different after the ball is put
Speaker 2: into play. And and that's where JT can really help
Speaker 2: if he can be that second safety playing up high.
Speaker 1: It was it was poorly worded by me. I should
Speaker 1: have said, no, no, I know what you mean.
Speaker 2: I know what you mean.
Speaker 1: The gap between being a backup in meaningful snaps, whether
Speaker 1: it's next three throwing or or you know, actually playing
Speaker 1: and making an impact for this team as a third
Speaker 1: round pick last year. I have.
Speaker 2: But I bet it's a good point, Chris, because if
Speaker 2: he plays up remember that's not gonna be every game.
Speaker 2: Every game is going to be different based on me.
Speaker 2: They're playing right. Week two is Tennessee you've got Derreck Henry.
Speaker 2: You're not gonna be able to play like that. So
Speaker 2: that's it's gonna change or whatever. Week three is a
Speaker 2: week two or week three, whatever Tennessee is, it's Minnesota,
Speaker 2: it's Tennessee. They're all, yeah, so that game plan is
Speaker 2: going to change. And now you're talking about, well, can
Speaker 2: JT be the guy that's up high because he's such
Speaker 2: a good ballhawk and and he's able to, you know,
Speaker 2: do some things different that maybe a lowie doesn't excel
Speaker 2: at that JT does. So week too, it's just gonna
Speaker 2: look different. It's gonna you know, against Tennessee, it's gonna
Speaker 2: be Eric Kendricks and Kenneth Murray out there. So that's
Speaker 2: that's kind of where your point comes in, like what's
Speaker 2: the gap? Can he be? If there's just one guy
Speaker 2: a pie? Can he be that guy? And we'll find.
Speaker 1: Out by the way, DeAndre Hopkins now gonna be in
Speaker 1: that game against the Chargers. Sorry for scrolling over here,
Speaker 1: I'm just trying to get to these questions. This is
Speaker 1: from Anthony Money. What position group are you more comfortable with?
Speaker 1: On depth, we'll stay on the topic of safety or
Speaker 1: tight end.
Speaker 2: Well, probably tight end, just just because there's some certainty there.
Speaker 2: Gerald Everett had had his best season last year, played
Speaker 2: great against Jacksonville and you know, came out as as
Speaker 2: a solid Why tight end, you know, I think and
Speaker 2: and there's there's issues with blocking certainly. They you know,
Speaker 2: neither Parum or Everett would be considered plus blockers. They
Speaker 2: just need to be average, They need to be good enough.
Speaker 2: I think Trey McKitty is what they want. Is there
Speaker 2: a fourth tight end in there in that battle? But
Speaker 2: Stone Smart I thought played well in moments in spurts
Speaker 2: last year and I would say he's got the edge
Speaker 2: over camp Moyer. I'm looking at the depth now. Azike
Speaker 2: out of UCLA as an undrafted free agent, you know,
Speaker 2: you can throw him in there as as that three
Speaker 2: way battle if they want to carry four tight ends.
Speaker 2: So I'm not I'm comfortable with Everett and Parham being
Speaker 2: one and two as long as McKitty can kind of
Speaker 2: take that next step. So that's that's all right to me.
Speaker 2: It was tight end versus safety. Right safety. We don't
Speaker 2: know what j T. Woods if he's going to have
Speaker 2: a role. The guy barely played last year as a
Speaker 2: third round pick. So that's a big concern to me.
Speaker 1: Jeff asked, why have we not signed one of the
Speaker 1: blocking tight ends still on the market. It was a
Speaker 1: liability last year, especially in the running game. So you
Speaker 1: mentioned Trey McKitty. They're really kind of counting on him
Speaker 1: to be that guy. Could you see them ad a
Speaker 1: blocking tight end or really maybe maximize the offensive line
Speaker 1: and Kellen Moore's scheme and maybe that is the difference
Speaker 1: this year.
Speaker 2: Well, it's you know, that's that's probably where zeke comes
Speaker 2: in is you know, I'm looking at I just want
Speaker 2: to make sure I got as measurables right because I
Speaker 2: remember seeing him think he was eighty six on the Bruins.
Speaker 2: He's a big guy, so he's he's six five two
Speaker 2: forty one. And we know that DTR Drian Thompson and
Speaker 2: Robinson ran the ball a lot. We know what kind
Speaker 2: of chip Kelly. You know, Chip Kelly for all of
Speaker 2: the explosive offense that people think of when they think
Speaker 2: of Chip Kelly, he wants to run the ball like
Speaker 2: it's it's a running based offense for the most part.
