August 15, 2025 • 45 mins
On this episode of Chargers Weekly, Bolts radio play-by-play announcer Matt “Money” Smith, host Chris Hayre, and former Chargers safety Jahleel Addae recap the latest news involving LA and the entire NFL. The hosts break down key performances from the preseason game win vs the Saints, discuss depth chart "what-ifs," the status of the running back room and Omarion Hampton, the impact that cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart will have this season, and expectations for wide receiver Keenan Allen’s return.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Late fifteen to ten touchdown. What's up?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Guys, Welcome into a brand new episode of Chargers Weekly.
We are presented by SPLITTERO Money.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
He's bad.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Ba Jalila dies back in the mix.
Speaker 5 (00:22):
He tried to get out, man, he tried to go
into civilian lives.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Yeah, just I thought he was out.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I missed my brothers. I miss my brother Definitely.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
We're thrilled to have you.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Man.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
You'll look going to join us throughout the twenty twenty
five seasons. So that's a win for everybody. And guys,
you know it's it's Thursday, taking us on a Thursday.
Why don't we rewind a little bit to Sunday. Saw
some good things Money. Any observations that you start with.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
Everybody thinks I talk too much anyways, start with Okay, Julie,
you go, especially since the secondary played so well.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, man, secondary played well.
Speaker 6 (00:53):
Right, You've seen the two picks right, one pick six
obviously you know ending with the.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Injurie, you never liked that pulling forward.
Speaker 6 (01:01):
But my biggest thing for me is when we talked
about it, Chris, when we're covering the game just last year,
at this time of the year, Jesse Miner's defense. It's
and people might say it is because I'm a defensive guy,
but his defense showed up last year in the preseason
and it rolled over into the season. This year has
been the same story, right, And it doesn't matter who
it is he plugs and plays. These guys are second string,
third string, and these guys are putting out a product
(01:21):
that it would look like if the first team was there.
So that's what I was mostly impressed.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
With Nico Reid in Canton and then Eric Rodgers with
two interceptions money. That's the one thing I think has
been crystal clear is this team looks prepared, especially in
the first half football games.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
You know, people fans focus on players, which is understandable.
You know, they're the ones that are on the field
that have their names on the back of the jerseys,
the jerseys that they decide to wear the games. They
don't focus on coaches. And you said it, Jillill, it's
not just Jesse. I mean, look, he's the straw that
stirs the drink, but the position coaches and you've worked
with him and Chris, we've been around him. So it's
(01:56):
just it's such a good staff and I think that's
where ord of the special sauce of the Chargers is.
It's not just Jim Harbaugh or Jesse Minner or Ryan
Ficken and Greg Roman. It's all of those coaches underneath them.
And you know what Klink is doing with the DBS.
I think we were wondering at Chris O'Leary did such
a great job last year with Elijah Molden and those safeties,
and you're seeing these safeties pick up. I mean, you
(02:18):
had Miles Purchase out there playing free safety for the
first time, you know, at the Hall of Fame game,
and he was sensational.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
So I think it just goes to show you that, like.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
That's the one thing that maybe people aren't and it's understandable.
It's hard to know who the position coaches are, but
we say their name so often because we know how
important they are. And it's like you said, Juliel, it
doesn't matter, or you said it Chris Nico. One week,
it's Eric Rodgers, both undrafted free agents. It's back to
back weeks it's Marlo Wax, who I thought pop more
than anyone in in that Saints game because they're getting
(02:48):
coached up and they're really good players, and you pair
good players with great coaching, and now you got kind
of what's happening with these Chargers.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
There's another name I want to bring up in those
Arjent Mickens. Well talking about him.
Speaker 6 (02:58):
He had two really good quiet games over the last
two preseason games. Looks like to be a truly sure tackler.
He's in the right position at the right time. And
as a safety, most people, well should know that, don't know.
You're the quarterback of the defense, right, You're the quarterback
of the defense. You're making the calls, you're making the checks.
And I remember coming as as a safety in my
rookie year, and that's a lot on your plate, right,
You're trying to figure out what my job is before
(03:19):
the snap. Then they're motioning from two by two to
three by one, and you got to get the linebackers
bumped over in different run fits and we got to
change the coverage. So Argent Mickens has really put out
a good blueprint the first two games.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I would say, yeah, mckens fifty nine snaps in that
game Sunday. He was the highest graded rookie safety in
pre season Week one, according to Pro Football Focus and Julie,
you're the perfect person to ask. We talk about the
competition in the secondary, from Nico Reid last week to
Mickens and what Eric Rodgers has done. You mentioned purchase
take me inside as an undrafted guy, the competition and
(03:52):
just how fierce it is because these.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Games are like super Bowls to those guys in the
back half of the roster.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Yeah, no, you said it right, like you said it right.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
Excuse me, Chris, Like these are the super Bowl because
you know when you come in, the NFL is a
business and you don't really realize that until you get
into it at being a young guy, and it's a business, right,
you know, if I come in undrafted, they didn't invest
the capital in me, so I'm gonna be the first
guy out right, And you have to find a way
to make your nick to my coach would always say,
how to make the team, to get paid, you have
(04:19):
to flash on films. So if you're a hard hitter,
be a hard hitter, if you intercept the ball. Intercept
the ball and coming in as an undrafted safety, it
was more so like, hey, I don't have the opportunity
to mess up. My reps are limited, so every time
I get out there, I got a flash. What however
that looks right after flash? And then the biggest thing
a lot of guys tend to forget about. It's special teams.
(04:40):
You're gonna make the roster on special teams. And a
lot of times you comeing as undrafted free agent. You
weren't picked right, so you're not slated to be even
in the first or second team rotation. Right, You're gonna
make the team. You're gonna make the fifty three on
special teams all four phases. And then once you start
to prove yourself on special teams, then they're like, Okay,
we got to get this kid some packages on defense
or offense or whatever.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
It may be.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Yeah, I think you said it with Mickens, and that
goes with Marlow Wax as well. When you go back
and watch that game on film, you just see shirt tackling,
sound tackling. You can't have miss tackles, you know, I mean,
as backbreaking defense does everything right, the call is right,
and then you got a mistackle and a busted play
that ends up keeping on the field for another three
four minutes maybe or even worse, leads to points, and
(05:21):
you know, you look at Wax and he's got nine
tackles in that game, nine solo tackles. It's him and
the dude, and he made it every time. Same with Mickens.
I thought it was the best tackle that we saw
in the Hall of Fame game, that form tackle he made,
and I think it probably speaks to the room a lot.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
With Mickens.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
I think it's sort of what's interesting about roster construction, right,
It's not it's not just who are the fifty three
most talented players, it's what are the best fifty three
that we're gonna throw in this bowl and mix together
and make the best meal. And that's where Tony Jefferson
comes in, because I don't think there's any doubt you
can see the effect that he has on that safety
(05:58):
room and the you know, the reverence that these young
players have for him, and just the reaction that he
had on the sideline with Eric Rodgers pick six. And
he's the first guy there, and this is a guy
playing in the game an eleven year VET, and so
that to me is one of the more interesting names
to watch when it comes time to make this fifty
three Chris Is, you know you're talking about carrying five safeties.
(06:21):
We're talking about carrying six linebackers. Maybe if they want
to carry wax with If del Shaan Phillips is gonna
be healthy, like Caleb Murphy is that edge. Like this
is gonna be a really tough roster to construct at
the fifty three because I think there's a handful of players.
You put them on the practice squad, they're gonna get plucked.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (06:36):
And just you mentioned Tony and we were watching from
the booth, and I just playing in the game.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I tend to look at different stuff.
Speaker 6 (06:42):
And once the pick six happened, he threw the ball
down and lo and behold.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
The ball guy ran and grabbed the ball.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Tony Jefferson sprints from the bench and chases the ball
guy down, like, no, no, no, even that ball I got. Yeah,
he's a vet, he's a true He's like, hey, no, nou.
He's like, I got to get this ball to the rookie.
This is gonna be a keepsake, right, So listen, Tony Jefferson.
I came in with Tony Jefferson to see him playing
at the level that he's still playing at, right, and
not only what he's doing on the field, you mentioned it,
like what he means to that room, what he means
(07:09):
to that locker room, it's gonna be it's gonna be tough.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
But I will say, like carrying five.
Speaker 6 (07:13):
Safeties are in the safety's favor right now because they
play during at the Big Nickel, right So they played
during at the Big Nickel on first and second down.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
So ultimately you.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
Kind of need like four guys that can really really go,
you know, so we'll see.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Yeah, but Christy played Derwin at the Big Nickel. And
now I'm talking about that cornerback room with you know,
and obviously with the injury to Rogers, but you know,
with Nico Reid and like that's where that whole conversation
then comes in. It's kind of that, you know, it's
all the defensive backs.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
It's such a veteran laden room because you know, we
haven't talked much about Elijah Bolden. We should because he's
kind of ramping his way back in the form. But
you talk about.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Derwin ALOHI, Elijah Tony. What a room to learn from
if you're r J. Mickens.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
To have that to have that versatility in that room.
And I think we've talked about the fact that Elijah
got hurt in that Patriots give the Year and how
much that hurt them in that Houston Wildcard game. But
you know, Jesse Minter, he even said at the podium,
they still have some decisions to make as far as
the DB's room, because guys are continuing to make plays money.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
Yeah, I mean, I think you know, we looked at
the guaranteed money for Benjamin Saint Ustin. He's been banged
up all through training camp and it's like, okay, well
this could be a casualty because of how good these
young players are playing. And then he goes out there
and you just hear the effusive praise that coach Minter
has for him and how important he is and how
because he's different. You know, he's a different body type.
(08:31):
You look at at Saints, he's a big dude. He's big,
he's physical. Yeah, I mean, he's typically a press man guy,
and we know that that's what Jesse wants to start
playing more of. So I think you hit it on
the head, Chris.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Look before the injury to Eric Rodgers, you know, now
we're talking about him and Nico Reid, and then you
of course have your your four guys that we came
into camp assuming we're going to make the team, and
obviously still heart Saint Justin and Jackson and I don't
even know what to make of it now, and I
think it just speaks to probably doesn't matter whoever they
(09:04):
throw out there. These guys are coached up and they're
ready to go.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Julia, I was.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Gonna say, Derwin talked about the DBS yesterday and his
press or and just the different sizes, right, yet you know,
Tarheeb and Downtai a little quicker. You have the size
of cam Hart, the size of Saint just and even
coach Minter was saying, you know, we we take everything
into account on a week to week game plan too.
Who are the wide receivers were facing. But the fact
that you have so many different pieces that can match
(09:29):
up with a lot of different guys, I think it
speaks well to the room.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
I agree with you.
Speaker 6 (09:34):
I agree with you, Chris because I remember when I
was playing, we had a coach by the name of
Ron Miliss right, and he would teach a technique where.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Coach Miles, he's in Jae, he's in Jacksonville.
Speaker 6 (09:42):
Yeah, coach and Travis over there and you he would
teach a technique where it benefited long guys, right, like
stay at the line, get your hands on, don't inch out,
and make it a fight at the line of scrimmage.
But then you'd have quick guys like Jason Varrett or
Casey Hayward. They're like, not, Coach, I want to play
with my feet, right, I want to play with my feet.
I want to inch back a little bit, use my hips.
Good eye, good eye technique, see where his hips are.
(10:04):
And Coach was such a great coach because he believed
in the pier step, which is stay at the line,
stay square, two hands to one jam run right. But
he knew that he had guys who had different statues,
different attributes, and he allowed them to play their game.
And you mentioned it, and I think that's why, Jesse Minner.
They understand that it's just not about a system. It's
about putting the guys in the right place to make
the right plays with their attributes.
Speaker 5 (10:25):
Yeah, yeah, I mean Eric Rodgers, I was just pulling
it up to make sure I got it right. You've
got Eric Rodgers at six foot two, one hundred and
ninety pounds, and you've got you know, two interceptions one
to pick six. You got Nico Reid at five ten
and probably a buck seventy five.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Like it does that.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
That's what's so funny about you know, corners. It's I
mean wide receivers to some degree, but you expect that
because there's different positions. But corners and running backs, it's
just funny to look at the room, you know, when
you see these guys standing next to each other, and
you've got this six to two pushing six three, Saint
just standing next to Nico red listed five to ten,
probably more than five nine. And then you look at
(11:01):
the running backs and you see, you know Haskins standing
there next to Naim Miller Hines, and it's.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Just like, how do these guys play the same position?
