What Are Bolts’ Expectations In 2024? | LA Chargers

What Are Bolts’ Expectations In 2024? | LA Chargers

t a lane 1510 touchdown Chargers what’s up guys welcome into a brand new episode of chargers weekly as always joined by Matt money Smith taping this on June 27th not a ton going on in the NFL World um but you know what the NBA draft is this week and money I couldn’t tell you any of the guys who were drafted like it’s it’s it’s one of it’s one of those drafts where it’s uh I almost liken it to the uh was it the uh who the who’s the guy that was drafted by the uh the Cavs that from UNLV uh oh right I was thinking of the Andrea barani Draft when he went number one to the raaps yeah Anthony Bennett thank you GRE Kim Anthony Bennett the Anthony Bennett draft uh so that’s kind of where we are that not even the NBA draft has as much hype as a as an NFL draft no but it’s just a d next year it’s going to be Mayhem with with a and and Cooper flag and and all those folks but excited for the uh the dude the Lakers got that’s for sure dton connect what a great story it’s a it’s an Austin Eckler type of story right uh you know Northern Colorado from a Colorado JC and then thanks to the TR and you know what that’s not to get too deep into this thing but that’s one of the great things about the transfer portal right is here someone that was able to Showcase himself on a level that otherwise you know all the people would say well level of competition didn’t get to do anything in the tournament yet you get the one year at Tennessee you and Zack Ed have this historic Elite 8 battle and you know next thing you know you’re the the uh the SEC the MVP of the SEC You’re All American and um you’re going to be playing next to LeBron James in a Lakers uniform it’s pretty sweet good story all can I say a really really cool story that’s cool yeah he he will be counted on to contribute right away as opposed to some of the guys that they’ve drafted in the past that didn’t make a lot of sense with ad and LeBron on there but um that that was your n yeah that was your NBA talk for the first two minutes of the Pod uh money big news I guess this week is the announcement of of training camp and the days that are open to the public I think we have 12 uh public practices uh at Elsa gundo at the bolt that you can uh pre-register for um and then there is a joint practice between the Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams I think that is for season ticket members exclusively so uh we get an idea as to what the training camp schedule looks like that joint practice with the Rams obviously that is valuable work and you know the the million-dollar question is how Coach Harbaugh is going to utilize those preseason games this year is it going to be uh Ones playing you know the first quarter or into the second quarter or uh is it going to be more of what we’ve seen the last several years yeah I’m going to go back to what you said about about the training camp cuz we know Chris we see the years we’ve been going out to Jack Hammet now we see so many people and and we have a chance to talk to so many people uh don’t sleep on that register right away it is only, 1500 people it is not like Costa Mesa it’s not like Jack Hamet where they can pile 5 10,000 people out there uh it’s capped because of just the the nature of the the bolt and the facility and trying to figure out how to fit as many fans in there as possible so do yourself a favor get get in immediately and make sure you reserve your spot for one or however any practices you you want to go to cuz at the very look you’re going to see a practice that’s going to be great you see all your favorite players that’s great but even though you can’t go in go ahead put your eyes on the bolt uh it’s pretty sweet looking so make sure you you get after that the other thing that jumped out at me is just how early it is how you know when we got that email and I’m trying to figure out all right where where am I I squeez in one more vacation here can I get a quick trip in and whatever 16th rookies on the 16th it’s a couple weeks away yeah I mean it’s what’s it today the 27th it’s it’s 17 days from now the or No 19 days from now the the rookies are going to report and then the following week July 23rd we got our we got our first practice or 20 whatever it is 22nd we got our first uh practice with the with the Vets so it’s wild how how quickly it’s arrived we’re going to have three more of these without or four more of these whatever before the rookies have to go back and also I think the thing that’s important to remember is that rookies they don’t have you know they’re not part of the bargaining process with the NFL PA so those guys can you know you can keep with the facility right now they can be working eight hour days you know you can you can get after it with the rookies throughout the this process of of downtime when the Vets you know aren’t allowed you’re not allowed to have contact with them all that sort of stuff and they get their their free time so I and and I think for a team like the Chargers Chris where rookies are going to be counted on big time you’re you’re talking about your first three picks Joe Walt is expected to play 17 games is your right tackle lad makoni is expected to play 17 games as potentially the number one target for for Justin Herbert that wouldn’t surprise any of us if that’s how it shook out by the end of it and Junior coulston a lot of people think is going to be the starting Mike and the captain of the defense so you talk about rookies that are used to playing 12 games a year and now from the moment they got drafted they’re they’re working those guys are working so it’ll be you know it’s it’s an interesting approach to to bust their ass and and and put them to work as