Speaker 2: Is that's where everything starts. It's not an airt out offense.
Speaker 2: So he was someone who had to block a lot.
Speaker 2: So I would guess that they're hopeful that that maybe
Speaker 2: he can come in and provide a little bit of
Speaker 2: competition for Trey. So when you get into your third season,
Speaker 2: regardless of where you were drafted, you got to start
Speaker 2: to produce. If you're not producing and you're a liability,
Speaker 2: then that's where you could see one of the tight
Speaker 2: ends out there. It's just you know, when you get
Speaker 2: into it and I'm trying to think who's out there.
Speaker 2: I know Rudolph's out there. You know, when you start
Speaker 2: getting into some of these guys, there's a reason why
Speaker 2: they're still out there. You know they're they're perhaps they've
Speaker 2: passed their prime, and you've got to decide whether or
Speaker 2: not a past his prime Kyle Rudolph is a better
Speaker 2: option than a third years. He's starting to figure it
Speaker 2: out Trey McKitty. So that's the stuff that they'll start
Speaker 2: balancing out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the Chargers don't need another pass catching tight end,
Speaker 1: right you know, if parm stays healthy and Gerald ever
Speaker 1: does what he did towards the end of last season,
Speaker 1: you know, money this morning, I was thinking more about
Speaker 1: the offensive line and a lot of these guys are
Speaker 1: the same, but there's movement right. So right what intrigues
Speaker 1: me is where Jamari Sawyer is going to go on
Speaker 1: the right side, right guard? He played fourteen games at
Speaker 1: left tackle last year. He played across the line at Georgia.
Speaker 1: Zion's going to the side next to Rashaan and Lindsley.
Speaker 1: So you would probably think that that side is the
Speaker 1: more dominant side. But we saw what the Chargers did
Speaker 1: bringing back Trey Pipkins. Trey played through a lot of
Speaker 1: pain last year and he played really well. And you
Speaker 1: know he works out with Duke Mannyweather along with Rashaan.
Speaker 1: What's he going to look like this year? Is he
Speaker 1: gonna be even in better version? And is Jamari Sawyer
Speaker 1: that side of the line. Are they going to be
Speaker 1: able to hold up in key spots during the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty three season.
Speaker 2: Well, like the I like the offensive line group. You're
Speaker 2: looking at four tackles, four guards, two centers. You know,
Speaker 2: Slater Pipkins, Foster Serell that they were happy with his
Speaker 2: development last year, talking about the former number one offensive
Speaker 2: line prospect in the in the nation when he was
Speaker 2: coming out of high school, goes to Stanford just trying
Speaker 2: to figure it out here at the next level. They
Speaker 2: like Zach Bailey a lot, so you know, I think
Speaker 2: the tackle what he's kind of that is he gonna
Speaker 2: make it or not? Not not sure. He was spent
Speaker 2: some time on the practice squad last year. Interior. You know,
Speaker 2: they drafted Jordan McFadden, so you've got him right behind
Speaker 2: Jamari Sawyer and they drafted last year. And of course
Speaker 2: then you're starting guards and in Zion Zion your other
Speaker 2: starting guard, and then Brennan Hymis, who was expected to
Speaker 2: kind of be that swing to play someone who played
Speaker 2: tackle at Nebraska, could play interior, could play a little center,
Speaker 2: and when he was pressed into action, I think left
Speaker 2: a little bit to be desired. So to me, keep
Speaker 2: an eye on some of the guys they're bringing in
Speaker 2: on the offensive line and perhaps the highmest spot could
Speaker 2: be up for grabs. But you know, to me, that's
Speaker 2: it's a good group. There's I feel comfortable will clap.
Speaker 2: Obviously it'll be on the roster as the backup center,
Speaker 2: So that's something I wouldn't be surprised to see. If
Speaker 2: you know, they try to figure out is there's somebody
Speaker 2: else in here that we could groom to be a
Speaker 2: backup center as well, and maybe that you save it
Speaker 2: there someone who's the guard slash center. So that group
Speaker 2: looks pretty settled to me. I think it'll end up
Speaker 2: being your starting five slater Johnson Lindsley saw your Pipkins,
Speaker 2: and then obviously McFadden whom you just drafted will clap
Speaker 2: as your backup center, Foster as your backup tackle, and
Speaker 2: then it's is there a battle for highmus and Bailey
Speaker 2: with some of the other guys they brought in Austin Pleasant,
Speaker 2: size Weaver, Nick Melstop. Like those sort of guys, can
Speaker 2: they supplant one of them as that second third, you know,
Speaker 2: swing behind all those guys?