Speaker 5 (11:07):
You know, But it's good coaching and knowing that, you know,
Nico's gonna play different than Saint just is gonna play,
and then Eric Rodgers is gonna play, and yet they
can all still be effective.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
You know, minute forty three in the game, though Eric
Rodgers gets hurt. Of course we don't know the status
of Eric's We tape this, and I know it didn't
look great, but again, I think it speaks to Jesse
Mitzer having these guys ready and crisp and available to
your point as we started the podcast, like I just
I seen tar Heebe and Camp as fifth round picks
last year elevate their play and we hear Derwin and
(11:41):
Jesse heap this effusive praise on tar Heeb and just
his preparation, the way he attacks practice. That's another guy
who made a really good play in the beginning of
the game. I'm interested to see what he does going
into year two. That leap that he can make Jaalle
and that you know as a player, what is that
lead from year one to year two?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
What is that like? Right?
Speaker 6 (11:59):
And I think it more so okay, what's his leap?
But where they gonna use him?
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Right?
Speaker 6 (12:03):
Because we talk about during at the big nickel right
and first and second down, But is tarhe Be gonna
play nickel in third down where it's more passing situations.
Is he gonna play the Is he gonna start on
the outside which he can do both?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Right?
Speaker 6 (12:14):
We see him last year play make plenty of players
on the outside, and then we've seen him moving to
the inside where he's very instinctive. And I remember coaching
him two training camps ago when he came his rookie
year last year. Excuse me, and I said, tar Heep,
you gotta you gotta come on with it, man, like
you're looking a little lethargic. He's like, Coach, I'm a gamer.
He said, I'm a gamer. I said, oh, you're a gamer.
And then he went out there and he balled in
(12:35):
the game. So the next week I said, tartib you
knew something I didn't know. So man, he's to hear that.
He's practicing like he's playing now, so he's gonna get
better and better man. And I'm really excited to see
his future. I think he has one of the brightest
spots as one of the young dbs on this team.
Obviously cam Hart's his size is you know, you can't
teach that. But Tarheeb, he finds the ball a little
(12:55):
bit of Casey Hayward.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Julia, you said it.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
And if you know people that are watching, if they
if they watched Jesse Miner's presser, Chris like he alluded
to that, And I think that's something that we always
have to keep in mind when we get to attend
every training camp practice and we're watching these guys play
I don't I don't remember if he was. I think
he was talking about Eric Rodgers. There's either Eric Rodgers
or Marlowe that he was talking about. He said, you know,
some guys just need game speed. You know, it's like
(13:17):
it's hard for them to go at that that fourth
gear instead of putting it into fifth, and when it
goes into fifth, that's when it's like yeah. And that's
kind of it was Eric Rodgers because he was talking
about what you see on the tape and he's like,
some guys they just they see it. They're running routes
for guys and they and it's like that's what they
need in order to really flash what they do. And
I think Trey Lance to some degree was like that.
(13:39):
You know, we were kind of watching them in training
camp practice and we're seeing like, Okay, the accuracy is
not quite there. We haven't really that, the legs don't
really flash. And he gets out in the game, in
the Hall of Fame game, he's throwing that ball over
the place beautiful. You know, he's got obviously a ton
of arm strength, but that nice feathered pass to Disley.
And then this last week it's like I felt like,
you know, because I'm old. Might I remember this, but
(14:01):
like in Rocky and it was Rocky two when they
decided to have him fight as you know, he's like,
oh yeah, we're not gonna fight at South Paul. We're
gonna fight regular and then I'm gonna yell one to switch.
And I felt like that's sort of what happened with
Trey in this last game. It's like you just heard
Mick from the sideline go no, and then boom you
got run, run, run, touchdown, and it's like, oh yeah,
that's that's what makes Trey Lance different. That's how he
separates from other quarterbacks because that is elite speed that
(14:22):
he has out there.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
It's it's crazy you say that money because I remember
playing right and we'd see young rookies come in. It's
probably like my fifth or sixth year. I'm more established,
I'm comfortable with myself now, I'm working on my game.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I'm not so much worried about the roster.
Speaker 6 (14:34):
But i'd see young rookies come in and they go
crazy in camp, they ball, and.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Then the lights come on.
Speaker 6 (14:40):
You don't see him, and then we see guys who
in camp we were like, I don't know. And then
the lights come on and they're pick pick six, seventy
yard touchdown.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Bomb is just some.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Guys like you heard all these stories about him in
practice and.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Then he goes in the game and Teebow manager.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Yeah, And it just never made sense to me because
I'm a real superstitious guy and I'm like, however, I
play and practice is how I'm going to play in
the game.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
And I took practice extremely serious.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
I don't know if it's because my undrafted background, but
it's like, listen, if I have a great week of practice,
I'm so comfortable going into the game on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
And I don't know.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
Some guys, they just they just come alive when those
lights come on, and some go to sleep.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
So you know who's come alive is number ninety nine,
Oh Man and Buddy, I think it looks great from
from your perspective and your vantage point with DJ. I mean,
you guys are the best in the business anyway, but
to do it during the preseason and for DJ to
have an eye on all these guys in evaluating them,
I mean Jamari Caldwell, Yeah, both weeks and especially on Sunday, Man,
(15:36):
he really popped.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Well, look he's taking on double teams. You know the
sack you're talking. Just go back and watch that play.
If you have a you know, if you have the
opportunity or if you have it available to you. He
is legitimately double teamed. And as he's double team, he's
got one hand on one defender, his other hand on
the other defender while his head is up into the backfield.
As soon as he sees I think it was shocked,
right that he sacked or was it it was shocked?
Speaker 1 (15:59):
I think yeah.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
As soon as he sees him run to his right,
he immediately sheds he's gone. And there's the set that's
I mean, you can speak to it better than I can, Julio.
That's like, you know, third fourth year sort of level play.
And remember Saints were playing their starting old line, and
that is an old line that's got four first rounders
on it, and that's I think he was engaged with
Caesar and Penning if I remember right, I think those
two guys he was engaged with those that's their starting
(16:21):
old line. Sheds both those guys boomsack, and we've seen
that in every snap he's had.
Speaker 6 (16:26):
Yeah, you talked about the money, like playing the nose
tackle position might be the toughest position you're gonna play,
especially in the three to four.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Why because you're gonna be double team.
Speaker 6 (16:34):
You harped on it, right, So just seeing his ability
to take on the double which is hard, Like coaches
will always say to those tackles, you have to anchor down.
Sometimes they teach guys to drop one knee down to
anchor to get skinny. And then once that guard climbs
because the linebackers come downhill, then he has a one
on one and then he can make his play. Right,
So there's a lot of technique that goes into that.
And you said it money, that's a play that a
(16:55):
third year, fourth year type guy's making. And when I
seen him make that play on the film, I said, yeah,
this is why they and grat him in a third You.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Lose poona Ford, but you bring in cold Well.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
And I think there's just so much deeper collectively with
with Tart and Tito and Hand and Jones. I mean,
it's a rotation that I really think that you can
go into each and every week rotating.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Like five or six guys, And that's what they told us.
That's one thing I like about this. You know this
staff is they tell you and then they show you.
You know, jesse Miner was very upfront. He said, look,
we lost Poona and we made up for it with quantities,
like it wasn't one player. We knew we were going
to have to go out and get a couple and hope,
you know, the freshness by rotating those guys in was
going to help make up for that loss. And then
(17:37):
you hope one of these guys pops and I think
you can make it. Look Tito has looked great. I
think for you know, Tierre looks like he's ready to
take that next step. I think he said, hey, put
a finger on which guy's going to replace Poona. Is
that it would be Tierre. But what called well has
shown and I think that was sort of some of
the magic from last year is that they had these
depth pieces, and the depth ultimately is what showed out.
(18:01):
You know, it was originally gonna be what two safeties,
It was gonna be Durwin and Eloi and they were
probably gonna play high and then all of a sudden,
like now let's let's just put during it. Elijah's coming
along so far. He remember he didn't show up till
late August and O'Leary just you know, from what we
heard was just with him hours and hours and Elijah
put in all that time. And to me, that's what
unlocked to this defense was putting Durwin at that big nickel.
(18:22):
And that's kind of what we're talking about. How do
you replace poona Well, if Jamari Caldwell's giving you what
ten fifteen maybe twenty snaps a game, like, yeah, that's
how you do it.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
Well, it's definitely because they're gonna it's because an NFL game,
you're gonna average it's probably about sixty sixty sixty five
plays right coming from college's easily eighty five ninety. And
you talk about the depth, and it's so big in
the NFL because you get banged up weekend, week out
in these seventeen eighteen games and you're just fighting every week.
(18:53):
You're getting body working. Guys get injured. It's one hundred
percent injury rate. We all know that, right, And you
the teams who drive the best in December and January,
or teams who have depth and have guys who come
in and it's the next man up mentality, right, But
here they don't talk about the next man up mentality.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
It's almost like you got to know.
Speaker 6 (19:11):
Listen, you're on the roster for a reason, on the
fifty three for a reason, and at any point in
time we can count on you.
Speaker 5 (19:16):
I do want to correct myself because I'm looking at
it now. I had to go back and watch the
sack so because it was shuck, Yeah, he's going to
get a second team. Oh line, So it was not
uh Ruiz and Penning instead it was or McCoy i
should say, and Penning.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
It was still impressive.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
I don't want the you know who that come after
me charges they mentioned exactly so, but still again impressive second,
you know, getting double teams, and it's you know, it's
one of the nice things about having this this tool.
Just watching him. I mean he is so far away, Chris,
I'll let you see it so you can just kind
of watch. I mean, you see where he is here
is he gets engaged double teamed. He's looking look at him,
(19:55):
peeking through those two helmets that are double team in him,
and as soon as he sees a move, just shed
and go.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Man. It was impressive, even impressive.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
The ten snafts, maybe fifteen to twenty very quickly, like
maybe the first four weeks of the year, and you
mentioned like next man up so.
Speaker 5 (20:09):
And hey, he wasn't even the best guy on the
defensive line, by the way.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Caleb Murphy.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You know, we talk about guys like Kyle Canard and
Junior Colson didn't play in that game, but Derwin heaped
the praise on Wax. Caleb Murphy man so farris state
his senior year division two twenty five and a half sacks.
This guy comes from the Tennessee Titans, and I think
somebody I forgot who it was, but said Charger is
(20:35):
getting all these old Titans from Elijah Mouldener Tartan now
Caleb Murphy.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
But talk about producing.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
When your numbers called two sacks in this game, and
you and I were sitting next to each other right
before the half, just like, dude, this guy has made
the team.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
He has made the team some way. What do you
think from the fourth and.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Fifth edge rusher perspective, because kind of Canard was going
to be the fourth guy, but you gotta be on
the field.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Yeah, he's been hampered with injury.
Speaker 6 (20:59):
And we talked about Caleb and we talked about he
showed what he had in his bag, right on those
two different sacks, right, and he one was speed the
power right down the left, tackles chest and then another
time he showed hip hips get on the edge, swipe
and get around and get a strip sack on this
first one.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Right.
Speaker 6 (21:16):
So he's shown that he has an arsenal. And like
you said, you can't make the club in the tub.
They would always say it. And that's why I was
so big on, you know, keeping my body fresh, because listen,
this is the most competitive business in the world, right,
and one guy you go down, the next guy steps
up in your position, and that can be the last
time you step on the field.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Right.
Speaker 6 (21:34):
So Canard not being able to produce has given Murphy
an opportunity and he's taking full advantage of it.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
Yeah, I think you said fourth or fifth. I think
I don't think there's any question, Chris. Just and look,
he's making the fifty three because he's a core four guy.
And we talked about that earlier. So and he was
on the team last year. You know, he got elevated
from that practice squad had a couple of games and
you know you kind of mentioned it, Chris, and I'd
love to kind of get your take on it Jalil
because there is something about that about the Tennessee thing
(22:02):
and whatever Vrabel was running in Tennessee because it's Christian
Fulton played at a high level, got a big contract.
