2020 Chargers Training Camp and Final 53 Discussion

[21&500]

This goes without saying obviously, but thanks to everyone posting updates

[like54ninjas]

[like54ninjas]

[Fleet]

This goes without saying obviously, but thanks to everyone posting updates

Agreed.

Also Covid has really hit this place hard. Ninja flowing for us.

You know what thats all i need right now. lol The news. You know you will always find it here first and already being discussed. lol

Thanks again everyone.

[Xenos]

Daniel Popper thinks Jerry Tillery, Justin Jones, Nasir Adderley, and Trey Pipkins has shown significant improvement from last year's camp.

[like54ninjas]

Daniel Popper thinks Jerry Tillery, Justin Jones, Nasir Adderley, and Trey Pipkins has shown significant improvement from last year's camp.

That’s huge as all of those dudes will be counted on to contribute this season.

[like54ninjas]

Odds & Ends


DT Justin Jones on Linval Joseph: "He's played a lot of football, been in the league a lot of years. He's been a good player for a number of years. Even in college. So (he brings) knowledge; you never get enough knowledge. (Former Chargers NT Brandon) Mebane told me my rookie year, 'The day you stop learning is the day you're out of the league.' So obviously (I'm) picking his brain with whatever questions I have, that's huge for me. Huge for our d-line. We have a lot of young guys on the team so it's huge for all of us."

ST coordinator George Stewart on creativity without preseason games: "In practice, we've reduced the field because we don't want those big collisions in terms of what we're doing … We're trying to get things done from that standpoint. We're still having some physical contact, but it's not 40 or 50 yards away, it's more 20 yards to have guys make some contact, get on get off blocks, shed blocks, try to be more realistic as possible but with the same mindset of keeping your players safe."


Bulaga on the offensive line: "There's a lot that we need to accomplish in a short amount of time. I think a thing that's going to help us is our experience. Pounce (Mike Pouncey) in the middle's played a lot of football. Trai Turner's played a lot of football. I've played a lot of ball. Dan Feeney's played a lot of ball and Tevi's right now is the guy who's a little bit less experienced. But I think we have a good group. In meetings and what not, I feel like we're all getting along very well. Guys are having good conversations and making sure we're all on the same page with each other."

Jones on entering his third season: "Confidence is a big thing. Explosiveness off the ball. I've definitely been training at that all offseason. I changed my body around like I did the previous season. This year focusing on body fat and gaining more muscle and all things like that. So being quick off the ball, being quick-twitch (and) having that lateral quickness. Obviously, you need that for d-line, especially being an interior guy. Staying strong at the point of attack … bringing all the things to the field I've been working on all offseason, so I'm excited for that going into the season

[like54ninjas]

Chargers training camp day 8: Lynn rewards players, Nwosu back at playing LEO, and Other News and Notes.

Fernando Ramirez

50 minutes ago

The seventh day of practice was held on Monday morning at Jack Hammett Sports Complex. On Sunday, Anthony Lynn let the players practice in pads for about an hour then he rewarded them by telling them to take them off for the last 30-45 minutes. Monday, he did the same thing.

Lynn mentioned on Sunday why he decided to reward the team.

“Last week, I thought they did a hell of a job of pushing through a lot of volume,” Lynn explained. “We didn’t have a lot of injures, but the guys worked hard. The catapult numbers show at the end of the week that the guys worked extremely hard, and at some point, I am going to hold them back and rewarding them for that. I gotta get them in football shape and go from there.”

Some notable veterans were missing from practice: WR Keenan Allen, DE Melvin Ingram, DE Joey Bosa, CB Casey Hayward, OT Bryan Bulaga, G Trai Turner, and DT Linval Joseph, which probably means Lynn rewarded them with a veteran’s day off.

Now with Lynn giving those guys a day of rest, other younger players were able to showcase their talent. Veterans day off is usually when younger players have a chance to be mixed in with the first team, quarterback Tyrod Taylor was there today, and had a chance to work with the younger receivers. Who had the opportunity to attempt to showcase their skills with the starters that remained at practice.

Nwosu ready to play his natural position: LEO

Last week, Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was asked what position Uchenna Nwosu would be playing this season. Bradley said that he was going to leave Nwosu at the LEO position.