Speaker 1: Feel good about the offensive line you mentioned at the top.
Speaker 1: Another battle is that wide receiver three battle, and I
Speaker 1: guess that's gonna be Joshua Palmer versus Quinton Johnson. We
Speaker 1: know Keenan Micah are one in one a here in LA.
Speaker 1: I'm just excited to see Quinton Johnson what he looks like,
Speaker 1: especially early in camp. But I think josh Palmer has
Speaker 1: been a little bit forgotten this offseason just because of
Speaker 1: the excitement, the deserved excitement about Quinton Johnson coming in
Speaker 1: and eventually being maybe a potential star here in the
Speaker 1: next few years. But Joshua Palmer's development and his work
Speaker 1: ethic man, what he does after practice with Justin Herbert,
Speaker 1: and how he's leaned on Keenan Allen. I really think
Speaker 1: that that's to serve him well in his third season.
Speaker 1: And I would not be surprised in the least if
Speaker 1: if he starts as the third wide receiver on this
Speaker 1: team and we kind of see how both of those
Speaker 1: guys play. I think both guys are gonna play a
Speaker 1: decent amount during the regular season. But that'll be a
Speaker 1: fun kind of wrinkle to observe during preseason games.
Speaker 2: It'll and it's gonna change throughout the course of the season.
Speaker 1: Sure right.
Speaker 2: It's so you've got pretty much five guys that you
Speaker 2: feel like if Jalen Geiiton is healthy, and that, by
Speaker 2: the way, that's maybe the one to keep an eye on.
Speaker 2: That's not like it's a it's a big money deal
Speaker 2: and they can't afford to move on from him. They
Speaker 2: like Jalen Geiiton. There's a rapport between he and Justin
Speaker 2: Herbert as a deep threat. He's got legitimate four to
Speaker 2: three speed, So just go through the five. We know
Speaker 2: the five that are gonna make it right, Mike Williams,
Speaker 2: Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer, Quentin Johnson, Darius Davis because Davis
Speaker 2: is your punt returner and probably, like we said, it's
Speaker 2: gonna get some of those sweet motion you know, just
Speaker 2: bubble screens because of his his speed and his escapability.
Speaker 2: So then it's is it Jalen Geiton. Is he the
Speaker 2: six because they're going to carry six? Is he the
Speaker 2: sixth guy? Or is he going to get a challenge
Speaker 2: from someone like Poke Wilson, you know who flat has
Speaker 2: has incredible splash plays. And to me, like you know,
Speaker 2: we were we were talking on Twitter about Denzel Mims yesterday, right,
Speaker 2: and you think about he got there guys. Yeah, Well,
Speaker 2: and look, I think for people that are upset that
Speaker 2: the Chargers didn't get him, considering how little the Lions
Speaker 2: gave up a twenty twenty five to seventh for a
Speaker 2: conditional sixth, and I mean, like, there's it's nothing, right,
Speaker 2: it's absolutely nothing for a former second round pick that's
Speaker 2: six foot three four three forty guy. But so any
Speaker 2: team could have bested that, right, They could have given
Speaker 2: him a twenty twenty four to sixth and they would
Speaker 2: have bested that deal, and no one was willing to
Speaker 2: do that. So clearly front offices see something on the
Speaker 2: tape that they're not comfortable with.
Speaker 1: And that's why we talked about mows before they even
Speaker 1: drafted Quentin Johnson no money, like we were talking about
Speaker 1: memes before the draft.
Speaker 2: So it just with Yeah, it lines up with what
Speaker 2: they with what they like. They like big receivers and
Speaker 2: they need speed. So Denzel is six three and has
Speaker 2: legitimate four three speed, So it just lined up with
Speaker 2: and that's perhaps where and you know, it goes so
Speaker 2: much more beyond. And now I bring it up because
Speaker 2: maybe the tape for Denzel shows that doesn't really look
Speaker 2: like for three speed when you watch them. It's for
Speaker 2: someone that's supposed to be that fast. When you go
Speaker 2: back and watch it, you just would like to see
Speaker 2: a little bit more separation and and a little bit more. Hey, quarterbacks,
Speaker 2: gotta throw the ball to me because I'm wide open.
