2021 Official Chargers Season Discusssion

[CivilBolt]

Probably just keeping it warm...that tendinitis post surgery is an annoyance.

I would have done the same if I had injury at certain area. It just gives you a peace of mind. I messed up a ligament on one of my finger catching a wobbly football. I still wore a splint weeks after it healed when playing catch just to avoid aggravating it.

[Bolt Dude]

I really like the way Josh Palmer adjusts his body for the ball.

[like54ninjas]

[Xenos]

[Xenos]

[Formula 21]

Chargers training camp: OT Rashawn Slater draws rave reviews





Gavino Borquez

August 2, 2021 1:19 pm PT


Monday marked the first day in full pads for the Chargers at training camp, which is also significant for the battles in the trenches.
With all eyes on both lines, rookie offensive tackle Rashawn Slater drew the majority of the attention and successfully lived up to his billing.
During one-on-ones, Slater went 4-0 against edge defenders Joey Bosa, Kyler Fackrell and Uchenna Nwosu on two occasions.
When Los Angeles went into 11-on-11, Slater lost a couple of reps but he still maintained a high level of play, appearing to be technically sound with his hands to keep rushers at bay and showing a high football IQ to pick up stunts.
Slater’s dominance in pass protection comes by no surprise. In his final year at Northwestern, he allowed zero sacks against elite competition against the likes of Chase Young (Football Team), Zack Baun (Saints), AJ Epenesa (Bills).
Following Monday’s session, head coach Brandon Staley lauded Slater, saying that “he’s a really fun player to coach,” and adding that he’s stayed after each practice to get extra work in with offensive line coach Frank Smith.
Even though one practice isn’t going to gauge how a player is going to pan out in this league, Slater dominating against premiere pass rushers is a good sign for what could be to come.





On the Slater - Bosa matchup

https://twitter.com/RealFRamirez

We are only allowed to record the first 15’ of practice (warmups and some basic drills and such) The battle
@RealFRamirez
refers to happened well into an hour of practice, and it was a thing of beauty.

[Formula 21]

On Monday, Webb continued his dominance by breaking up a few passes and notching another interception that he took back to the house.

[Formula 21]

Chargers training camp report, Day 5: Rashawn Slater shines in 1-on-1 pass pro




By Daniel Popper 43m ago




COSTA MESA, Calif. — The Chargers held their fifth training camp practice Monday at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex. Players had their pads on for the first time at the start of practice, but they took them off just more than an hour in. More on this later.
Here are my observations.
Rashawn Slater dominates 1-on-1s

The pads went on, and with that came the first offensive line-defensive line pass-rush one-on-ones in camp.
Rookie left tackle Rashawn Slater was the star.
Slater got four reps at left tackle against edge rushers — two against Uchenna Nwosu, one against Kyler Fackrell and one against Joey Bosa to close the five-minute period.
Slater clearly won all four.
First Slater went up against Nwosu, who attempted an inside move. Slater showcased his smooth feet and movement and closed off Nwosu’s path. The two faced off again on Slater’s second rep. Slater stood him up a second time.
Next, Slater matched up with Fackrell, who rushed from a standing position and showed off his speed with a quick burst off the line of scrimmage. Slater was beat initially, but this time he displayed his recovery skills and spatial awareness. He dropped to get a better angle, then planted firmly and forced Fackrell to the ground as the edge rusher tried to win wide.
Last came the matchup of the period. Bosa. Slater. The horn had already blown to end the period, and this was the final rep. The whistle blew for the snap, and Bosa surged ahead off the line of scrimmage. Slater corralled Bosa with both arms and slowed his momentum. Bosa had nowhere to go, and Slater stood him up.
I have watched a lot of Bosa pass-rushing reps in my three training camps covering the Chargers. I have never seen a Chargers offensive lineman handle him in this way. Bosa can be an overpowering pass rusher. He nearly knocked Storm Norton over on the first rep of this one-on-one period. Slater matched Bosa’s strength, which is pretty remarkable.
This is sure to be a fascinating battle as we move through training camp. And let’s be clear about one thing: They have been going back and forth in 11-on-11 reps, and Bosa has bested Slater on more than one occasion.
Brandon Staley raved about Slater after practice.
“High aptitude to improve,” Staley said. “From a mental standpoint, this guy is about as sharp as you could hope for on the offensive line. Kind of maturity beyond his years. And I think physically, you see the movement, you see the strength, and what now he’s got to do is he has to translate his game to blocking Joey Bosa now, and understanding that there’s a big game within a game in blocking different players and understanding how to use your skill sets against somebody else.”
Some other notes from this one-on-one period:
• The Chargers made it a priority this offseason to get bigger and nastier on their offensive line. Right guard Oday Aboushi is the perfect example of that. At 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, Aboushi is a tough man to move in pass protection. Jerry Tillery beat Aboushi on their first rep of the period with an agile inside move. But Aboushi responded with three consecutive winning reps on the interior. He stood up Christian Covington before getting his revenge on Tillery on the next rep, locking the tall defensive lineman up. Aboushi then won against Cortez Broughton on his final rep.
• Speaking of Tillery, the former first-round pick showcased a more refined interior pass-rushing repertoire in this period. He also beat center Scott Quessenberry on an inside move in his second rep. Linval Joseph had this to say about Tillery’s development: “He’s taking it to another level. He’s in the weight room. He’s studying more. He’s got some more questions. And I think he’s hungry. I think he’s ready to take that next step to be an elite rusher.”
• Left guard Matt Feiler won all three of his reps against Justin Jones, Broughton and Joseph. When the Chargers signed Feiler in March, they touted him as a reliable, experienced offensive linemen. That is showing up.
• Center Corey Linsley and right tackle Bryan Bulaga did not participate in the period. Quessenberry filled in at center and Norton filled in at right tackle. Norton lost three of his four reps, to Bosa and Nwosu and Fackrell. But he did have one quality rep against Bosa, throwing him to the ground.
Two-minute drill

