Tweet
Originally posted by CivilBolt
View Post
-
The Turds drafted top 5 for like 2 decades, they should have had a couple of HOF'ers there but they got nothing to show for it. -
-
agree, and the crafty skilled route runners usually play longer than other WR's....Originally posted by chargeroo View Post
I agree with some who say we may not have that one all round, big, elite fast, route runner who can do everything at an elite level like a Jullio Jones in his prime but I believe we have a very good all round group of receivers who can all beat you different ways....Comment
-
someone posted the stat before the draft, I think it said we have a top 5 receiving corps. The numbers were posted to calm all those screaming for a WR in round one. I’m a bit baffled by the sentiment that our receivers aren’t good enough, this group is up there with some of the best in charger history.Originally posted by Charge! View Post
"The author assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this post. The information contained in this post is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness..."Comment
-
I suspected that the pre-draft speculation about the Bolts targeting a wideout at #17 was mostly smoke, but I was *afraid* that speculation WASN'T smoke, and sweated it out for a while!Originally posted by Fouts2herbert View Post
A wideout was NOT going to improve the offense anywhere near as much as the right O-lineman would. So relieved that Zion was the pick.Comment
-
Forgot to post this earlier. Looks like JT Woods is going through rookie pains. But on the bright side the other young guys are finally stepping up, showing that it does take time to acclimate to the NFL. Also updates on Otito and Jaimes.
COSTA MESA, Calif. — The Chargers held their eighth practice of training camp Friday morning at Jack. R. Hammett Sports Complex.
Here are my observations, notes and takeaways.
Growing pains for JT Woods
Through eight training camp practices, rookie safety JT Woods is still trying to find his footing in Brandon Staley’s defensive scheme.
The Chargers voiced considerable excitement in April after they drafted Woods in the third round out of Baylor. They felt like Woods’ speed and range would be a crucial addition to their defense, allowing Derwin James to move around more — to the slot and other alignments closer to the line of scrimmage — without sacrificing their coverage capacity in the deep part of the field.
That vision has not changed.
Woods, though, has hit some speed bumps in his first NFL training camp. And let’s get this out of the way now: That is understandable. All rookies deal with some inevitable ups and downs as they transition into the NFL. Staley’s scheme is particularly complex and layered, especially for safeties. And the Chargers are not holding anything back from Woods from a mental standpoint.
“We kind of threw a lot at him,” defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill said after practice Friday.
Still, Woods is playing hesitantly, and, as a result, we have not yet seen his 4.3 speed and ball skills really come to life on the field in team drills. Woods, who tied for the FBS lead in interceptions last season with six, has been slow to both diagnose routes and rotate in the deep part of the field, and Hill attributes that to some overthinking.
In Friday’s practice, Woods lost track of Jalen Guyton on a deep corner route in 7-on-7. Guyton came wide open near the left sideline, and Easton Stick hit him for a 35-yard gain.
“You can see sometimes in his rotational things where there’s a little pause there,” Hill said of Woods.
Later, Woods was playing on the second-team defense facing Justin Herbertand the first-team offense in the two-minute-drill period. Woods was matched up in man coverage on tight end Donald Parham, with the offense at the opposing 25-yard line. Parham ran a seam route, beating Woods off the line of scrimmage, and Herbert hit him for the touchdown. Woods allowed Parham to get too clean of a release, and Parham then used his speed and size to win down the field.
“We just got to get him to keep getting out of that slower play so he can play fast and can play with that 4.3 that we’ve seen in the past,” Hill said of Woods.
He added: “We know he’s special at getting the ball in the back end. Right now, it’s just really, how much can we get him on the grass and continue to get him playing at that fast pace?”
With James sitting out because of his contract negotiations, there was an opportunity for Woods to work in with the first team and claim that third safety spot early in camp. But Alohi Gilman has gotten nearly all the reps as the second first-team safety next to Nasir Adderley. Undrafted rookie Raheem Layne has worked with the first team more than Woods.