Speaker 2: I got two steps on this guy, and that's just
Speaker 2: there's not a lot of that with him. I bring
Speaker 2: that up because when you watch Poke Wilson, guys always
Speaker 2: separated from and it's college versus the pros, right, So,
Speaker 2: but you're talking about someone who's going up against caliber
Speaker 2: of athletes in the ACC against Miami, against NZ State,
Speaker 2: against wake Forest, like against so against Clemson, and you're
Speaker 2: seeing this dude with two three steps on corners, and
Speaker 2: so that's an interesting one to me. The measurables and
Speaker 2: the forty times aren't what you would want for a
Speaker 2: burner man. You just watch you watch him on the
Speaker 2: field and he just looks fast. It looks like he
Speaker 2: is constantly two three steps ahead of guys and they're
Speaker 2: hawking the ball downfield and he's wide open. So that
Speaker 2: to me, when you're talking about the sixth wide receiver,
Speaker 2: kind of interesting. Yeah, And I'm wondering, based on the
Speaker 2: injury and where he's at and his recovery, if maybe
Speaker 2: that spot could be up for grabs.
Speaker 1: Last night money, this is Poke Wilson was put on
Speaker 1: the non football illness list, So he's gonna be I think,
Speaker 1: maybe behind eight ball a little bit to start.
Speaker 2: It's gonna make it tough.
Speaker 1: Then it's gonna be a little a little tough, make
Speaker 1: it tough. But this was last night, So uh, that's
Speaker 1: obviously developing at this point. Jalen Geiton, I think the
Speaker 1: silver lining to a terrible injury as it happened in September,
Speaker 1: and you know, hopefully he's he's as close to one
Speaker 1: hundred percent as he can be. But the wide receivers,
Speaker 1: the position man charge fan's gotta be feeling good about
Speaker 1: it because we're not talking about, Okay, who's gonna make
Speaker 1: the team beyond three, four and five. You actually know
Speaker 1: who the guys are gonna be. It's just a matter
Speaker 1: of what order and and how that shakes out throughout
Speaker 1: the course of the regular season. You know, running back,
Speaker 1: I remember sitting down with Joshua Kelly last year and
Speaker 1: he just he looked good. It's very hard to uh
Speaker 1: gauge how a running back looks on the field in
Speaker 1: preseason because it's you know, even when you have the
Speaker 1: pads on, you're not bringing guys to the ground. I
Speaker 1: think we have a pretty good idea of who Joshua
Speaker 1: Kelly is at this point. Isaiah Spiller is a different story,
Speaker 1: and those those preseason games and those scrimmages are really
Speaker 1: gonna tell I think what the Chargers have in Spiller
Speaker 1: in his second year. You mentioned this last year. He
Speaker 1: was the youngest player drafted in twenty twenty two. So
Speaker 1: when you come in the league at twenty years old,
Speaker 1: you have a lot to learn off the field. You
Speaker 1: have to grow into your body, and maybe this was
Speaker 1: a good first year for him to really get his
Speaker 1: feet under him and compete for a spot.
Speaker 2: Now that room is set, I don't think we're really
Speaker 2: going to see any change. The only thing is are
Speaker 2: they going to carry a full back in horror bath?
Speaker 2: Do they want to bring him back or would they
Speaker 2: prefer to put a running back into that spot if
Speaker 2: you know whether it's And I watched some tape on
Speaker 2: each of them, Elijah Dotson out of Sack State and
Speaker 2: Northern Colorado and Tyler Housman out of North Dakota, and
Speaker 2: I think Northern Iowa was where he was before that.
Speaker 2: So it's interesting Dotson when you when you watch him
Speaker 2: and and look those two guys, they're gonna have to
Speaker 2: make their bones on special teams. But I'm just saying
Speaker 2: to think about Austin Eckler's path to being one of
Speaker 2: the best running backs in the league. When you watch Dotson,
Speaker 2: like his ball skills are crazy, it's he's running wheel
Speaker 2: routes where he's hand fighting with safeties and tracking the
Speaker 2: ball and making one hand catches as a running back,
Speaker 2: as a pass catching back, and and you know, level
Speaker 2: of competition is important to to measure, but just in
Speaker 2: terms of his comfortability catching the ball as a running back,
Speaker 2: and he's he plays a lot bigger than his size.