much as they are but perhaps that’s because they got a lot to learn and they got to get up to speed they got to get their bodies right you know so they don’t hit the rookie wall and and they’re expected to contribute all the way through week 18 and end of the postseason what if we heard money about like the first four or five weeks of the regular season that it takes a while to adjust and get used to tackling and penalties and just the speed of the game and we’ve heard you know I think in large part coaches and teams not complaining but saying hey it’s not like it used to be it’s it’s harder to get ready for a season because of the way that things are set up now you know the the OTAs are optional there’s not as much hitting I think Coach Harbaugh has maximized that window as much as humanly possible and he got Buy in he got Buy in from the players throughout the entire offseason program and starting early is just another I think what he perceives as a Winning Edge you know get these rookies in early like you said they’re going to contribute get this team in early and if everyone is bought in yeah you know what day five day 11 of training camp it’s GNA be brutal these guys are going to be hating it because it’s not going to be uh it’s not Club Med but getting in I think early especially with the new regime and maybe that that learning curve at the beginning of the year for all 32 teams uh isn’t as steep especially with the new coaching staff so I I know that probably veterans when they see the schedule and they see how early they’re reporting and what it looks like they’re not going to be as thrilled um but it’s all for the greater good and um I I love the point you made about the rookies because hey like Joe Al yeah he’s a starter Junior coulson’s a starter lab makon is a starter tar still could be your starting you know there’s a there’s a lot of guys especially on the back half of the roster that may be counted on in week seven eight nine so getting them up to speed and adjusted uh earlier than later it’s a good thing I’m not the one playing but it’s a good thing I think Coach Harbaugh recognizes that yeah the you know I wanted to pull it up so I made sure I got it exactly right but going back to your point about preseason and I think training camp is you know what kind of training camp what’s training camp going to look like it’s the Mike Tomlin quote and I’m sure he and Harbaugh see it the same way quote I just think it’s difficult to box without sparring is what Mike Tomlin said about playing his guy in preseason games right and the physical nature of his training camps and I would be flored if that’s not how Jim Harbaugh approaches it that I suspect you are going to see and don’t forget for for those that think it’s just the Steelers and oh what has Mike Tomlin done and when have they won a playoff game in the last 10 years all that sort of stuff Andy Reid ons runs one of the most physical training camps and he plays those guys at least a quarter in a couple of those games so it’s not just Mike Tomlin and his you know tough approach to coaching football you’re talking about Andy Reid who’s now won three Super Bowls in four years and is cited as you know one of the one one of the most brilliant offensive Minds in the history of football you know and is is drawn up plays and you know coming up with with the the the toughest to defend passing attack in the NFL and that’s a guy that says no you got to punch each other in the mouth while we’re getting ready or else you’re not going to be ready and that’s one thing that the Chiefs historically have done as they’ve started fast and that’s always been an Andy Reid thing the Eagles always started fast and it’s it’s the old adage of you know the game in week one counts the same as the game in week 18 it’s it’s all just a win or a loss and you lose them early uh it’s no different than losing them late so try to have your team try and I think that’s what those those coaches do is they they take advantage if you’re going to to make sure we don’t want anyone hurt in preseason we don’t want anyone hurt on the field in training camp it’s a bad look we ease it in and if they get get hurt on the field so be it and they’re like whatever with that we’re going to we’re going to take advantage of all you’s that are that are SC you know kind of playing it safe and you’re not ready to go like you said the week first three four weeks of of of the season so based on the schedule that we’ve now seen and how early these guys are getting started Chargers going to be ready to go week one against the Raiders they they are going to be ready to go and they are not a team that’s going to be easing into the season and hoping the offense catches up with the defense and getting used to hitting and and the physical nature of a game I do not suspect that’ll be the case at all yep add Bill bellich to that school you know Tom Brady was rolled out there and he wanted to be out there Tom Brady wanted to be out there football is a tough physical violent game so it whether you know you practice football during trading camp or you’re in the preseason game or you’re in a regular season game there’s always going to be risk of something happening so you have to play the game you have to be ready to play the game uh and and I I I’m with you week one against the Raiders how angry are these guys going to be at each other just wanted to hit somebody else at that point so I’m I’m for this approach and again we we haven’t really talked to Coach Harbaugh about we don’t know season yet so we don’t we don’t know maybe he doesn’t play the guys as much maybe he does um that’ll be a question that as we get closer to that first preseason game and you know you look at the opponents too um Mike McDonald the head coach of