It is still very early. And Hill believes that Woods will be able to play faster and more confidently when they can narrow down the focus of his responsibilities in team-specific game plans during the season.
“The biggest thing is just continuing to get the one-on-ones with him, him getting upstairs with (assistant DBs) coach (Tommy) Donatell and hammering those things that he needs help with,” Hill said. “But right now, we want to throw as much as we can at him just to get him exposed to those things that we do. And then once the game plan comes down, we’ll be able to shrink it. But it’s a lot of time in between here and the game, so we’re just going to keep hammering at him, and we know he’ll come around.”
Highlights from team drills
The Chargers had four team-drill periods Friday — one 7-on-7, two 11-on-11 move-the-ball and one two-minute drill.
Some highlights…
• Bryce Callahan nearly intercepted Herbert in 7-on-7. He jumped a throw intended for Keenen Allen over the middle. Asante Samuel Jr. had the primary coverage and was all over Allen. Callahan was roving underneath and read Herbert’s eyes. Callahan is having an outstanding camp. He seems to have the slot corner position in the nickel defense locked up. “That’s home for Bryce,” Hill said of Callahan playing in the slot. “He’s done it since he came into the national football league. He also has a great ability to play outside. But we know his strong suit is playing inside. He’s calm in there. He’s seen a lot. And he has the quickness and speed to guard pretty much anybody that goes in that slot.”
• Rookie Otito Ogbonnia was one of the three interior defensive linemen with the first-team base defense, playing alongside Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson. On the second rep of 11-on-11, Ogbonnia batted a Herbert pass down at the line of scrimmage. Herbert was attempting to check down to Larry Rountree off play action.
• Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton continued to split first-team reps evenly at right tackle.
• Troy Reeder, Nick Niemann and Amen Ogbongbemiga rotated as the inside linebackers with the first-team defense.
• Allen had two third-down receptions from Herbert in the second 11-on-11 period, including an explosive play on a crosser on the second-to-last rep of the period.
• Defensive lineman Andrew Brown sacked Chase Daniel while facing the third-team defense. Brown, who the Chargers signed to their practice squad in October last year, is really flashing both as a pass rusher and run defender in camp.
• Herbert engineered a crisp two-minute drive facing the second-team defense. There were 58 seconds left and the offense started at its own 40-yard line, needing a field goal to tie. Herbert connected three times with Allen, including a great ball on a seam route to move the offense to the opposing 25-yard line. That set up the touchdown to Parham.
• Stick led the second-team offense in the same two-minute situation against the first-team defense. He completed his first two balls, both to Parham, before the drive stalled. Joseph-Day batted a pass down on first down. Then Callahan had a pass breakup on second down while in coverage on Michael Bandy. On third down, Stick attempted a dangerous throw over the middle to Trevon Bradford. The ball was tipped, and J.C. Jackson came down with his first interception of camp.
News and notes
• LB Drue Tranquill, TE Tre’ McKitty, LB Kyle Van Noy, S Mark Webb, and WR Jason Moore sat out practice. Tranquill has missed the past five practices with a groin strain. Moore, McKitty and Webb are dealing with unspecified soft-tissue issues. We will get an update on Van Noy when we talk to Staley next Sunday, if he is still not practicing.
• Edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack did not participate in team drills. Just rest days, according to Hill: “We got a big ramp up with the pads coming on, so we wanted to make sure those guys are ready to go for those practices coming up.”
• With Bosa and Mack resting the last two practices during team drills, Chris Rumph II and Emeke Egbule have been working in with the first-team defense at edge rusher. Hill has been impressed with Rumph, a fourth-round pick in 2021 who added some mass this offseason. “Chris has been doing a great job,” Hill said. “I feel the weight on him right now. I feel when he goes to a power rush move that it’s on display a little bit more. Last year, if he went to that move, they probably would have grabbed him up and we wouldn’t have gotten any push in the pocket. But he’s doing a good job. You can tell he’s really been working on his pass rush game. He’s really got some good setups that are working.”