Speaker 2: The other side of that is Tyler Houseman's h hammer,
Speaker 2: I mean a hammer. He is blowing dudes up and
Speaker 2: at the same time has breakaway speed and elusiveness. So
Speaker 2: those two guys will be interesting to to keep an eye.
Speaker 2: I don't think they make the roster unless they decide, Okay,
Speaker 2: we don't do we want do we want the full back,
Speaker 2: do we want Xander Horvath or do we feel comfortable
Speaker 2: pass protection with this slate of running backs and we
Speaker 2: can put any of them out there. So that's one
Speaker 2: I would maybe think about that that could be a
Speaker 2: potential training camp battle that because we know how important
Speaker 2: Xander Horbeth was on special teams. So that's why that's
Speaker 2: what all of these back end of the roster spots
Speaker 2: fifty through fifty three are going to come down to.
Speaker 2: Can you contribute on special teams or can you be
Speaker 2: an elite special teams player. You know, they've been looking
Speaker 2: for Derek Watts since they let him get away to Pittsburgh,
Speaker 2: and they're hopeful that that Horrvath can fill that and
Speaker 2: that he becomes that player just one of your best
Speaker 2: special teamers and someone who can catch a couple passes
Speaker 2: from Justin Herbert at the goal line and is great
Speaker 2: in pass protection or when you need that third and
Speaker 2: one you want to run it on eye formation, someone
Speaker 2: that can blow up the whole and take on a
Speaker 2: linebacker and move them. So I suspect it'll be Horvath
Speaker 2: that's back.
Speaker 1: But he listed to dig into that real quick because Horvath.
Speaker 1: I feel like every other week fans will either write
Speaker 1: us a question or a comment about Xander Horvath, and
Speaker 1: they saw what he did at the beginning of last
Speaker 1: year and they're wondering, is there a bigger role for
Speaker 1: him in Kellen Moore's offense because he he showed some
Speaker 1: flash in spots on offense and obviously on special teams.
Speaker 1: Do you think Xander Horvath is somebody that they can
Speaker 1: kind of use in the offense consistently as a weapon
Speaker 1: there's so many weapons on this offense, but Xander Horfaz
Speaker 1: having that fullback that can do a lot of different things,
Speaker 1: you know, it's frankly, I think rare in the league. Now,
Speaker 1: there's not a lot of NFL teams that have, you know,
Speaker 1: a fullback do it all full back.
Speaker 2: Again, it's probably more important to not focus on the
Speaker 2: offensive side, but the special team side that you know
Speaker 2: that Ryan faken special teams he know was one of
Speaker 2: the best in the league last year. It wasn't just
Speaker 2: because JK. Scott could pump the pump the ball through
Speaker 2: the roof. Now, obviously that helped a lot. There were
Speaker 2: a of fair catches, but you also had really good
Speaker 2: special teams play from John Taylor, Dean Leonard, Nick Neeman,
Speaker 2: Xander Horvat like so that's and that's where they missed
Speaker 2: Derek Watt. You think about how it got away from
Speaker 2: them on special teams and these returns, explosive returns that
Speaker 2: they were given up, and a lot of that was
Speaker 2: because when you looked at NFL special teams tacklers, Derek
Speaker 2: Watt was first, Like he had nineteen to twenty five
Speaker 2: special teams tackles every year and would lead the league
Speaker 2: in that category. Now Nick Neeman is up there, He's
Speaker 2: one of their best special teamers. Chris Rump is a
Speaker 2: really good special teamer. So in terms of Whovat, if
Speaker 2: he can just replace what Derek Watt did, that's all
Speaker 2: they need. I mean, he was a It's such a
Speaker 2: small piece, but man did they miss him. And they
Speaker 2: had been looking for him with Gabe Neighbors that didn't
Speaker 2: work out, and now with Xander Horvat they're trying to
Speaker 2: find him. So if he can just replace what Derek
Speaker 2: Watt was able to give them, that's a huge win.
Speaker 2: I don't think the fans need to worry as much
Speaker 2: about hey, can he catch? He's not going to be
Speaker 2: Kyle Yuschik.