Forgets Elijah mentioned Fulton played at a high level, got
a big contract. Tier Tart played at a high level.
You know, a cast off in Miami. They're just like,
we just didn't want to deal with you show and
we talked about it, Chris. We're like, this is the guy.
This is a guy that Chargers have to go out
and get. He fits so perfect with what they like
(22:23):
to do, and in those limited reps flashes gets himself
a nice chunk of a contract. I think he was
an undrafted free agent if I remember right, So you
get a one year, five million dollar deal, man.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
That's a nice chunk of change.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
Not to mention they're gonna get all that playing time
and go back into free agency next year. Same with Poona.
Ford wasn't in the rotation in Buffalo. Somehow They're like
that's the guy. And I think, so, I don't know,
Jilio as you played in Houston or something. Is there
something about do you think there's front offices that are like, yeah,
that's they're doing over in Tennessee. What we and Caleb
Murphy's the fourth one. What we do here, And it's
(22:55):
a good fit if we can get these players with
traits that we like.
Speaker 6 (22:58):
Yeah, you're really clost money. And I think is more
so because I don't know what Tennessee runs, right, and
it's probably that they run something very familiar, and they
see these guys can fit in our system. Not only
can they fit in our system, they know the system.
So when we bring them in they can we can
implement them into the system and playing time.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Now, right.
Speaker 6 (23:15):
But the front office, that's shout out to the front office.
They're doing the due diligence. They're doing their work. They're
seeing what defenses run similar schemes around the NFL, and
it seems like it's the Tennessee Titans, and they're like, hey.
They always say one man's trash is another man's treasure, right,
and the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
And the Chargers love some X Titans.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
The fact that Tart and Molden it was like two
or three weeks into camp that the Tart became a Charger.
The I think at the end of camp where Molden
came into the fold, so they both came in late.
So I think it gives us some perspective too. It's like,
you can look at this roster now that's currently constructed
in mid August, they could find two more starters at
(23:54):
the end of August or when when cutdown day comes,
or via trade. Georgie's has proved and that he's not
afraid to keep churning the roster and to be able
to find those guys has just been remarkable.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
You flip it to do you know Shane Bowen?
Speaker 3 (24:08):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
Yeah, so Shane was there. He was in Houston, but
I think it was before you were there. So Bowen
was there, was there DC under Vrable, he's now the
DC in New York. We saw how good that defense
was last year Despoue how bad. So that's a dude
that knows how to coach d So for some reason,
that's that's the dude that they saw coordinating the defense
that they liked. It was way before you sixteen seventeen. Yeah,
(24:31):
because I know you were here when you rolled up
in twenty seventeen.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
He's got Thibodeau Burns and Abdul Carter coming off the
edge that the charges will see in week.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
Four, Dexter Lawrence argued, but that greatest screen on the
chessboard on the defensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
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cash estimate Esplatero dot com Slash Chargers. But you kind
of touch on on Trey Trey Lance and just kind
of the difference in style of play from week zero
to week one. The running back position is getting very
very interesting. Marion Hampton didn't play. There's a reason for
(25:30):
that because I think we know who a Marian Hampton
is going to become.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Brazil.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Najie Harris is still working to the side, so his
availability tbd. But between Haskins Videll, we got to see
Rocket Sanders, Nahiem Hines, who I know had a couple
of fumbles and one loss. But those four guys, man
and listen, I want to see a little bit more
Rocket Sanders, you know, seeing what he did in South Carolina,
(25:55):
to see that fourth quarter in some of the some
of the runs that he had. I don't know if
you and DJ spoke about Rocket.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
And just we didn't, Yeah did?
Speaker 4 (26:03):
What do you guys have to say?
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Well?
Speaker 5 (26:05):
Just you know, I think we've talked about it before too.
There's you know, when you look at the undrafted free
agents and you see the guy that's got the biggest number,
and that's Raheem Sanders. Sixty grand, you know, was his guarantee.
It's the highest. Second highest was Nico at forty grand.
So those are the guys that you're like, okay, if
you want to handicap, who's going to make the team.
It's the guys that got the most money. So and
that's why they enticed him to come here ahead of
other teams. He just fits what they do. You know,
(26:28):
They signed Gus Edwards, they signed Najie Harris, they drafted
Amari and Hampton six foot two twenty Like, what's Raheem Sanders?
He's six foot two thirty five and four four or
four guy, and I think the one knock on him, DJ,
I shouldn't say a knock. The one thing that DJ said,
you know, coming out of South Carolina that was a
concern is can he give you anything in the passing game,
because that just wasn't there. There was no evidence that
(26:50):
that was something that was in his bag. There he's
even on the field, so it's like, can he pass pro?
Can he catch the ball on the backfield? That's sort
of what you want to see him. What do we see?
We saw him put him out, you know, in the route,
and he was fine, you know, caught it, had a
nice little move, little juke move when he after he
caught the ball. And then I think you talked about
the four to for Jaliel. You know you saw it.
You know the way that play was schemed up, hole
(27:11):
gets plugged, bounces it, and he's able to beat the
corner to the pylon. So that kind of tells you, Okay,
he's got everything. They said, dude, that's got power, he's
got speed, and he's got some vision to catch that ball.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Money. I came out at the wrong time sixty thousand.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
I came a couple.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I mean like two thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
And that's what most guys get.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
Like if you look at the Chargers undrafted free agents,
it's going to be between two and six grand. So
that's why sixty K is like, Okay, they want this.
This guy's probably gonna make the team.
Speaker 6 (27:41):
And you made a good point money because you talk
about Okay Naji and then you have a Mari and Hampton. Right,
So the third running back typically is your third down back,
scat back. We you know, get him out into the
backfield screens, get the ball in his hands, and that's
where it's that's going to be the difference, I think,
right and playing with Naim Hines and Indy, that's all
he was right, he passed tech.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
He's a kick return of punk return.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
Obviously had those muffs unfortunately in the game last week.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
But he's a guy that's really shifting.
Speaker 6 (28:06):
He's a really good third down back that you can
get involved into the passing game.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
So I think the battle is going to be one there.
Speaker 6 (28:11):
I think they have their first and second down backs
basically with naj being healthy if he's able to play,
but the third back is going to be.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Based on what you can do in the passing game.
That's my opinion.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
So I think we're let's let's think positive and say, na,
he's gonna be ready to go.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Let's just say that.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
Okay, I'd like to say that, but I think reality
suggests that that's probably not going to be the case. Okay,
I would, I would, Yeah, I would love. So you
want to let's I think let's go to college.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
Yeah, we're doing. We're doing the hypothetical best case and
the worst case.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
So the first is that we know Marien Hampton, Naji
Harris and we I think we would agree Haskins is
going to make the team because of the special teams.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Right and you know what he's you could make a
case he's been the best looking back.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Yeah, in the two preseason game.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
So this so this competitionally comes down to Rocket Sanders,
Keimani Videl, who I think has had a good preseason,
and Naim Miller Hines. So if you if today who's
that third that third running back with Haskins making those.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
I think Haskins is definitely on the team.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
I'm going Hines because of his return ability right kickoff.
Speaker 5 (29:14):
Which is where those muffed punts come in, and You're.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Like, exactly, now, if they can oversee that and he
can come to these next two games and show them
to hey, I clean that up.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
I just know playing with him, how explosive he is.
Speaker 6 (29:23):
Went to Buffalo after the Theamar Hamlin scary injury. The
next following week, he took a kicker turn back one
hundred yards, Like he has the ability to be able
to produce on special teams.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
And that's the only reason I'm going in that direction. Yeah,
were you at.
Speaker 5 (29:38):
Money, Well, I think for me, so in that in
that column where Naji Hampton Haskins are there, yeah, I
think the fourth guy is probably between viidell And and
Nahim Miller Hines. I think that's kind of how you
would probably because you have Haskins, who was great in
short yardage last year, who's shown that he has the
ability to carry the ball if you want to give
(29:59):
him five six ten carries per game and be very physical.
But and all three of those guys are similar, you know,
they're big powerback guys. So I think that that would
be sort of your battle. And I think Kamani's kind
of getting lost in this because he struggled last year
in pass pro. But what I've seen so far this
year is a different dude. I think he's looked great.
He's been explosive, he's been physical. I think he's been
(30:21):
much better in pass pro. They drafted him for a
reason last year, so I don't think he's out of
this mix at all. I think it's probably the tightest
competition of any room here because they're not carrying five.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
I mean, that's not happening.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
So I think the question is if if you keep
if you keep Nahim, can you get Kamani through on
the practice squad? And I think the answer is probably yes.
If you keep Kamani, can you get Nahim through on
the practice squad? I think the answer probably no. I
think a teams might come get him because of what
you said. You know, look, most of these punt returners
(30:56):
tend to be smaller guys. You know, there's not a
lot of Courterill Patterson's out there, so that leaves them
open to injury. And if you can have a backup
guy like Hines, if something were to happen at Double
ded like I think that sort of plays into that. Now,
if you want to start Chris, you can start in
the other column where now she's on the you know,
he's on the he's on the he's out the first
(31:18):
four weeks. If that's the way this shakes up, and
I think that opens up a much more interesting conversation.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Well it does, and you know you mentioned this with
the wide receivers too. I think at the beginning of
camp money uh, we tend to fall in love with
some of these guys, but they end up coming back
on the practice squad. So that's I think the main
point is, Okay, what guy can you get back on
the practice squad versus you know, Listen, some people may
think that there's a reason why rocket teams got sixty grand,
(31:45):
maybe because a lot of teams wanted them. So if
there's if there's a team out there that sees that
he popped against the Saints and he has a really
good game against the Rams, maybe that's a player that
you can't keep on the practice squad because somebody.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Will scoop him.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
So if not, she's not ready, I think that that
becomes a very interesting thing.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Nahim.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Heines the fact that he has the versatility to be
able to catch the ball out of the backfield and
brings maybe a little bit of a different element than
a Marion Hampton does.
Speaker 4 (32:13):
I would lean to maybe him being that that third
back in addition to Haskins.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
We're just that for a pass pro rep. He can
do it right. He can do it, like even though
he's a smaller guy.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
I've seen him do it.
Speaker 5 (32:23):
Yeah, I mean you played with him, so you know.
I mean, and like, it's a dude that was out
of the league for two years, so you got fresh
legs and that helps.
Speaker 6 (32:30):
That's a great point. He's at the league for two years.
You see he's wearing his knee breaks, but you've seen
last week on Saturday, he's breaking angles in the open
field and he's there like, yeah, he's good there. So
I think that's a lot of things. I think that
was one of the biggest things why teams were hesitant
to bring him back in is because of a knee injury,
especially at running back.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
You know the toll that they take.
Speaker 6 (32:49):
But he looks healthy, he looks one hundred percent and
he looks like he can go. So it'll be I've
seen guys make the team on the last preseason game.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
The biggest one number Tony Jefferson last year to Jefferson
last year, Yeah, the Dallas game.
Speaker 6 (33:04):
Thomas Harper, that was that was slated before him, Right,
he gets hurt.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
TJFS goes in for the Dallas games.
Speaker 6 (33:11):
It has probably one of the best games any charge
in the preseason.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Yeah, right, so still a lot of time that'll be
in the books. Yeah, one of the best.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Yeah that Look, the Nazi thing, we obviously I hope
he's fine. I hope he's ready to go week one.
I just think the reality is he's still just kind
of walking around. He's still working off for the s.
I mean, we're three weeks out of Brazil, and that
is hard when you've been remember the injury happened on
July fourth, Like you're talking about, he's been gone for
six weeks, and I know running backs. It's just to
(33:42):
me and I think that the way it lines up,
it makes it interesting because of how Rocket is built
very similar, you know, and he's got more explosiveness than
Naji does. But we know what this team wants to do. Man,
we saw everything. I've I called way too many Stanford
games when Hart was there. I called way too many
forty nine er games when he was up there. This
(34:04):
dude wants to lean on you in the fourth quarter.
He wants to run a four minute offense and Rocket
fits right into that, you know, as Naji does. And
so I think that's when we're talking about that column.