the of the Seahawks I mean they have a relationship uh the the Rams obviously we’ll see what happens during that joint practice and maybe that’s where the majority of the work gets done and then that Cowboys game um week three in Dallas um there’s a decent amount of time money before that the opener and then the last preseason game you so you got so you can’t really treat it as like hey it’s not like a dress rehearsal or it’s not something that like you’re two weeks away so you do have to get some work in so I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw the quarterback and some of the uh the big- time players on this team get some run this year well it’s also you know I think it’s also a lot different of a system that they’re going to be running it’s you know Justin Herbert’s fourth offense in five years so I would assume you you want him to get some live reps out there you know you’ve got a brand new kickoff and you’re going to want to get live reps on that a great point you know you’re going to have your starting returner you’re going to have all of your starting special teamers your core four guys they’re all going to be out there when normally that would be an opportunity for you to check that back end of the roster is there anyone we missing and and that you know you’ll be able to do that in the maybe third fourth quarter but I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a ton of reps out there from your starters your core fours on kickoffs the entire game just to kind of figure out how does this thing work and can we you know that’s going to be that’s going to win games that’s it’s crazy as it sounds there is going to be a team or teams that have that thing dialed in much better than other teams that’s going to lead to a win somewhere here or there and maybe it’s coach ficken we know he’s one of the best in the business maybe he can figure something out here but it’s just so there is so much new with that that there’s no way to have it all covered by the time week one rolls around so if you can find something if you can find one little piece that maybe you can exploit that you feel like you have an advantage over the other team it’s an opportunity to bust one or to create a turnover you know deep in your opponent’s territory that can lead to a score so that’s the sort of stuff that makes this particular preseason different than others before and then individually you know for the Chargers new coaching staff likely a very different system offensively than we’ve seen in a while a lot of new players brand new backfield brand new tight ends new right tackle that’s a rookie guy trying to play Right Guard that was a right tackle new center like there’s a lot new wide receivers your number one your number two receivers are going there’s there’s a lot that’s that is and a brand new defensive system that’s different than anything these guys have ever played so that leads you to think these guys need reps they’re going to need live reps against opponents even if it’s just vanilla you’re not showing a lot just to try to get that feel that’s why these last 10 weeks I think have been so critical for the team to have the attendance to to go through the things you hear the coats of paint like installing the offense and everything in the training camp practices it’s going to be even more Paramount U the the point you made about the Special Teams is a fantastic one and I think it just it just kind of reemphasizes how important it was to keep Ryan ficken Ryan ficken knows the Personnel on this team and like you said these games come down to a possession it come down to a game it’s a difference between winning a division and losing a division or making the playoffs it could be one play it could be a series of plays throughout the course of a season so whoever can figure that out I mean you hear these Whispers And I don’t know if it was true or not but like Justin Fields returning kicks uh for for the Steelers right uh like who knows what’s going to happen who knows like Justin Reed may be doing kickoffs for the Chiefs there’s going to be a lot of experimentation I think with how the new rules go and you don’t want to get caught slipping either like you don’t want to get caught like uh with with a team having some sort of strategy you weren’t prepared for so there’s so many things that this team on top of having a new system new players that they’re going to have to account for but yeah I I I know that the Special Teams thing money I I just go back to how dominant the Chiefs have been in the AFC West and it hasn’t really been close honestly like 2018 I think was the closest the Chargers had to maybe winning the division and they had a big stage I think it was a Thursday night football game Saturday in December Saturday night Saturday night against Baltimore oh no I was talking about thinking of I was thinking of the well the Saturday night one against Baltimore they lost one they lost yeah yeah but there was one late in Kansas City um and they wait I’m trying to I think it was the same year because it was the year that they they finished with 12 wins and had to be a wild card Road team you know that and it was one game off that’s right they played they played the they played the Broncos in week 17 and they won but the Chiefs had already had the tiebreaker over them so so they they tied they both 12- four but they were the wild card team that was the closest they’ve gotten and you know you look at the differences between winning and losing and in a Division I think the Chiefs have kind of coasted through this AFC West frankly the last several years for the most part UM quarterback coaching and a running game that’s those are the three things that I think a healthy Justin Herbert which we have not seen really