Speaker 1: He looks like Mike Stott. I don't know if he's
Speaker 1: Mike al Stott, but he looks like him. Yeah.
Speaker 2: And look, he was a running back at Perdue and
Speaker 2: he ran and ran the ball, you know, so it's
Speaker 2: I get it, and Mike.
Speaker 1: Alstott went to produce.
Speaker 2: So there you go. I mean, I get where that
Speaker 2: connection is made. But for what the Chargers need best
Speaker 2: not best case, but floor can he be that Derek
Speaker 2: Watt level special teamer. Hit the hole, blow it open
Speaker 2: for for Eckler or Josh Kelly when you need a
Speaker 2: third and one, especially on the goal line, or can
Speaker 2: you be that you know, play action, you're leaking out
Speaker 2: into the flat, Trust you to catch the ball and
Speaker 2: you can walk in for a couple of touchdowns every year.
Speaker 1: So I think we hit the offense pretty good. I'm
Speaker 1: excited to see Easton Stick get more and more reps
Speaker 1: during the preseason as the backup quarterback to justin on defense.
Speaker 1: Let's touch on the defensive line and linebacker quickly. Eric
Speaker 1: Kendricks obviously a new face, so it'll be fun to
Speaker 1: see him in powder blue. We've talked about a big
Speaker 1: year for Kenneth Murray. What do you see in that
Speaker 1: linebacking corps again, I think you're right. You're gonna see
Speaker 1: a lot of a lot of personnel where there's one
Speaker 1: linebacker on the field and it's probably Kendricks.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I want to direct people to Chargers dot com.
Speaker 2: Our our friend Eric Smith, who writes over there is
Speaker 2: the head writer. Did a did a thing with Jeff Howard,
Speaker 2: their new linebackers coach, And I'll tell you what when again,
Speaker 2: this could be out of context. I don't know, but
Speaker 2: I'm just reading the answers and you know the answer
Speaker 2: to what have been your early interactions with Kenneth Murray?
Speaker 2: Very gifted being drafted as high as he was. There's
Speaker 2: a lot of physical talent, effortful both on the field
Speaker 2: off the field, meeting room, intelligent guy, great communicator. I'm
Speaker 2: excited to be able to work with Kenneth. As for
Speaker 2: Dan Henley, who was drafted in the third round, your thoughts,
Speaker 2: I was very high one of my favorite linebackers in
Speaker 2: the draft and surprised he was available when we drafted.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's three times as long the answer,
Speaker 2: So there's again I could be interpreting something that's not there,
Speaker 2: but it's three sentences on Kenneth Murray. It's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Speaker 2: eleven twelve sentences on day on. So again, don't don't
Speaker 2: be too surprised. I know draft status is important and
Speaker 2: it sticks to you, and that's why Kenneth Murray's going
Speaker 2: to continue to get opportunities, But don't don't get too
Speaker 2: attached to it, because the linebacker coach certainly is pretty
Speaker 2: sweet on day on.
Speaker 1: Kendricks is the new guy. Murray is a guy that
Speaker 1: you want to see take another step. But Henley, I mean,
Speaker 1: his personality is in ins and I know he's going
Speaker 1: to make an impact on special teams. But man, wouldn't
Speaker 1: it be something if he could contribute defensively and just
Speaker 1: be that piece that they didn't have last year. They
Speaker 1: could do a lot of different things because he's just
Speaker 1: a freak athlete.
Speaker 2: Again, you know what I read the quote. I'll just
Speaker 2: I read a little bit of it. Things that stand
Speaker 2: out with me when I watch a state how physical
Speaker 2: he was. That's the first thing he goes out of
Speaker 2: his way to play with the physical mentality. And then
Speaker 2: when you see his movement skills, I'm just like, this
Speaker 2: guy doesn't move like a linebacker. His history is a
Speaker 2: former receiver, played high school quarterback. You see that in
Speaker 2: his moving skills. It's intriguing. When I met with him,
Speaker 2: the best word to describe him is intentional, And that's
Speaker 2: a buzzword for coaches. When they say intentional, that is
Speaker 2: as high a compliment as they will play they will
Speaker 2: pay a defensive player. When he was describing his time
Speaker 2: of where he was at the different schools, the Senior Bowl.