Na she's inactive for the first four I don't think
there's any question that Raheem Sanders is in there. That
it's Haskins, Sanders, Hampton. And then again, I think that
(34:26):
battle comes down to Hines versus Fidell, and it's not the.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
Worst thing in the world.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
If not she's not ready, get him ready and get
him fresh for the back half of the season with
a Marion Hampton and then whoever kind of raises their
hand in the running backs room. But what's funny is
we were doing our pregame show at our Bolts to watch.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
You had KALs and I had Trey Harris.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Pass.
Speaker 4 (34:48):
Well, it's not a good day to basket well, Trey Harris.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
With just a but but you know, Kles popped in
and Canton and I just saw Trey Harrison a bounce
back game. And you know, even Greg Roman said it's
it didn't go right at the beginning of the game,
but just wasn't in the cards to pass. And that's
why I don't want to just completely like rule Taylor
Heineke out as the backup quarterback either, because sometimes you
(35:11):
get a two or three series and they just don't
go your way. So what I'd like to see against
the Rams money is, is Taylor Heineke.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
For a half.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
Yeah, I think it'd be important to see him for
a longer extent a period of time.
Speaker 5 (35:22):
Well, look, I think you know being selfish is yeah,
I'd like to see him ball out and then teams
make the call because they need a backup. There's not
a lot of good backups, so you can trust to
win a quarter, to win a single game. Heineke's one
of them. You know, I've have full faith that he
can go out and win you a quarter and win
you a game. And if the Chargers decide they want
to go in the Trey Lance direction, then they can
recoup the pick that they sent out for him, you know,
(35:43):
go get a seventh or a six, or swap you
know your seventh or six, something along those lines. So yeah,
I'd love to see him ball out. I do want
to allude to, you know, the KLS thing, and you
know we love him.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
We just talked to him. He's great.
Speaker 5 (35:56):
But and he had a huge drop. It was a
bad drop, but nobody said anything. And so I think
it's important to remember people have narratives attached to them.
The narrative attached to Kls is explosive. This is our guy, man,
he's gonna come out. He's the speed element that we wanted,
that we've been looking for.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
That was a big drop.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
It maybe set the tone for Heineke to have a
rough go in the in that game in those first
two series. Now, Heineke did some damage himself airmail and Conklin.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
A couple of times.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
But if that's Quinton Johnston, that makes that drop, it's
all we hear about. So remember wide receivers drop balls.
Keenan led the league. Would hate freaking punch me in
the head. I heard me say it. But Keenan led
the league drops one year like he led the league
and drop it why because he was targeted a one
hundred and seventy times. So like it happens, you know,
And it happened to KLS, and it's gonna happen to
Trey Harris, it's gonna happen to Quinton, It's gonna happen
(36:42):
to lat like it well maybe not Latin, but it's
gonna exactly.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
That's part of it.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
That's part of the deal, though, Jilliel, I mean you've
been up a closer person with these receivers sometimes. I
remember that Green Bay game that you know, we all
talk about Quinton's pass it. You know, I think Keenan
had a drop in that game in the end zone.
Speaker 4 (36:59):
And yes, and is as surehanded as they come. I mean,
Keenan is put together.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
It's by the way, it's great to see him out
there because it does bring another dimension to this offense.
But I agree with you, buddy, I think it's it's
time to maybe kill these narratives.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Or just it's not.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
I don't think it's worth anybody's breath to continue to
nit pick stuff that happens in the preseason or.
Speaker 6 (37:19):
In training camp or since when did like training camp
practice stats become a thing Like if you go off
of training camp practice stats, a lot of people are
not going to.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Make the team, right, some weird people gonna make it,
and some weird.
Speaker 6 (37:31):
People are going to make the team. Like it is
what it is at the end of the day. So
what have you done for me lately? Business and practice
is practice.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
I get it.
Speaker 6 (37:37):
What you put out there on tape is what the
coaches see, what they believe. I understand that. But when
you get between those white lines on Sunday on Saturday,
when the lights are on, that's what matters the most.
Like the media is blowing up. This guy went twelve
for fourteen hundred.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
And seventeen, but doors going to Canton to Canton off
of half of the breaks.
Speaker 4 (37:56):
This is what we do.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Though.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Money it's like it's it's maddening you all we have.
It's I know, it's all we have.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
But like the fact that Shador had a good half,
I'm happy for him and I hope he can continue.
Speaker 4 (38:06):
I know he got hurt.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
But like we don't talk about Tanner McKee for the Eagles,
who like was like twenty two of twenty five for
three touchdowns.
Speaker 5 (38:12):
Yeah, well, it's just it doesn't really have any impact.
I mean, obviously the Browns are different because they're looking
for a starting quarterback. It's going to be Joe Flacco,
but you know they're the idea that that's an open
competition is what makes it interesting. Like to me, the
things that people you know that the one of the
great things that I think the Chargers are showing us
is who they're going to be, especially in light of
the Rashawn Slater injury. Now, what are we seeing in
these preseason games, even prior to Rashawn getting hurt is
(38:35):
we're seeing a lot of Disley, Fisk and Matt Locke
out there at the same time. That package that they
ran last year two hundred and sixty pounds plus for
each of them, And we said, we shared this stat
multiple times, the Chargers ran more plays with eight or
more two hundred and sixty pounds player, the five offensive
lineman and that three. You know that if I would
(38:56):
call it thirteen, I don't really you know, I think
you would probably put Matt Locke more the role of
a tight end than a full begging call twenty two
if you want. But with eight two hundred and sixty
pound plus guys, I think that's what the reality is.
That's what this team is. And the one thing that flashes,
maybe more than anything else that we've seen in these
two preseason games is those guys can block. Man Tucker
(39:16):
Fisk can block, Will Disley can block, and Scott Mattlock
has taken a huge step from last year. Man I
think it was it was a Haskins run. I think
that he was tailing matt Lock. And you want to
talk about blowing a hole open, and now you've got
a two hundred and forty pound back right behind three
hundred and five pound matt Lock.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
It was beautiful.
Speaker 5 (39:33):
And I think that's sort of what Greg Roman and
Jim Harbar are showing us, is that get ready. It's
you're getting all excited about KLS and Trey Harris and
that's who you guys picked on your pregame show. And
it's like, hey man, it's gonna be Keenan and lad
and it's gonna be matt Lock, Tucker Fisk and Will
Disley out there, and that's that's what this is gonna be.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
It's gonna be bully Ball night. Former player.
Speaker 6 (39:56):
I hated playing tonight like this, like listen, and I
wasn't alf of being a phys safety, like that's what I
prided myself on. And I don't care how big you are,
I don't care how much you lift. I don't care
what kind of program you do in the offseason. When
it's week twelve, thirteen, fourteen, ladies and gentlemen, and you
have to play a team like this Chargers culture when
they're smashing my football for four quarters, you don't want
(40:17):
smoke at all.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yeah, al Marion Hampton is maybe the guy that we're
not talking about as much because we're not gonna see
him probably, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (40:26):
Maybe we'll see him one more game, maybe they.
Speaker 5 (40:27):
See him get a couple couple carries, so maybe so,
But that's the guy.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
I mean, you mentioned, you mentioned that that package of
Fisk and Disley, and you know, those guys are catching
balls in Houston. Now they're gonna actually be blocking and
and uh making.
Speaker 5 (40:40):
Playing with as they get a seven game and they
get a seven game streak where he caught one he
caught at least one pass and it was one pass
it was but you know what that pass he caught
in the Hall of Fame game, it's beautiful man, nice feet,
great soft hands, and you know, and we didn't even
mention Conklin. I mean, you could end up having fourteen
I mean, you could have fourteen personnel seen it.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
But it could be done.
Speaker 5 (41:02):
You got one wide receiver, it's lad it's Conkling, it's Disley,
it's Fisk, and it's Matt Locke out there. I mean,
it's it's it could happen.
Speaker 6 (41:10):
As a defense. Do you run against that? And that's
that's a base look. That's definitely a base look.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
But then they can.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Spread you out to Yeah, exactly, that's the thing.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
The identity doesn't change.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
But also the fact that there are more weapons on
the outside for Justin to maybe take advantage of some
of those looks. And you know, you have one on
one look with KLS or Trey Harris or you know,
having Keenan and Ladd on the field at the same
time to go with that punishing running game back, what
does that do to a secondary No, that's a great point, Chris.
Speaker 6 (41:38):
Because when you looked at the playoff game last year
against the Texans, right teams will know what the Chargers
want to do.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
They want to run the ball.
Speaker 6 (41:45):
And sometimes you can run for four quarters and you'll
punch them and we talked about it, body blow, body blow.
Then you get a headshot, and sometimes the headshot never
comes right. And I think that's what I don't want
to say. That's why the reason Justin struggled that day.
But if you have to turn away from the run game, now,
Justin has a lot of options. Right, it's not just
(42:05):
Ladden that went crazy that game, but getting triple team,
triple team, double team. They're rolling the coverage to him.
But now it's Keenan, Now it's Kless, Now it's straight Harris.
Now it's QJ. Like he has options. And I think
that's what Charge of Faith Will wanted to see him,
just have options. If the running game doesn't work, then
we can change up the game plan and we can
make it happen.
Speaker 5 (42:22):
In the year, I mean it was. It was a
tough game. The fact that they couldn't run the ball,
that they couldn't block. So now I got no play action.
You gotta run a quick game. No one could separate,
no one could get open. It was like it's it's
old news. It was a long time ago.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
Money.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
We were a shoe string away. I actually saw that,
you know the CJ. Stroud play where they fumble and
picks it up. Tuley was a shoe string away, a
sad loss of thirty or even picking the ball up
and scoring, and that game is completely different game. And
it was the one play that changed everything. Before we
get out of here, anything that you want to see
(42:57):
Saturday that we didn't talk about that you're looking forward to.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
I think just more. I think it's more of competent,
you know, competitors, welcome the theme of this team. It's
more Marlo Wax, Mickens Bridges, you know, instead of Eric Rodgers.
You know, maybe it is Bridges who flashes? Is that
corner you know? Is it Miles Purchase back out there
at free safety?
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (43:15):
It's it's the depth of this team that I'm looking
forward to seeing. I think also, you know, the the
one room that needs to be settled ahead of all
others is that running back room, Because like I said,
I think that's going to be a tough decision between Viadelle,
Hines and Sanders and and that's probably what you're going
to see.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
You're going to see a lot of So what about
what about me?
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Enough about me? Let's talk about me?
Speaker 3 (43:37):
No.
Speaker 6 (43:38):
I just it's preseason, right and I just want to
see these guys. I want them to be vanilla playbook
on offense, Vanilla playbook on defense, Vanilla playbook on special teams,
and just let them be athletes, let them show that
God given ability and let the chips fall where they make.
Like you said, money, competition, competition, competition and see what
happens from there.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
I want to see if there's you know, guys like
Kyle could Arden, Junior Colson get on the field. Yeah
this week too, because I think it's it's gonna be.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
I think, Chris, if you're just a and being you know,
junior versus Marlowe, you know, you're talking about a pretty
sizable difference in the way that looked at that position
and just what their eyes were seeing and what they
were executing. So I think Junior, you know, I feel
like what coach Minter said is right on the money,
and that's like he's just got to stop thinking, man,
(44:21):
he's got to get back to being junior and stop
feeling like he's so far behind and he's got to
he's processing too much and just lean on your natural gifts.
And what you said, Julie is what Greg Roman said
in his press or. He's like, I'm not out there
running rub routes. I'm not drawing up place for these guys.
I want to see you win. He's like, we're playing vanilla.
Show me that you can win, show me that you
can separate, Show me that you know what routes to run.
Show me that you understand, leverage, that's all we're doing
(44:43):
out there. That's that's what this is for. It's not
to draw up a cool play to get you open,
you know, because.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
We schemed it up.
Speaker 5 (44:50):
That does nothing for us. He's like, we're just putting
guys out there and seeing who can win. And I
think we've seen Eric Rodgers win, Myles Purchase win, you
go Read win, Caleb Murphy win, Jamari Like that's what's fun.
Let's just go watch guys win their individual battles.