“I feel great at this position,” explained Nwosu. “This is what I do. Get off the ball, rush the passer, just be explosive, and disruptive. It fits my strong suit personally. I am happy to be in this position. I feel very comfortable. You know this being my third year in this scheme. I gotta a lot of practice underneath my belt, and I feel comfortable going into this year.”

The LEO position in Bradley’s defense lines up wide and is uncovered by a tight end to either help with the run game or disrupt the backfield. He will be rotated with fellow defensive end Melvin Ingram. The former USC Trojan believes he will stay at the position.

“To my knowledge, it is a permanent move,” said Nwosu. “I have been there consistently for the past year and a half now, so I am guessing it will be a permanent move.”

Nwosu said that in the offseason, he did what many of his fellow defensive teammates did, which was to clean up his eating habits and gain about five pounds of muscle. He said he wants to create turnovers, get after the quarterback, and feels like the defense has talent everywhere.

During practice, number 42 has popped up numerous times whether in the pass or run game because Nwosu is finally in his spot.

“This is what I did in college it fits my strong suit,” said Nwosu. “Just going, not thinking as much. Just playing fast.”

News and notes from practice

[Formula 21]

Kelley may be our star rookie.

[Xenos]

That’s huge as all of those dudes will be counted on to contribute this season.

Popper was actually a big fan of Jones last year before his injury.

[Xenos]

Popper's practice report today. Some nice observations on Pipkin and his continued development at OT. powderblueboy some additional stuff on Justin Jones and Tillery.

Chargers training camp practice report, Day 8: Offense takes charge

Daniel Popper
6-8 minutes

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COSTA MESA, Calif. — The heat wave crushing Southern California finally relented Monday as the Chargers took the field at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex for their padded training camp practice.
This is your Day 8 practice report.

Offense dominates
For the second straight day, coach Anthony Lynn allowed his players to take off their pads midway through practice, after the first period of 11-on-11 drills. The defense played well during the padded portion of team drills. Uchenna Nwosu had a sack, Rayshawn Jenkins picked off Tyrod Taylor on a deep ball and Jerry Tilley had a tackle-for-loss on an outside run by Derrick Gore.

But once the pads came off, the defense lost its edge, and the offense took control of practice.

I counted four busted or botched coverages on the first four series of 11-on-11 after the players removed their pads. On the opening series, tight end Hunter Henry was wide open on a crossing route, and Taylor hit him in stride. Henry rumbled down the sideline and probably would have scored a touchdown. On the next series, with Justin Herbert at quarterback, Joshua Kelley sprinted wide open on a crossing route, and he outran the defense deep into the red zone. This likely would have been a touchdown, too, though a defender did track him down near the 5-yard line. Taylor then hit Jason Moore on a deep ball with Nasir Adderley in coverage. Moore had a couple yards of separation. In that same series, the defense lost Henry again.

Later, in a live period of 11-on-11s, Herbert hit tight end Stephen Anderson on a 65-yard touchdown up the seam. The coverage was not tight enough. Herbert threw an ideal ball, leading Anderson with a defender trailing him. He galloped untouched to the end zone.

The defense was missing some key pieces. A day after Mike Williams suffered a shoulder injury in practice, Lynn gave a number of his most prized veterans the day off Monday, including several defensive starters. Defensive end Melvin Ingram, cornerback Casey Hayward, end Joey Bosa and tackle Linval Joseph all got rest days, and cornerback Chris Harris remained out with his lower-leg issue. But the offense was also without some starters. Williams didn’t practice because of his shoulder, while receiver Keenan Allen, right guard Trai Turner and right tackle Bryan Bulaga got rest days.

So it’s not an excuse. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was dialing up some beauties, and his group won the day by a wide margin.


O-line/D-line 1-on-1s
I finally got a good look at the offensive line and defensive line facing off in 1-on-1 pass-rush drills with pads on. In previous days, these drills were either happening on the far field, or they were happening without pads on.