Speaker 2: What he wants to accomplish. He's very intentional and set
Speaker 2: goals of what he wanted from his situation, and he's
Speaker 2: come in here and established the same thing. It's a
Speaker 2: combo of skill set and character. I am excited about dayon.
Speaker 2: Take take from that what you.
Speaker 1: Wish he's like positionless? I almost. I don't know if
Speaker 1: I consider him a I just a chess piece. Right,
Speaker 1: what did we say?
Speaker 2: You don't know? You think Deyon's ahead a linebacker before snap?
Speaker 2: But guess what now I'm pushing him into the slot
Speaker 2: or I'm pushing him up. You're not You think he's
Speaker 2: gonna be occupying this particular space. No, I'm sending him
Speaker 2: because he's can track your receiver. He's an athlete. So
Speaker 2: that's I think that's what we're talking about. And I
Speaker 2: know that's the thing that we've said about Kenneth is man.
Speaker 2: When he's when he's right, holy hack, lookout, because he
Speaker 2: is fast, he is big, he is strong. But it's
Speaker 2: you got to be right at that level. You've got
Speaker 2: to be right. And so that's I think where that
Speaker 2: door could be open, where you could see a bigger
Speaker 2: role for Henley when by the time the season rolls
Speaker 2: around and he's rocking the number zero. Right, Yeah, love it.
Speaker 1: That's gonna be love it if you find a scene
Speaker 1: of a zero run around Coasta Mesa. All right, finally,
Speaker 1: money the defensive line. We'll start with Edge. We know
Speaker 1: it's Khalil and Joey's show. The other rookie, Tully Toy
Speaker 1: Polo two. How quickly can he get up to speed
Speaker 1: and play this NFL game? Another young guy.
Speaker 2: We've seen flashes from Chris Rump. You know they're going
Speaker 2: to carry four Edge players, Rump two, Polo two and
Speaker 2: macin Bos obviously, so we'll see whether or not he
Speaker 2: can jump in front of Rump, jump in front of
Speaker 2: Rump early. But Chris isn't going to relinquish that spot easily.
Speaker 2: He's had great flashes, He's had a couple of sacks.
Speaker 2: He's an exceptional Special Teams player as well. So that's
Speaker 2: gonna be a fun battle to watch. They need it, frankly,
Speaker 2: you know, they really need it, so they I think
Speaker 2: there's still quite a bit to be desired. The nice
Speaker 2: thing is that Morgan Fox can be a little bit
Speaker 2: multiple there and and he can play inside. He could
Speaker 2: play outside he rushes the passers so well. So you know,
Speaker 2: I got four edges and six interior, Morgan Fox, Abastian
Speaker 2: Joe's Day, Austin Johnson, Tito Abonia, Nick Williams, and of
Speaker 2: course they just drafted Scott matt Lock. So you got
Speaker 2: those six and then is there seven you know with
Speaker 2: with Moe and Hinton, David mow and Chris Hinton, whether
Speaker 2: or not they can kind of crack that rotation. So
Speaker 2: it's I think it's pretty set. I feel like there's
Speaker 2: there's ten d linemen and that's gonna be your your
Speaker 2: ten and hopefully they stay healthy because we're already talking
Speaker 2: about of those guys Joey Boss of course dealt with
Speaker 2: serious injury last year, Austin Johnson, Tito Abony. Are they
Speaker 2: gonna be able to start the year you know or not?
Speaker 2: And so that's that that could open the door for
Speaker 2: Moe and Hinting to both make the roster out of
Speaker 2: camp because Tito and Austin Johnson are.
Speaker 1: Ready to go. You feel good about the depth there.
Speaker 2: If those guys are healthy. Yeah. If if Austin Johnson
Speaker 2: and Tito are healthy, I do I think they I
Speaker 2: think we saw you know when they were when they
Speaker 2: were healthy. It it works. It's to me, it's less
Speaker 2: about they just need to they need to prevent the
Speaker 2: explosive run play. That's what gets them. That's what skews
Speaker 2: the run numbers. It's not necessarily that there's a lack
Speaker 2: of impact on the interior of the line. It's that
Speaker 2: every game you would get these forty yard runs, these
Speaker 2: sixty yard runs, these that's what they have to do
Speaker 2: a better job of slowing down and that almost is
Speaker 2: more on the plate of Kenneth Murray, Eric Kendricks than
Speaker 2: those guys up front. That look, they got to fill
Speaker 2: their gaps and they're responsible in it. And we know
Speaker 2: it's a tough defense to learn. We've heard that you're
Speaker 2: responsible for a gap and a half up front. Some
Speaker 2: guys are, you know. He asks guys like Joey Boson
Speaker 2: Khalil Mack to play multiple positions and to think a
Speaker 2: little bit more than they were used to. It's not
Speaker 2: just set the edge and go get the passer. You've
Speaker 2: also got to think about covering and maybe moving a
Speaker 2: little bit. So it's not easy. But I to answer
Speaker 2: your question, do I feel comfortable, Yeah, But those two
Speaker 2: guys have to be healthy.