Speaker 4 (45:05):
All right, guys, Uh, welcome back, bro.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
Yeah, that's good to have you.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
Good to see you.
Speaker 4 (45:10):
Uh for for money and Jealil and Chris has been
Chargers Weekly. We'll see you next week.
Late fifteen to ten touchdown. What's up?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Guys, Welcome into a brand new episode of Chargers Weekly.
We are presented by SPLITTERO Money.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
He's bad.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Ba Jalila dies back in the mix.
Speaker 5 (00:22):
He tried to get out, man, he tried to go
into civilian lives.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Yeah, just I thought he was out.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I missed my brothers. I miss my brother Definitely.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
We're thrilled to have you.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Man.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
You'll look going to join us throughout the twenty twenty
five seasons. So that's a win for everybody. And guys,
you know it's it's Thursday, taking us on a Thursday.
Why don't we rewind a little bit to Sunday. Saw
some good things Money. Any observations that you start with.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
Everybody thinks I talk too much anyways, start with Okay, Julie,
you go, especially since the secondary played so well.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, man, secondary played well.
Speaker 6 (00:53):
Right, You've seen the two picks right, one pick six
obviously you know ending with the.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Injurie, you never liked that pulling forward.
Speaker 6 (01:01):
But my biggest thing for me is when we talked
about it, Chris, when we're covering the game just last year,
at this time of the year, Jesse Miner's defense. It's
and people might say it is because I'm a defensive guy,
but his defense showed up last year in the preseason
and it rolled over into the season. This year has
been the same story, right, And it doesn't matter who
it is he plugs and plays. These guys are second string,
third string, and these guys are putting out a product
(01:21):
that it would look like if the first team was there.
So that's what I was mostly impressed.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
With Nico Reid in Canton and then Eric Rodgers with
two interceptions money. That's the one thing I think has
been crystal clear is this team looks prepared, especially in
the first half football games.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
You know, people fans focus on players, which is understandable.
You know, they're the ones that are on the field
that have their names on the back of the jerseys,
the jerseys that they decide to wear the games. They
don't focus on coaches. And you said it, Jillill, it's
not just Jesse. I mean, look, he's the straw that
stirs the drink, but the position coaches and you've worked
with him and Chris, we've been around him. So it's
(01:56):
just it's such a good staff and I think that's
where ord of the special sauce of the Chargers is.
It's not just Jim Harbaugh or Jesse Minner or Ryan
Ficken and Greg Roman. It's all of those coaches underneath them.
And you know what Klink is doing with the DBS.
I think we were wondering at Chris O'Leary did such
a great job last year with Elijah Molden and those safeties,
and you're seeing these safeties pick up. I mean, you
(02:18):
had Miles Purchase out there playing free safety for the
first time, you know, at the Hall of Fame game,
and he was sensational.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
So I think it just goes to show you that, like.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
That's the one thing that maybe people aren't and it's understandable.
It's hard to know who the position coaches are, but
we say their name so often because we know how
important they are. And it's like you said, Juliel, it
doesn't matter, or you said it Chris Nico. One week,
it's Eric Rodgers, both undrafted free agents. It's back to
back weeks it's Marlo Wax, who I thought pop more
than anyone in in that Saints game because they're getting
(02:48):
coached up and they're really good players, and you pair
good players with great coaching, and now you got kind
of what's happening with these Chargers.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
There's another name I want to bring up in those
Arjent Mickens. Well talking about him.
Speaker 6 (02:58):
He had two really good quiet games over the last
two preseason games. Looks like to be a truly sure tackler.
He's in the right position at the right time. And
as a safety, most people, well should know that, don't know.
You're the quarterback of the defense, right, You're the quarterback
of the defense. You're making the calls, you're making the checks.
And I remember coming as as a safety in my
rookie year, and that's a lot on your plate, right,
You're trying to figure out what my job is before
(03:19):
the snap. Then they're motioning from two by two to
three by one, and you got to get the linebackers
bumped over in different run fits and we got to
change the coverage. So Argent Mickens has really put out
a good blueprint the first two games.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I would say, yeah, mckens fifty nine snaps in that
game Sunday. He was the highest graded rookie safety in
pre season Week one, according to Pro Football Focus and Julie,
you're the perfect person to ask. We talk about the
competition in the secondary, from Nico Reid last week to
Mickens and what Eric Rodgers has done. You mentioned purchase
take me inside as an undrafted guy, the competition and
(03:52):
just how fierce it is because these.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Games are like super Bowls to those guys in the
back half of the roster.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Yeah, no, you said it right, like you said it right.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
Excuse me, Chris, Like these are the super Bowl because
you know when you come in, the NFL is a
business and you don't really realize that until you get
into it at being a young guy, and it's a business, right,
you know, if I come in undrafted, they didn't invest
the capital in me, so I'm gonna be the first
guy out right, And you have to find a way
to make your nick to my coach would always say,
how to make the team, to get paid, you have
(04:19):
to flash on films. So if you're a hard hitter,
be a hard hitter, if you intercept the ball. Intercept
the ball and coming in as an undrafted safety, it
was more so like, hey, I don't have the opportunity
to mess up. My reps are limited, so every time
I get out there, I got a flash. What however
that looks right after flash? And then the biggest thing
a lot of guys tend to forget about. It's special teams.
(04:40):
You're gonna make the roster on special teams. And a
lot of times you comeing as undrafted free agent. You
weren't picked right, so you're not slated to be even
in the first or second team rotation. Right, You're gonna
make the team. You're gonna make the fifty three on
special teams all four phases. And then once you start
to prove yourself on special teams, then they're like, Okay,
we got to get this kid some packages on defense
or offense or whatever.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
It may be.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Yeah, I think you said it with Mickens, and that
goes with Marlow Wax as well. When you go back
and watch that game on film, you just see shirt tackling,
sound tackling. You can't have miss tackles, you know, I mean,
as backbreaking defense does everything right, the call is right,
and then you got a mistackle and a busted play
that ends up keeping on the field for another three
four minutes maybe or even worse, leads to points, and
(05:21):
you know, you look at Wax and he's got nine
tackles in that game, nine solo tackles. It's him and
the dude, and he made it every time. Same with Mickens.
I thought it was the best tackle that we saw
in the Hall of Fame game, that form tackle he made,
and I think it probably speaks to the room a lot.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
With Mickens.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
I think it's sort of what's interesting about roster construction, right,
It's not it's not just who are the fifty three
most talented players, it's what are the best fifty three
that we're gonna throw in this bowl and mix together
and make the best meal. And that's where Tony Jefferson
comes in, because I don't think there's any doubt you
can see the effect that he has on that safety
(05:58):
room and the you know, the reverence that these young
players have for him, and just the reaction that he
had on the sideline with Eric Rodgers pick six. And
he's the first guy there, and this is a guy
playing in the game an eleven year VET, and so
that to me is one of the more interesting names
to watch when it comes time to make this fifty
three Chris Is, you know you're talking about carrying five safeties.
(06:21):
We're talking about carrying six linebackers. Maybe if they want
to carry wax with If del Shaan Phillips is gonna
be healthy, like Caleb Murphy is that edge. Like this
is gonna be a really tough roster to construct at
the fifty three because I think there's a handful of players.
You put them on the practice squad, they're gonna get plucked.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (06:36):
And just you mentioned Tony and we were watching from
the booth, and I just playing in the game.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I tend to look at different stuff.
Speaker 6 (06:42):
And once the pick six happened, he threw the ball
down and lo and behold.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
The ball guy ran and grabbed the ball.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Tony Jefferson sprints from the bench and chases the ball
guy down, like, no, no, no, even that ball I got. Yeah,
he's a vet, he's a true He's like, hey, no, nou.
He's like, I got to get this ball to the rookie.
This is gonna be a keepsake, right, So listen, Tony Jefferson.
I came in with Tony Jefferson to see him playing
at the level that he's still playing at, right, and
not only what he's doing on the field, you mentioned it,
like what he means to that room, what he means
(07:09):
to that locker room, it's gonna be it's gonna be tough.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
But I will say, like carrying five.
Speaker 6 (07:13):
Safeties are in the safety's favor right now because they
play during at the Big Nickel, right So they played
during at the Big Nickel on first and second down.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
So ultimately you.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
Kind of need like four guys that can really really go,
you know, so we'll see.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Yeah, but Christy played Derwin at the Big Nickel. And
now I'm talking about that cornerback room with you know,
and obviously with the injury to Rogers, but you know,
with Nico Reid and like that's where that whole conversation
then comes in. It's kind of that, you know, it's
all the defensive backs.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
It's such a veteran laden room because you know, we
haven't talked much about Elijah Bolden. We should because he's
kind of ramping his way back in the form. But
you talk about.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Derwin ALOHI, Elijah Tony. What a room to learn from
if you're r J. Mickens.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
To have that to have that versatility in that room.
And I think we've talked about the fact that Elijah
got hurt in that Patriots give the Year and how
much that hurt them in that Houston Wildcard game. But
you know, Jesse Minter, he even said at the podium,
they still have some decisions to make as far as
the DB's room, because guys are continuing to make plays money.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
Yeah, I mean, I think you know, we looked at
the guaranteed money for Benjamin Saint Ustin. He's been banged
up all through training camp and it's like, okay, well
this could be a casualty because of how good these
young players are playing. And then he goes out there
and you just hear the effusive praise that coach Minter
has for him and how important he is and how
because he's different. You know, he's a different body type.
(08:31):
You look at at Saints, he's a big dude. He's big,
he's physical. Yeah, I mean, he's typically a press man guy,
and we know that that's what Jesse wants to start
playing more of. So I think you hit it on
the head, Chris.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Look before the injury to Eric Rodgers, you know, now
we're talking about him and Nico Reid, and then you
of course have your your four guys that we came
into camp assuming we're going to make the team, and
obviously still heart Saint Justin and Jackson and I don't
even know what to make of it now, and I
think it just speaks to probably doesn't matter whoever they
(09:04):
throw out there. These guys are coached up and they're
ready to go.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Julia, I was.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Gonna say, Derwin talked about the DBS yesterday and his
press or and just the different sizes, right, yet you know,
Tarheeb and Downtai a little quicker. You have the size
of cam Hart, the size of Saint just and even
coach Minter was saying, you know, we we take everything
into account on a week to week game plan too.
Who are the wide receivers were facing. But the fact
that you have so many different pieces that can match
(09:29):
up with a lot of different guys, I think it
speaks well to the room.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
I agree with you.
Speaker 6 (09:34):
I agree with you, Chris because I remember when I
was playing, we had a coach by the name of
Ron Miliss right, and he would teach a technique where.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Coach Miles, he's in Jae, he's in Jacksonville.
Speaker 6 (09:42):
Yeah, coach and Travis over there and you he would
teach a technique where it benefited long guys, right, like
stay at the line, get your hands on, don't inch out,
and make it a fight at the line of scrimmage.
But then you'd have quick guys like Jason Varrett or
Casey Hayward. They're like, not, Coach, I want to play
with my feet, right, I want to play with my feet.
I want to inch back a little bit, use my hips.
Good eye, good eye technique, see where his hips are.
(10:04):
And Coach was such a great coach because he believed
in the pier step, which is stay at the line,
stay square, two hands to one jam run right. But
he knew that he had guys who had different statues,
different attributes, and he allowed them to play their game.
And you mentioned it, and I think that's why, Jesse Minner.
They understand that it's just not about a system. It's
about putting the guys in the right place to make
the right plays with their attributes.
Speaker 5 (10:25):
Yeah, yeah, I mean Eric Rodgers, I was just pulling
it up to make sure I got it right. You've
got Eric Rodgers at six foot two, one hundred and
ninety pounds, and you've got you know, two interceptions one
to pick six. You got Nico Reid at five ten
and probably a buck seventy five.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Like it does that.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
That's what's so funny about you know, corners. It's I
mean wide receivers to some degree, but you expect that
because there's different positions. But corners and running backs, it's
just funny to look at the room, you know, when
you see these guys standing next to each other, and
you've got this six to two pushing six three, Saint
just standing next to Nico red listed five to ten,
probably more than five nine. And then you look at
(11:01):
the running backs and you see, you know Haskins standing
there next to Naim Miller Hines, and it's.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Just like, how do these guys play the same position?