the last two years um the coaching Acumen of Coach Harbaugh and his staff and the emergence of a running game those are the three things that are probably going to be the main ingredients for the Chargers to win the AFC West if they’re going to do it this year those three things have to be at the top of the top to Dethrone Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes like you said they always out to us to a a fast start uh you have to match the Wits of Andy Reid you have to match the quarterback play of Patrick Mahomes and I think that that Winning Edge is going to be the running game because that’s going to make the defense better that’s going to keep the defense off the field well it’s so much of it it’s just yes it’s philosophy but it’s also makeup team makeup and you think about the Dolphins and all that speed and where has it gotten them up to this point great regular season team hard for teams to deal with playoffs roll around everybody’s beat up and they tend to get outmuscled a little bit you know and so the the Chargers are certainly going to take an approach of looks like a very physical brand of football and that tends to always play there’s a reason why the the Ravens win double digit games every year find themselves in the postseason every year that does it work in the postseason for them not really I think a lot of that has to do with the quarterback and the way he plays and and how against very good teams it’s hard to play from behind or just for whatever reason seems like mistakes tend to pop up at the most inopportune times with Lamar Jackson I’m not taking anything away from him he’s still one of the best players in the league and I’m sure about 25 or 26 of the teams in in the NFL would love to swap their quarterback for him but what I’m getting at is physicality plays there’s a reason why Coach Harbaugh is building this thing not as a mere image but in a very similar fashion is the Ravens because it works that there has been no regular season team that has been more consistent than the Ravens over the course of John Harbaugh being the head coach there it is a it is an approach it is a style and it is a philosophy that works and it’s it’s very and I and there is something to it being different than what 80% of the league is doing and so much of it has to do with personnel and the big offense that drafting well along the offensive line line and finding really good physical punishing rushers whether that’s as free agents as undrafted College rookies like Gus Edwards you know Ray Rice when you think about the the number Jamal Lewis just the number of backs that have come through there how good JK Dobbins was they and now they got Derk Henry it’s it’s a it’s an approach that works and I think Mike Rael showed that in Tennessee as well just the limitations that they had roster wise that’s another team played a very physical brand of football and same with the Steelers when you go through that list of those teams that take that approach they tend to be there at the end or at least they have a shot at it at the end of the season so what I’m getting at is it’s a different way than Justin Herbert and the Chargers have played the last four years that he’s been in the league so it’s it’s going to take a minute to to get used to it to embrace it to lean into it and recognize well it ain’t my not be as pretty it’s effective and it’s it’s effective at neutralizing your opponent’s strengths and forcing them to play a branded football that maybe they don’t have the roster capable of playing money how would you address this because i’ I’ve seen fans over the last several months because we keep talking about the running game and how physical they’re going to be and they’re going to run the football run the football and some folks are like well why why do we have Justin Herbert then if if Justin Herbert has set all these passing records like like can anybody play quarterback I don’t know if you can address how it’s not like they’re not going to throw the football you know what I mean you know like ju Justin has one of the best arms in the league and you know we saw what he did under Shane styken and airing it out and everything I just I I think that when we say it when we say that they’re going to be physical that doesn’t mean that Greg Roman’s not going to have an element to his offense that is going to air it out and Justin is going to find his guys deep down the field I think the the the running game is going to set Justin up for success and Greg Roman has said hey can you imagine Justin Herbert with a running game so it’s not going to be you know Justin throwing the ball 12 times I I don’t think it’s going to be that but I I don’t know if you I’m sure you see here say no it’s it’s I know exactly what you’re saying and I don’t know if I brought this up here or if it was something that Lorenzo and I were talking about but this is my counter to that who’s the number one rushing team in the league the the team that runs it more than anyone else that has built an offense around their running game made it to the Super Bowl last year Christian mcaffrey MVP voting it is a team that runs Kyle Shanahan’s offense is predicated on the success of running wide Zone and there’s a reason why he traded four draft picks and is paying Christian mcaffrey a 30% premium over any other back in the league because he’s that valuable of a player so that when you look at it it’s who’s the most important player on offense for the 49ers Christian mcaffrey right what did Brock P do last year finished third in MVP voting fifth in passing yards uh third in touchdown passes and first in quarterback rating guy threw for 4300 yards 31 touchdowns had a quarterback rating of 113 and he was playing in an offense that is predicated on the