• After missing four of his nine field goal attempts in Tuesday’s practice, kicker Dustin Hopkins was perfect Friday. He made all nine of his kicks, including an extra point to cap off the first-team offense’s two-minute drill.
• The first-team kick return unit during Friday’s special team period: DeAndre Carter (at returner), Larry Rountree III, Joshua Kelley, Kemon Hall, Rumph, Hunter Kampmoyer, Alohi Gilman, Ogbongbemiga, Niemann, Troy Reeder and Michael Davis. Keep an eye on Kampmoyer. He is also working in with the first-team punt unit in Tranquill’s absence, and the Chargers are potentially looking for a fourth tight end to keep on the 53-man roster.
• The first-team kickoff unit: Hopkins, Nasir Adderley, Deane Leonard, Niemann, Rumph, Hall, Reeder, Ogbongbemiga, Davis, Kelley, Gilman.
• Davis was working in as the sixth defensive back in dime packages. He also got reps as one of the two outside corners in the first-team base defense opposite Jackson. “We don’t know how these packages are going to shake out, and we want to continue to create depth and competition,” Hill said. “We know Mike is a talented guy, and we got to find ways to get guys on the field in different packages. He did slide inside on some dime today, and we’re just going to keep it going. We’re going to see how this thing develops, and I think the more and more we find out (about) where their comfort level is at on the practice field, it will determine how we approach our game-planning.”
• Brenden Jaimes and Jamaree Salyer switched spots with the second-team offensive line. Jaimes had been playing right guard throughout camp but moved to left guard. And Salyer had been playing left guard and moved to right guard. Zack Bailey was the second-team left tackle. Foster Sarell, who had been playing left tackle with the second, moved to the same spot with the third team.
Comment
-
Interesting that Salyer is now Zion's backup at RG, and Jaimes will back up Feiler at LG.Originally posted by Xenos View PostComment
-
I don't think so maybe a year. WR's longevity drops drastically after 30. I think it's safe to say his best years are behind him. He had the most rec of his career because we were throwing the ball 50 - 60 times a game. Mainly due to a terrible D. Also, you can probably attribute some of those numbers to Herbert who is a spectacular QB.Originally posted by chargeroo View Post
He's going into his 10th season. Again if you can get value for him why wouldn't you?
I have read that after 28 years WR's start to see a slow down mainly due to wear and tear. WR's don't usually have a long life span after 30 in the NFL.Comment
-
How on earth do you think we could get anything in return for Allen? His salary is $16.5 mill, so no team is going to trade for that sort of cap hit. IF they do, it isn't going to be anywhere close to their true value. If we are trading a player because of his age, you don't think other teams know what his birthday is?Originally posted by SuperCharged View Post
WR do tend to decline, on average after about 28. The decline accelerates after WR get past 30. However, there have been a number of really good WR into their 30's, so it is not unheard of (Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson). It's worth noting that they were all good route runners, not speed guys, who tend to fade faster than the guys who are good at their craft.
The other thing to consider in terms of production, while there is a decline, it is not like guy falling off a cliff and can't play at all. There is a drop in production, not a complete absence of it. A lot of the guys who focus on WR peak production are focused on the fantasy aspects of football. Allen's fantasy value is already going down because we are adding young weapons around him. That will almost certainly cause his statistical production to go down, but that has nothing to do with his value to the team, or his ability to continue to play at a high level.
Then the most important reason of all, we don't have another proven WR to replace Allen. Palmer, Carter and Guyton all are flashing ability, but none of them has proven they can be quality starters. All have flashed some production, but they have never sustained it.
Allen might not make it to the end of his contract with us, but there is no chance we get rid of him this season. There is no chance of getting anything juicy in return for him that would in any way justify trading him.Comment
-
I disagree. They landed a probable future Hall of Famer with the 5th pick in the first round in 2014.Originally posted by FoutsFan View PostComment
-
By next offseason Allen will be like the 20th highest paid WR, which is actually a deal.Comment
-
I see what you did there. Giving the 'turds' credit for a player we now reap the benefits of having.Originally posted by Parcells View PostComment
Comment