Speaker 5 (11:07):
You know, But it's good coaching and knowing that, you know,
Nico's gonna play different than Saint just is gonna play,
and then Eric Rodgers is gonna play, and yet they
can all still be effective.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
You know, minute forty three in the game, though Eric
Rodgers gets hurt. Of course we don't know the status
of Eric's We tape this, and I know it didn't
look great, but again, I think it speaks to Jesse
Mitzer having these guys ready and crisp and available to
your point as we started the podcast, like I just
I seen tar Heebe and Camp as fifth round picks
last year elevate their play and we hear Derwin and
(11:41):
Jesse heap this effusive praise on tar Heeb and just
his preparation, the way he attacks practice. That's another guy
who made a really good play in the beginning of
the game. I'm interested to see what he does going
into year two. That leap that he can make Jaalle
and that you know as a player, what is that
lead from year one to year two?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
What is that like? Right?
Speaker 6 (11:59):
And I think it more so okay, what's his leap?
But where they gonna use him?
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Right?
Speaker 6 (12:03):
Because we talk about during at the big nickel right
and first and second down, But is tarhe Be gonna
play nickel in third down where it's more passing situations.
Is he gonna play the Is he gonna start on
the outside which he can do both?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Right?
Speaker 6 (12:14):
We see him last year play make plenty of players
on the outside, and then we've seen him moving to
the inside where he's very instinctive. And I remember coaching
him two training camps ago when he came his rookie
year last year. Excuse me, and I said, tar Heep,
you gotta you gotta come on with it, man, like
you're looking a little lethargic. He's like, Coach, I'm a gamer.
He said, I'm a gamer. I said, oh, you're a gamer.
And then he went out there and he balled in
(12:35):
the game. So the next week I said, tartib you
knew something I didn't know. So man, he's to hear that.
He's practicing like he's playing now, so he's gonna get
better and better man. And I'm really excited to see
his future. I think he has one of the brightest
spots as one of the young dbs on this team.
Obviously cam Hart's his size is you know, you can't
teach that. But Tarheeb, he finds the ball a little
(12:55):
bit of Casey Hayward.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Julia, you said it.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
And if you know people that are watching, if they
if they watched Jesse Miner's presser, Chris like he alluded
to that, And I think that's something that we always
have to keep in mind when we get to attend
every training camp practice and we're watching these guys play
I don't I don't remember if he was. I think
he was talking about Eric Rodgers. There's either Eric Rodgers
or Marlowe that he was talking about. He said, you know,
some guys just need game speed. You know, it's like
(13:17):
it's hard for them to go at that that fourth
gear instead of putting it into fifth, and when it
goes into fifth, that's when it's like yeah. And that's
kind of it was Eric Rodgers because he was talking
about what you see on the tape and he's like,
some guys they just they see it. They're running routes
for guys and they and it's like that's what they
need in order to really flash what they do. And
I think Trey Lance to some degree was like that.
(13:39):
You know, we were kind of watching them in training
camp practice and we're seeing like, Okay, the accuracy is
not quite there. We haven't really that, the legs don't
really flash. And he gets out in the game, in
the Hall of Fame game, he's throwing that ball over
the place beautiful. You know, he's got obviously a ton
of arm strength, but that nice feathered pass to Disley.
And then this last week it's like I felt like,
you know, because I'm old. Might I remember this, but
(14:01):
like in Rocky and it was Rocky two when they
decided to have him fight as you know, he's like,
oh yeah, we're not gonna fight at South Paul. We're
gonna fight regular and then I'm gonna yell one to switch.
And I felt like that's sort of what happened with
Trey in this last game. It's like you just heard
Mick from the sideline go no, and then boom you
got run, run, run, touchdown, and it's like, oh yeah,
that's that's what makes Trey Lance different. That's how he
separates from other quarterbacks because that is elite speed that
(14:22):
he has out there.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
It's it's crazy you say that money because I remember
playing right and we'd see young rookies come in. It's
probably like my fifth or sixth year. I'm more established,
I'm comfortable with myself now, I'm working on my game.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I'm not so much worried about the roster.
Speaker 6 (14:34):
But i'd see young rookies come in and they go
crazy in camp, they ball, and.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Then the lights come on.
Speaker 6 (14:40):
You don't see him, and then we see guys who
in camp we were like, I don't know. And then
the lights come on and they're pick pick six, seventy
yard touchdown.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Bomb is just some.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Guys like you heard all these stories about him in
practice and.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Then he goes in the game and Teebow manager.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Yeah, And it just never made sense to me because
I'm a real superstitious guy and I'm like, however, I
play and practice is how I'm going to play in
the game.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
And I took practice extremely serious.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
I don't know if it's because my undrafted background, but
it's like, listen, if I have a great week of practice,
I'm so comfortable going into the game on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
And I don't know.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
Some guys, they just they just come alive when those
lights come on, and some go to sleep.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
So you know who's come alive is number ninety nine,
Oh Man and Buddy, I think it looks great from
from your perspective and your vantage point with DJ. I mean,
you guys are the best in the business anyway, but
to do it during the preseason and for DJ to
have an eye on all these guys in evaluating them,
I mean Jamari Caldwell, Yeah, both weeks and especially on Sunday, Man,
(15:36):
he really popped.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Well, look he's taking on double teams. You know the
sack you're talking. Just go back and watch that play.
If you have a you know, if you have the
opportunity or if you have it available to you. He
is legitimately double teamed. And as he's double team, he's
got one hand on one defender, his other hand on
the other defender while his head is up into the backfield.
As soon as he sees I think it was shocked,
right that he sacked or was it it was shocked?
Speaker 1 (15:59):
I think yeah.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
As soon as he sees him run to his right,
he immediately sheds he's gone. And there's the set that's
I mean, you can speak to it better than I can, Julio.
That's like, you know, third fourth year sort of level play.
And remember Saints were playing their starting old line, and
that is an old line that's got four first rounders
on it, and that's I think he was engaged with
Caesar and Penning if I remember right, I think those
two guys he was engaged with those that's their starting
(16:21):
old line. Sheds both those guys boomsack, and we've seen
that in every snap he's had.
Speaker 6 (16:26):
Yeah, you talked about the money, like playing the nose
tackle position might be the toughest position you're gonna play,
especially in the three to four.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Why because you're gonna be double team.
Speaker 6 (16:34):
You harped on it, right, So just seeing his ability
to take on the double which is hard, Like coaches
will always say to those tackles, you have to anchor down.
Sometimes they teach guys to drop one knee down to
anchor to get skinny. And then once that guard climbs
because the linebackers come downhill, then he has a one
on one and then he can make his play. Right,
So there's a lot of technique that goes into that.
And you said it money, that's a play that a
(16:55):
third year, fourth year type guy's making. And when I
seen him make that play on the film, I said, yeah,
this is why they and grat him in a third You.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Lose poona Ford, but you bring in cold Well.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
And I think there's just so much deeper collectively with
with Tart and Tito and Hand and Jones. I mean,
it's a rotation that I really think that you can
go into each and every week rotating.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Like five or six guys, And that's what they told us.
That's one thing I like about this. You know this
staff is they tell you and then they show you.
You know, jesse Miner was very upfront. He said, look,
we lost Poona and we made up for it with quantities,
like it wasn't one player. We knew we were going
to have to go out and get a couple and hope,
you know, the freshness by rotating those guys in was
going to help make up for that loss. And then
(17:37):
you hope one of these guys pops and I think
you can make it. Look Tito has looked great. I
think for you know, Tierre looks like he's ready to
take that next step. I think he said, hey, put
a finger on which guy's going to replace Poona. Is
that it would be Tierre. But what called well has
shown and I think that was sort of some of
the magic from last year is that they had these
depth pieces, and the depth ultimately is what showed out.
(18:01):
You know, it was originally gonna be what two safeties,
It was gonna be Durwin and Eloi and they were
probably gonna play high and then all of a sudden,
like now let's let's just put during it. Elijah's coming
along so far. He remember he didn't show up till
late August and O'Leary just you know, from what we
heard was just with him hours and hours and Elijah
put in all that time. And to me, that's what
unlocked to this defense was putting Durwin at that big nickel.
(18:22):
And that's kind of what we're talking about. How do
you replace poona Well, if Jamari Caldwell's giving you what
ten fifteen maybe twenty snaps a game, like, yeah, that's
how you do it.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
Well, it's definitely because they're gonna it's because an NFL game,
you're gonna average it's probably about sixty sixty sixty five
plays right coming from college's easily eighty five ninety. And
you talk about the depth, and it's so big in
the NFL because you get banged up weekend, week out
in these seventeen eighteen games and you're just fighting every week.
(18:53):
You're getting body working. Guys get injured. It's one hundred
percent injury rate. We all know that, right, And you
the teams who drive the best in December and January,
or teams who have depth and have guys who come
in and it's the next man up mentality, right, But
here they don't talk about the next man up mentality.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
It's almost like you got to know.
Speaker 6 (19:11):
Listen, you're on the roster for a reason, on the
fifty three for a reason, and at any point in
time we can count on you.
Speaker 5 (19:16):
I do want to correct myself because I'm looking at
it now. I had to go back and watch the
sack so because it was shuck, Yeah, he's going to
get a second team. Oh line, So it was not
uh Ruiz and Penning instead it was or McCoy i
should say, and Penning.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
It was still impressive.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
I don't want the you know who that come after
me charges they mentioned exactly so, but still again impressive second,
you know, getting double teams, and it's you know, it's
one of the nice things about having this this tool.
Just watching him. I mean he is so far away, Chris,
I'll let you see it so you can just kind
of watch. I mean, you see where he is here
is he gets engaged double teamed. He's looking look at him,
(19:55):
peeking through those two helmets that are double team in him,
and as soon as he sees a move, just shed
and go.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Man. It was impressive, even impressive.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
The ten snafts, maybe fifteen to twenty very quickly, like
maybe the first four weeks of the year, and you
mentioned like next man up so.
Speaker 5 (20:09):
And hey, he wasn't even the best guy on the
defensive line, by the way.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Caleb Murphy.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You know, we talk about guys like Kyle Canard and
Junior Colson didn't play in that game, but Derwin heaped
the praise on Wax. Caleb Murphy man so farris state
his senior year division two twenty five and a half sacks.
This guy comes from the Tennessee Titans, and I think
somebody I forgot who it was, but said Charger is
(20:35):
getting all these old Titans from Elijah Mouldener Tartan now
Caleb Murphy.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
But talk about producing.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
When your numbers called two sacks in this game, and
you and I were sitting next to each other right
before the half, just like, dude, this guy has made
the team.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
He has made the team some way. What do you
think from the fourth and.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Fifth edge rusher perspective, because kind of Canard was going
to be the fourth guy, but you gotta be on
the field.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Yeah, he's been hampered with injury.
Speaker 6 (20:59):
And we talked about Caleb and we talked about he
showed what he had in his bag, right on those
two different sacks, right, and he one was speed the
power right down the left, tackles chest and then another
time he showed hip hips get on the edge, swipe
and get around and get a strip sack on this
first one.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Right.
Speaker 6 (21:16):
So he's shown that he has an arsenal. And like
you said, you can't make the club in the tub.
They would always say it. And that's why I was
so big on, you know, keeping my body fresh, because listen,
this is the most competitive business in the world, right,
and one guy you go down, the next guy steps
up in your position, and that can be the last
time you step on the field.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Right.
Speaker 6 (21:34):
So Canard not being able to produce has given Murphy
an opportunity and he's taking full advantage of it.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
Yeah, I think you said fourth or fifth. I think
I don't think there's any question, Chris. Just and look,
he's making the fifty three because he's a core four guy.
And we talked about that earlier. So and he was
on the team last year. You know, he got elevated
from that practice squad had a couple of games and
you know you kind of mentioned it, Chris, and I'd
love to kind of get your take on it Jalil
because there is something about that about the Tennessee thing
(22:02):
and whatever Vrabel was running in Tennessee because it's Christian
Fulton played at a high level, got a big contract.
Forgets Elijah mentioned Fulton played at a high level, got
a big contract. Tier Tart played at a high level.