success of wide Zone and Christian mcaffrey the numbers are going to be there the numbers can be there yeah it’s when I I dug this up um so Alex Smith and it’s a different remember it was a different time 10 years ago might as well have been 50 years ago in the NFL the way offenses were operating and what was valued and think about how important Frank Gore was to Coach Harbaugh I think he said it’s player he’s ever coached so that that that San Francisco offense was when he came in was built around the running game around offensive line around Frank Gore and Alex Smith threw it 400 and 45 times it’s not a huge number but it’s it’s up there first year eight of his 16 games he threw it over 30 times and that was Alex Smith who up to that point was considered a bust and had led a a San Francisco team to sub 500 Seasons I think three wins one year six wins the next and yet here’s Coach Harbaugh with Frank Gore his favorite player throwing it 445 times not with Justin Herbert who’s already proven he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league and in the conversation as the best thrower in the league that was with Alex Smith he was still winning to throw it around that much Herbert let’s put it in perspective last year in just 13 games Herbert threw it 456 times that’s how much he was throwing the ball so that’s that’s something and let me just pull up Brock’s attempts last year so last year he only attempted 444 passes Herbert threw 12 more passes in four fewer games than Brock pie yet look at the production that pie had look at how effective he was with a dominant Run game and a 113 quarterback rating and 31 touchdowns 11 more touchdowns and it’s fair to point out the weapons around him and and the fact that mcaffrey on a little dump off can take it 40 yards to the house and you got George KD and you’ve got Brandon auk and Debo and all these guys that get a ton of yak but that’s what I’m getting at is you what your system may be you can find the strengths of your quarterback and play to those and that to me is it’s like okay do would you sign up for Brock P season for Justin Herbert right now of course you would 31 touchdowns a QB rating of 113 69% completion rate and 4280 yards of course you would of course you would and that just illustrates the key to the season it’s the running game like like you said Chris mcaffry is the best running back in football they’re they’re they paid a premium for him uh Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins didn’t pay as much for those guys but JK Dobbins has the potential to do I you know I I want to say it’s it’s probably hard to say because he’s been you that’s a ailles injury is a big time injury but if he’s ready to go man he could put up top 10 top 12 numbers in the NFL but it it’s G to take that Collective of Gus JK um Spiller uh Videl Videl right Videl viel viel Kimani viel I’m gon I’m gonna mess it up every week now because I’m thinking about it looks like Vidal but whether it’s Vidal Sassoon or Adam sorry and I’m sorry yes it looks like Vidal but it’s vial according to the pronunciation guide at Troy University but but the running game money in in the the the offensive line like that’s going to be the biggest key to this season if because they’re going to want to play that way and if they can play that way and you can cater to Justin strengths who has more ability than Brock pie then hey you’re cooking you know but that running game I Gus and JK and who emerges as that third running back is is going to be something that uh is going to be very intriguing throughout preseason and Training Camps what would what would you rather have and I know when you look back and you see the the the results it’s easy to pick but I’m just saying even with Justin Herbert so last year we mentioned Brock Pur the you know Sam darnold played some cleanup time in there so they threw it 491 times they ran it 499 times their opponent in the Super Bowl Kansas City Chiefs completely opposite 635 passing attempts to just 417 rushes because they have Patrick Mahomes so that’s the flip side of that like okay well yeah but they have Brock pie Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes and even without not like with a wide receiver core that really struggled still threw it 635 times now if you expand that to the AFC Championship Game Lamar it’s it’s not even really fair because Lamar doesn’t you know that’s not what Lamar does you know Lamar ran at 148 times you know behind Gus Edwards second most so they ran at 541 to throw in at 494 but let’s just go to the Detroit Lions you think about that you’ve got all those weapons and you’re talking about 600 attempts to 500 rushes that sounds about right could see that I I could see that be the split for for a team that has Justin Herbert I could totally see a 5545 split in favor of passing I I think that that’s what I think it would look like and I think the lions are a great example of this is something I brought up with low on the on the Bal show when you look at the projections and the power rankings and you’re ranking The rosters ESPN put up the the roster rankings and the Chargers came in 24th 2 fourth out of and and in the AFC the only teams they were ahead of were the Titans Raiders Patriots and Broncos so you got 11 teams ahead of them in the AFC that that the anal these are the analytics guys shatz and clay and those guys over at Espin put this together and projected now Clay’s projection on the season in terms of win probability still had the Chargers winning 10 games so it’s the sum of the parts the the whole is worth more than the sum of the parts so what what I’m getting at is the the Lions I would imagine if you went back a year were in a very similar ranking because they didn’t know how to rank Sam laor they