A few takeaways:
• Trey Pipkins looks sturdier and more comfortable in pass protection. As I wrote last week, he added about nine pounds this offseason and spent time getting fitter and stronger while working out in Sam Tevi’s garage. That hard work is already paying off. While at left tackle, he faced off against Tillery, who lined up wide as a defensive end. Pipkins manhandled him, preventing Tillery from getting to the quarterback before burying him into the turf. This isn’t necessarily a knock on Tillery, who is having a good camp. He won a rep earlier in the drill rushing as a defensive end against undrafted rookie Ryan Roberts. Pipkins is just blossoming. He also drove Emeke Egbule to the ground in a similar fashion earlier in the period.
• Justin Jones clearly worked on his pass-rushing moves this offseason, and his improvement rushing from the interior will be paramount in him taking the next step in his third season. Jones had the most dominant rep of the period, using lightning-quick hands to get around Trent Scott. Everyone in the building keeps saying Jones is poised for a breakout season. This is one reason why.
• Scott worked at both tackle and guard during this drill. His best rep came toward the end of the period when he stood up Isaac Rochell, who was rushing from the edge. Scott showed sound footwork and strength on this snap.

News and notes
• Fifth-round pick Joe Reed was working with the running backs during individual drills. And during the walkthrough period right after individuals, Austin Ekeler was coaching up Reed on his movement out of the backfield. The Chargers will be moving Reed all over the offensive formation. He is a very versatile piece.
• Center Mike Pouncey flew back to Florida to attend his grandmother’s funeral over the weekend. He has missed the last two days of practice. Players are required to undergo daily COVID-19 testing.
• Forrest Lamp worked with the first team at left guard with Pouncey out. Dan Feeney moved from left guard to center, while Scott played right guard in place of Turner and Storm Norton played right tackle in place of Bulaga.
• There was a tense moment during 11-on-11 drills when Kenneth Murray, a notoriously physical player, tripped up Easton Stick on a QB run. The offensive coaches and players were heated. Touching the quarterback in any circumstance, even the third-string quarterback, is a glaring no-no. Murray is lucky Pouncey and Bulaga weren’t on the field Monday. As veteran linemen, they would have been in Murray’s face.
• With Allen and Williams out, Jaylen Guyton, Darius Jennings, Jason Moore and Tyron Johnson all worked with the first-team offense. But K.J. Hill was the best receiver on the field. He made two difficult contested catches over the middle in do-or-die situations during 11-on-11 drills.
• It’s not exactly clear where Desmond King will fit into this defense, but he is making plays. He had a sack in 11-on-11 and also forced a fumble when he punched the ball out of Henry’s hands after a completion.
• Tillery had a sack in live 11-on-11 drills. Jones also had a sack in the same set of downs.
• Williams was on the field in street clothes toward the end of practice. His right arm was not in a sling, but he was favoring his left arm, and he kept his right hand in his jacket pocket.

[Xenos]

Q&A with Adderly. Man that "hamstring" injury sounded horrible. No wonder he couldn't come back. He literally tore his tendon.

'Better than I’ve ever been': A Q&A with Chargers safety Nasir Adderley

Daniel Popper

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Chargers safety Nasir Adderley went nearly two years without feeling fully healthy. It started with a high ankle sprain in his senior season at Delaware in the fall of 2018. Then came a hamstring injury he suffered while running the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in spring of 2019 — an ailment that lingered and worsened throughout the early stages of his rookie year with the Chargers before he was placed on injured reserve in late October.

It was a nightmare of a debut season for the Chargers’ 2019 second-round pick, one mostly spent searching for answers. But he has returned for Year 2 with a clear head — confident and ready to prove, finally, that he can play in this league.

I caught up with Adderley to discuss his frustrating 2019, the hamstring injury that derailed it and why he is so excited about his future with the Chargers.

What were your primary goals heading into this offseason?
Coming into this offseason, my goal was just to be healthy. I had a pretty tough two years, just with the high ankle sprain I had and then finally recovering from that, and then just dealing with that hamstring ever since. Pretty much, I just wanted to learn and understand what was really going on, so I’ve done my own research, reached out to many different doctors and stuff like that, just to figure out what was going on. I just wanted to truly learn about my body.