The Chargers conducted their first two-minute drill of camp to close practice. Chase Daniel was in at quarterback with the second team. Easton Stick did not participate in the drill.
Justin Herbert was up first. The offense started in their own half with a little less than 1:30 left on the clock. On first down, Herbert misfired on an attempted pass to tight end Jared Cook near the left sideline. Then Bosa got home for a sack off the right edge. Facing a third-and-long, Herbert was forced to throw short to Keenan Allen, and Chris Harris Jr. was there to end the series.
Daniel had more success against the second-team defense. He started the drive by hitting tight end Donald Parham on an out-breaking route. Parham got out of bounds to stop the clock.
Asante Samuel then almost ended the drive. He made a great read and jumped in front of a comeback route on the right side. It was a long throw for Daniel, and Samuel was in perfect position for a pick-six. But he could not make the catch. The defense then had a breakdown on third down. Daniel connected with an uncovered Justin Jackson in the flat, and Jackson scampered down the sideline for a 30-yard gain. The Chargers offense then found the end zone on another busted coverage. Daniel connected with a wide-open Josh Palmer for a 25-yard score.
Kicker battle gets underway

The Chargers have an open competition brewing at kicker. Michael Badgley, Tristan Vizcaino and Alex Kessman are the contenders. On Monday, we got to see our first field goal kicking of camp.
Badgley went first and connected on all five of his attempts — 32 yards, 36 yards, 55 yards, 49 yards and 52 yards. Vizcaino matched him and made all five of his kicks, as well, in the subsequent special teams period — 33 yards, 41 yards, 45 yards, 49 yards and 52 yards. Kessman did not get to kick.
Vizcaino clearly has the stronger leg. Badgley is nearly automatic from inside 45 yards, but he has struggled from distance in his Chargers career. The 55-yarder from Badgley was an encouraging sign.
Offensive highlights

During the second period off 11-on-11s, Herbert rolled to his left off play action and connected with a wide-open Keenan Allen for a 40-yard gain. This appeared to be a busted coverage from the defense. Allen should never be as open as he was.
Later, Herbert found Palmer for a touchdown in red-zone drills. Palmer ran a crossing route and made a strong catch in traffic. That was two touchdowns on the day for Palmer, who continues his push for the third wide receiver spot.
Stick had a quality throw in 11-on-11s, hitting Jason Moore over the middle for a first down. This was the most velocity I have seen Stick put on a throw since he was drafted by the Chargers in 2019.
Jalen Guyton came down with his best catch of camp so far in the first period of 11-on-11. Herbert dropped back off play action and fired to the left sideline. It was slightly high, but Guyton hauled in the pass with sticky hands and got both feet down.
Defensive highlights

The defense players were noticeably excited to have their pads on. In the first set of 11-on-11 drills, Derwin James delivered a big hit on Jackson, driving him to the turf. Then playing with the second-team defense, linebacker Kyzir White sniffed out a screen and dropped Joshua Kelley behind the line of scrimmage.
The secondary came up with three more interceptions in 11-on-11s. First, safety Alohi Gilman jumped a Cook route near the sideline and got both feet in bounds. This was not a good decision from Herbert.
Herbert threw another interception in the second period of 11-on-11s. The play broke down, and Herbert escaped the pocket to his right. He threw to the sideline, and Kemon Hall picked him off. Herbert would have been better off throwing this one out of bounds. But it is training camp, and living to fight another day is not as necessary.
Daniel then threw an interception on the next series. He was looking for Parham deep down the middle of the field, but the tight end was not looking for the ball. Safety Mark Webb was in a great position and snagged the interception after the pass sailed past Parham. This was Webb’s second interception of camp.
Padded practice mixup

According to an NFL memo sent to clubs, Monday’s practices across the league were supposed to be unpadded. The Chargers came out in pads, and this was a violation of the memo.
As a result, an NFL compliance officer who is was in attendance at Chargers practice forced the players to remove their pads at 10:06 a.m. General manager Tom Telesco took full responsibility for the oversight.
The expectation is that the Chargers will have to convert one of their future padded practices to an unpadded one.
News and notes

• WR Tyron Johnson did not practice. Staley said the injury is to Johnson’s foot/ankle, but added that it is “nothing long term to be worried about.” Staley said Johnson first suffered the injury when he landed awkwardly after making a catch in Saturday’s practice.

[Hadl2Alworth]

I really like the way Josh Palmer adjusts his body for the ball.

Everything looks very controlled with him. He looks like a five year veteran already. He and Allen really do have a knack for making things look effortless.

[Bolt Dude]

Everything looks very controlled with him. He looks like a five year veteran already. He and Allen really do have a knack for making things look effortless.

He definitely gets those mitts ready—no doubt a carry-over from his days of playing goalie in soccer. lol

[Fleet]

Thank you, Fleet !
That #5 has really something special.
PR or WR #3 ?

[like54ninjas]