didn’t know how to rank jir Gibbs they didn’t know what Jared gof was going to be there there’s just uncertain they didn’t know that that um uh why is his name escaping me the linebacker Jack um their rookie that that was one of their leaders in Tex Jacka Jack Campbell and that Brian Branch was GNA play so well as a nickel like that and that to me is very and yet the thing about the lions that separated them and why they ended up in the NFC championship game I believe it’s because they had again the whole was greater than the sum of the parts they they have a a culture and a belief and they follow their head coach’s lead more than any head coach in the league and they were a very physical team and they had outlier performances from their rookies Sam lorta had one of if not the best rookie tight end season ever and jir Gibbs was lightning in a bottle and every time he touched the ball it was a potential touchdown Jack Campbell had nearly a 100 tackles Brian Branch was able to step in and play very effective nickel corner and that’s that’s what’s that’s what the Chargers are going to need that’s what they’ll need they will need I don’t even know how I got on this topic I’m sorry I’m just like spewing garbage but no we’re we’re trying to we’re trying to project what the Chargers May look like because hey San Franc San Francisco has a lot of all Pros on the outside they have an all pro in the back field but the trajectory of the lines I think is a great example because a it follows the the lead of the head coach um I think Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn hey they got head coaching interviews up and down the league for a reason and I think the continuity around those guys so having having the the Harbaugh Administration in toe for three to five years I think is going to uh speak volumes um and you hope it it starts as early as this year um but also a guy for the Lions money that was fantastic for them was David mcgomery like he was the hammer he was the hammer so they hit you with mcgomery and then they changed it up with Gibbs they had leapor they had Alan rth St Brown Jameson Williams came back he had some speed so there’s a lot of uh and I forgot they played Branch at safety I was thinking they played him at nickel they played him at safety he was a nickel safety hybrid play play him where he’s a you know like a Derwin James you can play him wherever you want anyway yeah yeah but I think that you’re making the point yeah you you you project like Hayden Hurst Hayden Hurst playing with Justin Herbert maybe that looks different than what it looked like in Carolina last year right Bryce young uh you know uh you have lad makoni coming in I think DJ CH with Justin Herbert could look different um we we we both have uh good feelings about Joshua Palmer we both think that Quinton Johnson can improve this year and we hope he does uh it’s it’s that running game that running game is going to dictate everything and and uh if if Gus Edwards at JK Dobbins can replicate what they did in Baltimore man with a guy like Justin Herbert you’re talking about uh a a Personnel grouping on offense that I really think can can lead the way I I’m I’m not as concerned with the defense money because I I do think that the time of possession if they can hold time of possession and run the football and get leads early in the game and keep the defense off the field um I’m pretty confident that Jesse M is gonna be able to cook some stuff up with with Joey and khil and Bud and Morgan Fox and Tulie and and Derwin can can do his thing in the secondary with uh with a pretty new looking secondary group but just the offense in in that running game that may be something the Chiefs haven’t seen in this division in a long time I’ll I’ll start with your your you know point about the front I was listening to DJ and Bucky un move the sticks they had Leslie Frasier on one of the great defensive coaches in the league and former head coach you know listen to that incredible player won the super was part of the 46 defense with the Bears and and he was asked has a secondary you know as a guy that played in the secondary and sa secondary coach and you know front to back or back to front and he said front to back he’s like when you get the front going we can do a lot of stuff on the back end as long as we’re connected as long as we’re playing for each other if you got a front that can affect the passing game that can speed up the clock that can take away ultimately what you want to do that can force the play to runoff schedule you can do you can do things with the back if you don’t have the front die on the vine you got to sit out there too long quarterback has an opportunity to just stand in the pocket and Pat the ball he’s going to find someone that’s open so again we we can’t say it every time we bring up a point well if healthy just assume they’re healthy so with the front and the addition of Bud depri and another year of of understanding how football works in the NFL for Tuli it’s G to be one of the best in the league unless there is just a precipitous drop from khil Mack in his you know age 33 season which I don’t suspect considering how dominant he was last year so as long as you have that I am concerned about the secondary like anyone should be Christian Fulton who’s had to deal with injuries almost every year Sant Samuel who has had some you know he’s been great in some situations and has needed to work on some things in others particularly tackling and run support and I feel like he’s he got better a little bit in that last year and you’re looking for a nickel it’s it’s either a sixth round pick from two years ago or a fifth round pick from this year right now is how it’s lining up so but what what coach also said in that was it’s so