Speaker 1: Final question money This is from JC comeback season. He's
Speaker 1: yelling at me. It's an all Caps I where is
Speaker 1: John Johnson the Third? Is John Johnson the third? A
Speaker 1: charge I've heard about John Johnson the Third more than
Speaker 1: most of the guys who are currently on the roster
Speaker 1: at this point.
Speaker 2: I think it's fair because if there's if you were
Speaker 2: to list one group that you're most concerned about, it's
Speaker 2: probably safety. Because we did not see J. T. Woods
Speaker 2: play much at all last year, and when he did play,
Speaker 2: it was concerns disconcerting. So I understand where that comes from.
Speaker 2: And I'm sure if you were to get Coach Staley
Speaker 2: in a private moment, he would say, can we please
Speaker 2: get this guy on the roster? So I get it.
Speaker 2: I totally understand. Again, I don't think there's any rush.
Speaker 2: I think John Johnson's content to sit around and wait
Speaker 2: to see if anybody gets hurt. And people always get
Speaker 2: hurt in training camp. Happens, happens every year, so and
Speaker 2: I'm guessing he's not in a hurry to get back
Speaker 2: out to a camp in July and August. In most
Speaker 2: of these spots where we're experiencing an historic heat wave
Speaker 2: right now, he's probably totally content to just kick it
Speaker 2: until week three of training camp and then he can
Speaker 2: sign an incentive laden deal and find the right spot
Speaker 2: for him. Look, if I were him, I'd absolutely want
Speaker 2: to be a Charger. The opportunities are going to be there. Loie.
Speaker 2: Gilman's in what his fourth year. I think this is
Speaker 2: Alowe's fourth year, right, yeah, drafted in twenty so this
Speaker 2: is his fourth season. It's JT Wood's second season. But
Speaker 2: he better show something. So if you're John Johnson and
Speaker 2: you show out and you and Derwin become one of
Speaker 2: the best safety tandems in football, then you're probably gonna
Speaker 2: rewarded quite nicely at the end of the season to
Speaker 2: continue to be one of the best safety tandems in football.
Speaker 2: So I can see it. I can totally see that
Speaker 2: still being a topic of conversation between Tom Telesco and
Speaker 2: Brandon Staley, and I'm sure Tom would say, look, man,
Speaker 2: JT is, he's young, he's just getting into his second
Speaker 2: training camp. Let's let's let it breathe a little bit
Speaker 2: and see if he can be that guy. So we
Speaker 2: don't have to have another veteran on the roster. We
Speaker 2: can carry another rookie contract and get this damn Herbert
Speaker 2: extension done. The last thing we need to do is
Speaker 2: be spending four or five million bucks on a safety
Speaker 2: that's still out there when we can use that four
Speaker 2: five million bucks a year for Herbert's contract.
Speaker 1: So yeah, no doubt, you're gonna see a lot of
Speaker 1: movement with there's a lot of veterans out there. You'll
Speaker 1: see that movement come in August because these guys are
Speaker 1: not trying to be a camp for the first two
Speaker 1: to three weeks for sure. All right, money, the speculation
Speaker 1: is over. We're going to be a camp next week.
Speaker 1: We will in person. I'm really looking forward to it,
Speaker 1: looking forward to seeing all the fans. Shout out to Karen.
Speaker 1: I'm coming for that light blue shirt. Just let us
Speaker 1: know when and where. Money will be there to pick
Speaker 1: it up. And I can't wait to see you guys,
Speaker 1: Jack having sports complex, any anything else. Money, that's it.
Speaker 2: I can't wait to see.
Speaker 1: I'm with you, all right, man, all right, guys for money,
Speaker 1: I'm Chris. This has been Chargers Weekly. We'll see you
Speaker 1: next week.