You know, a cast off in Miami. They're just like,
we just didn't want to deal with you show and
we talked about it, Chris. We're like, this is the guy.
This is a guy that Chargers have to go out
and get. He fits so perfect with what they like
(22:23):
to do, and in those limited reps flashes gets himself
a nice chunk of a contract. I think he was
an undrafted free agent if I remember right, So you
get a one year, five million dollar deal, man.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
That's a nice chunk of change.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
Not to mention they're gonna get all that playing time
and go back into free agency next year. Same with Poona.
Ford wasn't in the rotation in Buffalo. Somehow They're like
that's the guy. And I think, so, I don't know,
Jilio as you played in Houston or something. Is there
something about do you think there's front offices that are like, yeah,
that's they're doing over in Tennessee. What we and Caleb
Murphy's the fourth one. What we do here, And it's
(22:55):
a good fit if we can get these players with
traits that we like.
Speaker 6 (22:58):
Yeah, you're really clost money. And I think is more
so because I don't know what Tennessee runs, right, and
it's probably that they run something very familiar, and they
see these guys can fit in our system. Not only
can they fit in our system, they know the system.
So when we bring them in they can we can
implement them into the system and playing time.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Now, right.
Speaker 6 (23:15):
But the front office, that's shout out to the front office.
They're doing the due diligence. They're doing their work. They're
seeing what defenses run similar schemes around the NFL, and
it seems like it's the Tennessee Titans, and they're like, hey.
They always say one man's trash is another man's treasure, right,
and the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
And the Chargers love some X Titans.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
The fact that Tart and Molden it was like two
or three weeks into camp that the Tart became a Charger.
The I think at the end of camp where Molden
came into the fold, so they both came in late.
So I think it gives us some perspective too. It's like,
you can look at this roster now that's currently constructed
in mid August, they could find two more starters at
(23:54):
the end of August or when when cutdown day comes,
or via trade. Georgie's has proved and that he's not
afraid to keep churning the roster and to be able
to find those guys has just been remarkable.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
You flip it to do you know Shane Bowen?
Speaker 3 (24:08):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
Yeah, so Shane was there. He was in Houston, but
I think it was before you were there. So Bowen
was there, was there DC under Vrable, he's now the
DC in New York. We saw how good that defense
was last year Despoue how bad. So that's a dude
that knows how to coach d So for some reason,
that's that's the dude that they saw coordinating the defense
that they liked. It was way before you sixteen seventeen. Yeah,
(24:31):
because I know you were here when you rolled up
in twenty seventeen.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
He's got Thibodeau Burns and Abdul Carter coming off the
edge that the charges will see in week.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
Four, Dexter Lawrence argued, but that greatest screen on the
chessboard on the defensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
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cash estimate Esplatero dot com Slash Chargers. But you kind
of touch on on Trey Trey Lance and just kind
of the difference in style of play from week zero
to week one. The running back position is getting very
very interesting. Marion Hampton didn't play. There's a reason for
(25:30):
that because I think we know who a Marian Hampton
is going to become.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Brazil.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Najie Harris is still working to the side, so his
availability tbd. But between Haskins Videll, we got to see
Rocket Sanders, Nahiem Hines, who I know had a couple
of fumbles and one loss. But those four guys, man
and listen, I want to see a little bit more
Rocket Sanders, you know, seeing what he did in South Carolina,
(25:55):
to see that fourth quarter in some of the some
of the runs that he had. I don't know if
you and DJ spoke about Rocket.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
And just we didn't, Yeah did?
Speaker 4 (26:03):
What do you guys have to say?
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Well?
Speaker 5 (26:05):
Just you know, I think we've talked about it before too.
There's you know, when you look at the undrafted free
agents and you see the guy that's got the biggest number,
and that's Raheem Sanders. Sixty grand, you know, was his guarantee.
It's the highest. Second highest was Nico at forty grand.
So those are the guys that you're like, okay, if
you want to handicap, who's going to make the team.
It's the guys that got the most money. So and
that's why they enticed him to come here ahead of
other teams. He just fits what they do. You know,
(26:28):
They signed Gus Edwards, they signed Najie Harris, they drafted
Amari and Hampton six foot two twenty Like, what's Raheem Sanders?
He's six foot two thirty five and four four or
four guy, and I think the one knock on him, DJ,
I shouldn't say a knock. The one thing that DJ said,
you know, coming out of South Carolina that was a
concern is can he give you anything in the passing game,
because that just wasn't there. There was no evidence that
(26:50):
that was something that was in his bag. There he's
even on the field, so it's like, can he pass pro?
Can he catch the ball on the backfield? That's sort
of what you want to see him. What do we see?
We saw him put him out, you know, in the route,
and he was fine, you know, caught it, had a
nice little move, little juke move when he after he
caught the ball. And then I think you talked about
the four to for Jaliel. You know you saw it.
You know the way that play was schemed up, hole
(27:11):
gets plugged, bounces it, and he's able to beat the
corner to the pylon. So that kind of tells you, Okay,
he's got everything. They said, dude, that's got power, he's
got speed, and he's got some vision to catch that ball.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Money. I came out at the wrong time sixty thousand.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
I came a couple.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I mean like two thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
And that's what most guys get.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
Like if you look at the Chargers undrafted free agents,
it's going to be between two and six grand. So
that's why sixty K is like, Okay, they want this.
This guy's probably gonna make the team.
Speaker 6 (27:41):
And you made a good point money because you talk
about Okay Naji and then you have a Mari and Hampton. Right,
So the third running back typically is your third down back,
scat back. We you know, get him out into the
backfield screens, get the ball in his hands, and that's
where it's that's going to be the difference, I think,
right and playing with Naim Hines and Indy, that's all
he was right, he passed tech.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
He's a kick return of punk return.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
Obviously had those muffs unfortunately in the game last week.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
But he's a guy that's really shifting.
Speaker 6 (28:06):
He's a really good third down back that you can
get involved into the passing game.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
So I think the battle is going to be one there.
Speaker 6 (28:11):
I think they have their first and second down backs
basically with naj being healthy if he's able to play,
but the third back is going to be.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Based on what you can do in the passing game.
That's my opinion.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
So I think we're let's let's think positive and say, na,
he's gonna be ready to go.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Let's just say that.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
Okay, I'd like to say that, but I think reality
suggests that that's probably not going to be the case. Okay,
I would, I would, Yeah, I would love. So you
want to let's I think let's go to college.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
Yeah, we're doing. We're doing the hypothetical best case and
the worst case.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
So the first is that we know Marien Hampton, Naji
Harris and we I think we would agree Haskins is
going to make the team because of the special teams.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Right and you know what he's you could make a
case he's been the best looking back.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Yeah, in the two preseason game.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
So this so this competitionally comes down to Rocket Sanders,
Keimani Videl, who I think has had a good preseason,
and Naim Miller Hines. So if you if today who's
that third that third running back with Haskins making those.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
I think Haskins is definitely on the team.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
I'm going Hines because of his return ability right kickoff.
Speaker 5 (29:14):
Which is where those muffed punts come in, and You're.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Like, exactly, now, if they can oversee that and he
can come to these next two games and show them
to hey, I clean that up.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
I just know playing with him, how explosive he is.
Speaker 6 (29:23):
Went to Buffalo after the Theamar Hamlin scary injury. The
next following week, he took a kicker turn back one
hundred yards, Like he has the ability to be able
to produce on special teams.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
And that's the only reason I'm going in that direction. Yeah,
were you at.
Speaker 5 (29:38):
Money, Well, I think for me, so in that in
that column where Naji Hampton Haskins are there, yeah, I
think the fourth guy is probably between viidell And and
Nahim Miller Hines. I think that's kind of how you
would probably because you have Haskins, who was great in
short yardage last year, who's shown that he has the
ability to carry the ball if you want to give
(29:59):
him five six ten carries per game and be very physical.
But and all three of those guys are similar, you know,
they're big powerback guys. So I think that that would
be sort of your battle. And I think Kamani's kind
of getting lost in this because he struggled last year
in pass pro. But what I've seen so far this
year is a different dude. I think he's looked great.
He's been explosive, he's been physical. I think he's been
(30:21):
much better in pass pro. They drafted him for a
reason last year, so I don't think he's out of
this mix at all. I think it's probably the tightest
competition of any room here because they're not carrying five.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
I mean, that's not happening.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
So I think the question is if if you keep
if you keep Nahim, can you get Kamani through on
the practice squad? And I think the answer is probably yes.
If you keep Kamani, can you get Nahim through on
the practice squad? I think the answer probably no. I
think a teams might come get him because of what
you said. You know, look, most of these punt returners
(30:56):
tend to be smaller guys. You know, there's not a
lot of Courterill Patterson's out there, so that leaves them
open to injury. And if you can have a backup
guy like Hines, if something were to happen at Double
ded like I think that sort of plays into that. Now,
if you want to start Chris, you can start in
the other column where now she's on the you know,
he's on the he's on the he's out the first
(31:18):
four weeks. If that's the way this shakes up, and
I think that opens up a much more interesting conversation.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Well it does, and you know you mentioned this with
the wide receivers too. I think at the beginning of
camp money uh, we tend to fall in love with
some of these guys, but they end up coming back
on the practice squad. So that's I think the main
point is, Okay, what guy can you get back on
the practice squad versus you know, Listen, some people may
think that there's a reason why rocket teams got sixty grand,
(31:45):
maybe because a lot of teams wanted them. So if
there's if there's a team out there that sees that
he popped against the Saints and he has a really
good game against the Rams, maybe that's a player that
you can't keep on the practice squad because somebody.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Will scoop him.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
So if not, she's not ready, I think that that
becomes a very interesting thing.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Nahim.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Heines the fact that he has the versatility to be
able to catch the ball out of the backfield and
brings maybe a little bit of a different element than
a Marion Hampton does.
Speaker 4 (32:13):
I would lean to maybe him being that that third
back in addition to Haskins.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
We're just that for a pass pro rep. He can
do it right. He can do it, like even though
he's a smaller guy.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
I've seen him do it.
Speaker 5 (32:23):
Yeah, I mean you played with him, so you know.
I mean, and like, it's a dude that was out
of the league for two years, so you got fresh
legs and that helps.
Speaker 6 (32:30):
That's a great point. He's at the league for two years.
You see he's wearing his knee breaks, but you've seen
last week on Saturday, he's breaking angles in the open
field and he's there like, yeah, he's good there. So
I think that's a lot of things. I think that
was one of the biggest things why teams were hesitant
to bring him back in is because of a knee injury,
especially at running back.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
You know the toll that they take.
Speaker 6 (32:49):
But he looks healthy, he looks one hundred percent and
he looks like he can go. So it'll be I've
seen guys make the team on the last preseason game.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
The biggest one number Tony Jefferson last year to Jefferson
last year, Yeah, the Dallas game.
Speaker 6 (33:04):
Thomas Harper, that was that was slated before him, Right,
he gets hurt.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
TJFS goes in for the Dallas games.
Speaker 6 (33:11):
It has probably one of the best games any charge
in the preseason.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Yeah, right, so still a lot of time that'll be
in the books. Yeah, one of the best.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Yeah that Look, the Nazi thing, we obviously I hope
he's fine. I hope he's ready to go week one.
I just think the reality is he's still just kind
of walking around. He's still working off for the s.
I mean, we're three weeks out of Brazil, and that
is hard when you've been remember the injury happened on
July fourth, Like you're talking about, he's been gone for
six weeks, and I know running backs. It's just to
(33:42):
me and I think that the way it lines up,
it makes it interesting because of how Rocket is built
very similar, you know, and he's got more explosiveness than
Naji does. But we know what this team wants to do. Man,
we saw everything. I've I called way too many Stanford
games when Hart was there. I called way too many
forty nine er games when he was up there. This
(34:04):
dude wants to lean on you in the fourth quarter.
He wants to run a four minute offense and Rocket
fits right into that, you know, as Naji does. And
so I think that's when we're talking about that column.