important for the second what coach Frasier said in on move the sticks and I’m paraphrasing and and I hope I get it right but he just talked about having a connected secondary and how important it is and he talked about his time with the Bears and with Gary fensi and with that H buddy Ryan who was his coach and and pointed out that when you have a selfless attitude in the secondary and every because it’s it can be a very individual position and there’s and what do they always say the further the further away you get from the ball more Diva Behavior more individual Behavior shows up and you think about wide receivers and corners and it’s as a corner if the other guy is getting two interceptions you’ve got to be comfortable knowing well yeah you got two because I locked up my guy and the quarterback was not even looking at me he wouldn’t throw it my way because I had such good coverage and it’s up to that individual that scored the two interceptions to say well the only reason I had my opportuni is because opposite of me my guys got his dude locked up so they were trying to pick on me and we showed him and guess what next week they’re going to start picking on him because now no one’s coming my way next week cuz I caught off a two pick game and that’s that’s something that they’re going to need to find that they they will and you would assume because of the leader in that room being who it is and and durwin James that’s very easy to visualize that this is a team that can create a connected secondary that can be very opportunistic and and create turnovers because of how good that front is signing uh right before Camp wrot Tony Jefferson yeah right on Q right on Q he comes from finish the Pod he signs an hour later like you did yeah what was the other one it was uh was it CH I think it’s ch yeah I we finished it and he signed like three hours later he signed three hours later anxious to see who signs today maybe it’s Conor williamss signs today or something who knows let’s put somebody out there right Justin Simmons Justin Simmons there you go uh but that’s great it’s what it’s what it’s what Duran said he wanted presser said but what’s Tony Jefferson man he knows this defense oh let’s sign him freeze me up to do what I want what I need to do every week it’s a second teacher that’s what I was saying like like M was with Tony Jefferson of Baltimore he knows what it’s supposed to look like so even if he does this I mean he probably won’t start but if he’s the third safety he can get some of these young safeties in line help the secondary understand where they need to be and right now like I think you kind of laid out who we think may be kind of the projected starters going into Camp uh Christian Folton Assante alohi Derwin and would you give still maybe the edge right now in the slot entering Camp based on what you saw the little you saw it it’s here J I mean it looks right now that’s what it looks like unless they they sign someone that that might be available the thing with Tony is they need three safeties if if derwin’s going to go into week one and his assignments Brock Bowers then you need that third safety you know that Tony’s got to be on field if that’s what derwin’s going to do or the next week against Carolina if he’s going to rush you know and try to make life hell for Bryce Young You Know by sending him a lot and keeping him on the line of scrimmage then that’s that means you need Tony out there a lot and that’s the key that’s what we were talking about that that really there there was one position that stood out ahead of all others and and that was this is a battle between you know you know JT Woods has got to step up and fin you know between woods and Finley and it’s like are you really comfortable with that being your third safety knowing what that unlocks if you find someone that you’re comfortable putting there knowing that that unlocks Derwin to play in any particular week wherever you need him most because he can do that you can use him as an eraser then and that’s why and look when I’m going through Tony’s when I’m going through Tony’s stats right now yeah there’s there’s still some concern there you know he’s he’s a little bit older we talked about that before yeah missed a year of football missed a year of football did not play two years ago so or has not played since 2022 with the Giants and he barely played that year did not have did not have a whole lot of stats that year only 23 total tackles so really you know 21 talking about in 2019 he only played five games in 2021 he played for he played six games 2022 he played nine games so there’s some concern there there’s some injury issues there but when you go back and maybe he just needed the year off to get his body to heal cuz it’s not like he’s that old I think he’s 30 uh he’s 32 that’s old 32 but you go back to 2019 or I should say 2018 his last full season and he’s got 74 tackles he’s got a sack he’s got six tackles for loss he’s got a couple quarterback hits he’s got a forced fumble he’s got an interception like he’s but that’s you know that’s uh what SE six years ago so that’s what what I’m getting at is I don’t know if they’re done I don’t know if that’s more of like you said Chris a coach on the field or if that’s this is our third safety now we’re good or if there’s still potential for someone to be signed at that spot and like you know you heard from I mentioned Conor Williams name the only reason I brought it up is because we were getting ready for the Pod looking at free agents still available and trying to see what was out there and and Connor said what I think a lot of these guys that are left Gilmore Simmons Williams is probably the top offensive lineman out there right now is I’ll wait till training camp I’ll I’ll wait till training