And so what did you find out through all that research?
So following the season, I actually learned — they told me I had a split in my tendon. So it’s not like a traditional hamstring strain. Because I had a hamstring strain before in college, and I was back in like two to three days. So I understood that this was different, and it was hard. I’m not going to lie to you and act like it wasn’t extremely frustrating. So basically, I had a split in my hamstring tendon, and it was called hamstring tendinosis, and it’s pretty much when your tendons are overworked. Just given the type of person I am, I kept pushing it and and pushing it trying to be out there, and it ultimately ended with me going to IR.

Just how frustrating was last season for you?
The biggest thing that was the frustrating part for me was people not knowing the type of person I am. Like, if I can be out there, I’m going to be out there. I understand soreness. I understand all that. I played through a whole bunch of different stuff. But I think the most frustrating thing was people thinking it was a normal hamstring strain, but in reality that wasn’t what it was. So I think that was the biggest thing I had to deal with. But I’ve moved on, and it’s a new year. I feel healthy and better than I’ve ever been, even in college. So I’m just excited to move forward and get better each day.

What was the process like getting healthy in the offseason? Was it just a matter of giving yourself some rest, or was there more to it?
That was the determining factor, because I tried a whole bunch of different stuff while I’d been dealing with it. And once I was actually able to sit down and let it heal, I felt a lot better. And I got a PRP (platelet-rich plasma injection) done. So pretty much, in your tendon, you don’t have a lot of blood flow in that area, and that’s why it takes longer for it to heal than a normal hamstring strain. So the PRP pretty much takes your blood and then puts your blood into that area to stimulate the healing process. So we did that, and that actually felt really good. It was really sore and stuff like that, and was still giving me a bunch of pain. It got to a point where I couldn’t even squat comfortably. It was hard because I’d never really dealt with injuries to that extent. I would even say that was worse than my Grade 3 high ankle sprain. But I’m grateful I was able to overcome that. It feels good to be back out here. It’s been a long time since I’ve been healthy and able to actually be myself on the field.

Just to get into that a little more, how exciting is it to finally be on the field and healthy? You seem like a different player, just from watching you in practice.
Man, it’s an incredible feeling. Even just stepping out here is a blessing. Just being around the guys I’m with, getting coached by these coaches, I’m learning a lot, I’m getting a lot better each day. I’m not satisfied, but I’m comfortable in the sense of, I feel like I can be myself on the field. You know what I mean?

Obviously, there are a lot of moving pieces in this secondary. You’ve been in that free safety role with the second team. You’ve been playing a little bit of nickel with the first team. Where do you see yourself fitting in? And also, how big is having that versatility?
I learned versatility is key. I learned that at an early, early age, like in college, just being able to even start off as a corner and even having the background as a safety and even playing nickel, that helped me get to where I am now. Even guys like (former Chargers defensive backs) Adrian Phillips and Jaylen Watkins, guys that moved around, you see the type of production and the stuff they do. So that’s one of the biggest things I took from last year. I’m confident in my ability to play wherever, so wherever the team needs me, that’s what I’m going to be willing to do. We got a lot of dogs back there, and I know we can make a bunch of plays. And so I’m excited to play alongside those guys, wherever that may be.

How comfortable would you be, hypothetically, at outside corner? I know you haven’t gotten any reps there in camp, but you did play there in college.
I’m confident playing anywhere. Obviously, it’s going to take some additional learning and just diving into the playbook. That’s something, going into Year 2 especially, I’m just trying to focus on other positions and knowing where my help is and what this guy is doing and why we’re doing it. That’s the biggest thing I learned from just going in from Year 1 to Year 2, just to promote that versatility. If you looked at last year, we had a lot of guys move around and play different positions, and that’s only going to make us a better unit.

We got to talk to defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, and he specifically mentioned how you seem more mature this year. What went into that maturation? How much of it was just enduring what you did in 2019?
I just moved on. It was incredibly frustrating. So I pretty much just came in and said, last year is last year, and I’m going to leave that at that. And I’m just going to focus on this year and being the best I can be and be the best teammate I can and just helping out in any way I can. I’ve been diving in the playbook a lot, too, especially during the offseason. I just wanted to make sure that whenever my opportunity does come, I’m going to be ready, for sure.