Na she's inactive for the first four I don't think
there's any question that Raheem Sanders is in there. That
it's Haskins, Sanders, Hampton. And then again, I think that
(34:26):
battle comes down to Hines versus Fidell, and it's not the.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
Worst thing in the world.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
If not she's not ready, get him ready and get
him fresh for the back half of the season with
a Marion Hampton and then whoever kind of raises their
hand in the running backs room. But what's funny is
we were doing our pregame show at our Bolts to watch.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
You had KALs and I had Trey Harris.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Pass.
Speaker 4 (34:48):
Well, it's not a good day to basket well, Trey Harris.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
With just a but but you know, Kles popped in
and Canton and I just saw Trey Harrison a bounce
back game. And you know, even Greg Roman said it's
it didn't go right at the beginning of the game,
but just wasn't in the cards to pass. And that's
why I don't want to just completely like rule Taylor
Heineke out as the backup quarterback either, because sometimes you
(35:11):
get a two or three series and they just don't
go your way. So what I'd like to see against
the Rams money is, is Taylor Heineke.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
For a half.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
Yeah, I think it'd be important to see him for
a longer extent a period of time.
Speaker 5 (35:22):
Well, look, I think you know being selfish is yeah,
I'd like to see him ball out and then teams
make the call because they need a backup. There's not
a lot of good backups, so you can trust to
win a quarter, to win a single game. Heineke's one
of them. You know, I've have full faith that he
can go out and win you a quarter and win
you a game. And if the Chargers decide they want
to go in the Trey Lance direction, then they can
recoup the pick that they sent out for him, you know,
(35:43):
go get a seventh or a six, or swap you
know your seventh or six, something along those lines. So yeah,
I'd love to see him ball out. I do want
to allude to, you know, the KLS thing, and you
know we love him.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
We just talked to him. He's great.
Speaker 5 (35:56):
But and he had a huge drop. It was a
bad drop, but nobody said anything. And so I think
it's important to remember people have narratives attached to them.
The narrative attached to Kls is explosive. This is our guy, man,
he's gonna come out. He's the speed element that we wanted,
that we've been looking for.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
That was a big drop.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
It maybe set the tone for Heineke to have a
rough go in the in that game in those first
two series. Now, Heineke did some damage himself airmail and Conklin.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
A couple of times.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
But if that's Quinton Johnston, that makes that drop, it's
all we hear about. So remember wide receivers drop balls.
Keenan led the league. Would hate freaking punch me in
the head. I heard me say it. But Keenan led
the league drops one year like he led the league
and drop it why because he was targeted a one
hundred and seventy times. So like it happens, you know,
And it happened to KLS, and it's gonna happen to
Trey Harris, it's gonna happen to Quinton, It's gonna happen
(36:42):
to lat like it well maybe not Latin, but it's
gonna exactly.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
That's part of it.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
That's part of the deal, though, Jilliel, I mean you've
been up a closer person with these receivers sometimes. I
remember that Green Bay game that you know, we all
talk about Quinton's pass it. You know, I think Keenan
had a drop in that game in the end zone.
Speaker 4 (36:59):
And yes, and is as surehanded as they come. I mean,
Keenan is put together.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
It's by the way, it's great to see him out
there because it does bring another dimension to this offense.
But I agree with you, buddy, I think it's it's
time to maybe kill these narratives.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Or just it's not.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
I don't think it's worth anybody's breath to continue to
nit pick stuff that happens in the preseason or.
Speaker 6 (37:19):
In training camp or since when did like training camp
practice stats become a thing Like if you go off
of training camp practice stats, a lot of people are
not going to.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Make the team, right, some weird people gonna make it,
and some weird.
Speaker 6 (37:31):
People are going to make the team. Like it is
what it is at the end of the day. So
what have you done for me lately? Business and practice
is practice.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
I get it.
Speaker 6 (37:37):
What you put out there on tape is what the
coaches see, what they believe. I understand that. But when
you get between those white lines on Sunday on Saturday,
when the lights are on, that's what matters the most.
Like the media is blowing up. This guy went twelve
for fourteen hundred.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
And seventeen, but doors going to Canton to Canton off
of half of the breaks.
Speaker 4 (37:56):
This is what we do.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Though.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Money it's like it's it's maddening you all we have.
It's I know, it's all we have.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
But like the fact that Shador had a good half,
I'm happy for him and I hope he can continue.
Speaker 4 (38:06):
I know he got hurt.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
But like we don't talk about Tanner McKee for the Eagles,
who like was like twenty two of twenty five for
three touchdowns.
Speaker 5 (38:12):
Yeah, well, it's just it doesn't really have any impact.
I mean, obviously the Browns are different because they're looking
for a starting quarterback. It's going to be Joe Flacco,
but you know they're the idea that that's an open
competition is what makes it interesting. Like to me, the
things that people you know that the one of the
great things that I think the Chargers are showing us
is who they're going to be, especially in light of
the Rashawn Slater injury. Now, what are we seeing in
these preseason games, even prior to Rashawn getting hurt is
(38:35):
we're seeing a lot of Disley, Fisk and Matt Locke
out there at the same time. That package that they
ran last year two hundred and sixty pounds plus for
each of them, And we said, we shared this stat
multiple times, the Chargers ran more plays with eight or
more two hundred and sixty pounds player, the five offensive
lineman and that three. You know that if I would
(38:56):
call it thirteen, I don't really you know, I think
you would probably put Matt Locke more the role of
a tight end than a full begging call twenty two
if you want. But with eight two hundred and sixty
pound plus guys, I think that's what the reality is.
That's what this team is. And the one thing that flashes,
maybe more than anything else that we've seen in these
two preseason games is those guys can block. Man Tucker
(39:16):
Fisk can block, Will Disley can block, and Scott Mattlock
has taken a huge step from last year. Man I
think it was it was a Haskins run. I think
that he was tailing matt Lock. And you want to
talk about blowing a hole open, and now you've got
a two hundred and forty pound back right behind three
hundred and five pound matt Lock.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
It was beautiful.
Speaker 5 (39:33):
And I think that's sort of what Greg Roman and
Jim Harbar are showing us, is that get ready. It's
you're getting all excited about KLS and Trey Harris and
that's who you guys picked on your pregame show. And
it's like, hey man, it's gonna be Keenan and lad
and it's gonna be matt Lock, Tucker Fisk and Will
Disley out there, and that's that's what this is gonna be.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
It's gonna be bully Ball night. Former player.
Speaker 6 (39:56):
I hated playing tonight like this, like listen, and I
wasn't alf of being a phys safety, like that's what I
prided myself on. And I don't care how big you are,
I don't care how much you lift. I don't care
what kind of program you do in the offseason. When
it's week twelve, thirteen, fourteen, ladies and gentlemen, and you
have to play a team like this Chargers culture when
they're smashing my football for four quarters, you don't want
(40:17):
smoke at all.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yeah, al Marion Hampton is maybe the guy that we're
not talking about as much because we're not gonna see
him probably, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (40:26):
Maybe we'll see him one more game, maybe they.
Speaker 5 (40:27):
See him get a couple couple carries, so maybe so,
But that's the guy.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
I mean, you mentioned, you mentioned that that package of
Fisk and Disley, and you know, those guys are catching
balls in Houston. Now they're gonna actually be blocking and
and uh making.
Speaker 5 (40:40):
Playing with as they get a seven game and they
get a seven game streak where he caught one he
caught at least one pass and it was one pass
it was but you know what that pass he caught
in the Hall of Fame game, it's beautiful man, nice feet,
great soft hands, and you know, and we didn't even
mention Conklin. I mean, you could end up having fourteen
I mean, you could have fourteen personnel seen it.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
But it could be done.
Speaker 5 (41:02):
You got one wide receiver, it's lad it's Conkling, it's Disley,
it's Fisk, and it's Matt Locke out there. I mean,
it's it's it could happen.
Speaker 6 (41:10):
As a defense. Do you run against that? And that's
that's a base look. That's definitely a base look.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
But then they can.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Spread you out to Yeah, exactly, that's the thing.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
The identity doesn't change.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
But also the fact that there are more weapons on
the outside for Justin to maybe take advantage of some
of those looks. And you know, you have one on
one look with KLS or Trey Harris or you know,
having Keenan and Ladd on the field at the same
time to go with that punishing running game back, what
does that do to a secondary No, that's a great point, Chris.
Speaker 6 (41:38):
Because when you looked at the playoff game last year
against the Texans, right teams will know what the Chargers
want to do.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
They want to run the ball.
Speaker 6 (41:45):
And sometimes you can run for four quarters and you'll
punch them and we talked about it, body blow, body blow.
Then you get a headshot, and sometimes the headshot never
comes right. And I think that's what I don't want
to say. That's why the reason Justin struggled that day.
But if you have to turn away from the run game, now,
Justin has a lot of options. Right, it's not just
(42:05):
Ladden that went crazy that game, but getting triple team,
triple team, double team. They're rolling the coverage to him.
But now it's Keenan, Now it's Kless, Now it's straight Harris.
Now it's QJ. Like he has options. And I think
that's what Charge of Faith Will wanted to see him,
just have options. If the running game doesn't work, then
we can change up the game plan and we can
make it happen.
Speaker 5 (42:22):
In the year, I mean it was. It was a
tough game. The fact that they couldn't run the ball,
that they couldn't block. So now I got no play action.
You gotta run a quick game. No one could separate,
no one could get open. It was like it's it's
old news. It was a long time ago.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
Money.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
We were a shoe string away. I actually saw that,
you know the CJ. Stroud play where they fumble and
picks it up. Tuley was a shoe string away, a
sad loss of thirty or even picking the ball up
and scoring, and that game is completely different game. And
it was the one play that changed everything. Before we
get out of here, anything that you want to see
(42:57):
Saturday that we didn't talk about that you're looking forward to.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
I think just more. I think it's more of competent,
you know, competitors, welcome the theme of this team. It's
more Marlo Wax, Mickens Bridges, you know, instead of Eric Rodgers.
You know, maybe it is Bridges who flashes? Is that
corner you know? Is it Miles Purchase back out there
at free safety?
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (43:15):
It's it's the depth of this team that I'm looking
forward to seeing. I think also, you know, the the
one room that needs to be settled ahead of all
others is that running back room, Because like I said,
I think that's going to be a tough decision between Viadelle,
Hines and Sanders and and that's probably what you're going
to see.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
You're going to see a lot of So what about
what about me?
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Enough about me? Let's talk about me?
Speaker 3 (43:37):
No.
Speaker 6 (43:38):
I just it's preseason, right and I just want to
see these guys. I want them to be vanilla playbook
on offense, Vanilla playbook on defense, Vanilla playbook on special teams,
and just let them be athletes, let them show that
God given ability and let the chips fall where they make.
Like you said, money, competition, competition, competition and see what
happens from there.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
I want to see if there's you know, guys like
Kyle could Arden, Junior Colson get on the field. Yeah
this week too, because I think it's it's gonna be.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
I think, Chris, if you're just a and being you know,
junior versus Marlowe, you know, you're talking about a pretty
sizable difference in the way that looked at that position
and just what their eyes were seeing and what they
were executing. So I think Junior, you know, I feel
like what coach Minter said is right on the money,
and that's like he's just got to stop thinking, man,
(44:21):
he's got to get back to being junior and stop
feeling like he's so far behind and he's got to
he's processing too much and just lean on your natural gifts.
And what you said, Julie is what Greg Roman said
in his press or. He's like, I'm not out there
running rub routes. I'm not drawing up place for these guys.
I want to see you win. He's like, we're playing vanilla.
Show me that you can win, show me that you
can separate, Show me that you know what routes to run.
Show me that you understand, leverage, that's all we're doing
(44:43):
out there. That's that's what this is for. It's not
to draw up a cool play to get you open,
you know, because.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
We schemed it up.
Speaker 5 (44:50):
That does nothing for us. He's like, we're just putting
guys out there and seeing who can win. And I
think we've seen Eric Rodgers win, Myles Purchase win, you
go Read win, Caleb Murphy win, Jamari Like that's what's fun.
Let's just go watch guys win their individual battles.
Speaker 4 (45:05):
All right, guys, Uh, welcome back, bro.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
Yeah, that's good to have you.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
Good to see you.
Speaker 4 (45:10):
Uh for for money and Jealil and Chris has been
Chargers Weekly. We'll see you next week.
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