camp and then we’ll we’ll see who feels like they need a little something and with the Chargers getting an a jump early by starting with all with everybody on July 23rd by the end of that week they may say before anyone else has really got into the depths of their training camp you know what we we need we need this we need this let’s go get them let’s we got some money we still have X number of millions of dollars under the cap let’s go offer it and let’s go get them hey let’s end the Pod just with kind of rounding out the defense real quick we talked about the secondary linebackers we’re looking at Coulson we’re looking at Henley and Denzel I think those are the top three uh there and then we mentioned Edge defensive tackle what do we thinking there as as far as projected starters paa Ford it was Puna and Matlock that were out there with the ones when we were at many Camp that’s we talked about it right we’ve talked about the you know what is I’m looking at it right now as it lists right now it’s Puna and Tito Tito of course did not quite look right coming back from his injury last year it was a gnarly injury two years ago so maybe he’s right and we know he was really coming on yeah middle of that rookie campaign when he got hurt in San Francisco that’s what it’s listed at right now but I’m just saying what we saw out there was was Matlock and Puna and I mean right now they have it listed as Morgan Fox Tito and Puna and obviously Bose s Mack on the outside and that three four so that’s one where and when you look the next line Matt lock sixth round pick Gerard Clark undrafted free agent Justin Abby fourth round pick that coach ston when we asked him said is a developmental project that they love the tools but that’s someone that’s going to need to develop and then behind them CJ AO part of the international pathway program and Savon Jackson so there’s yes that’s yeah that’s certainly a bit of a concern and and likely now that Tony Jefferson’s here if that’s what they’re going to try to make work the you know that that’s the one position I think that sticks out the most right now and I’m trying to see who’s because there’s not a lot available in that category by the way it’s you’re talking about guys who are older who probably if they are going to play they’re not trying to go to Trad Camp no there’s not a lot out there right now they’re older guys and the the development Inhibitors as as coach Parcels we regularly say that that’s the thing you got to be careful of are you signing a guy because of the name on his jersey and can he really still play and if he could why is he why is he out there well it’s it’s a great opportunity for a guy like Scott Matlock who coach harball name checked and uh you know Tito abonia man like you said it that was devastating that that injury in San Francisco he was playing really well as a rookie he’s a strong powerful dude just was never right last year and the season wasn’t right so it it’s good to have him back in his third year in a new regime and and maybe he can he can pop in in Late July money yeah I’m looking and I’m not seeing a whole lot here you got what I think is Fletcher Cox I think is retired did he end up resigning Shelby Harris both those guys are 33 Carlos Watkins Javon kinlaw just signed with the Jets that’s right he said yeah there’s not there is not a lot out there right now so you know our old friend Nick Williams was was on the Chargers last year yeah Nick’s available yeah so that’s the one I would probably keep an eye out for yeah and that’s the thing listen trades uh surprise Cuts you know there’s there’s going to be some teams that that like their their draft picks or some guy who’s who’s a lot cheaper than maybe somebody making 10 to 12 million that you know may get released early and find a new home like yeah that’s the that’s the thing budy all that movement in July and August it it happens and it happens quickly you we we’ve seen guys come in and out um uh throughout the the training camp months so that’s something to keep you keep our eyes on as we uh as we kind of just wait for for July 23rd to to finally get here we have a few more pods before uh before the rookies report we do but again we’ll we’ll we’ll have an opportunity to figure it out there there’s going to be more stuff coming that’s that’s the funny thing about it all is it’s is I’m looking at their their depth chart right now just with all the rookies some of these guys are going to raise their hands we’re going to hear stuff out of the facility with some of the rookies that are starting to impress and look pretty good and it’s just hard to project anything until they start going with the pads on we say it every week so can’t get here soon enough it is we still wi 45 minutes today though uh next week is uh it’s July 4th yeah if you listen if you’ve listened to this point we should give a gift we should give a gift away it but like you said I felt like we did all right next week will be interesting figure out how we’re going to do that the fourth being on uh Fourth of July yeah that’s a that’s a TBD guys we’ll we’ll let you know how how that shakes out but um uh always good being here on a Thursday for uh Matt moneys Smith I’m Chris Hy this has been Chargers weekly we’ll see you guys next month [Music]

On this episode of Chargers Weekly, Chris Hayre and Matt “Money” Smith recap the latest news involving LA and the entire NFL. The hosts break down the Bolts’ expectations in 2024, from position battles in Training Camp to potential late offseason additions. They discuss who are positioned for breakouts this season and why quarterback Justin Herbert is being underrated in Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman’s offense.

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