The Chargers special teams has evolved into one of the league's most consistent units in recent seasons.
An underrated reason for that? Assistant special teams coach Chris 'Beep' Gould, who knows a thing or two about special teams.
Gould kicked collegiately at Virginia and later coached seven seasons with the Broncos before joining the Bolts in 2022.
Here is our Coaches' Corner with Gould:
Chris, we appreciate your time. How is Year 3 going with the Chargers?
"Year 3 has been good. It's early in the season and still lots of the ball to be played, but so far, so good. I like the direction that this team is trending, the vision that we have for it. I think we keep working to get better every day and we'll be able to have some success."
What do like about working with Special Teams Coordinator Ryan Ficken?
"Fick's an incredible human being, you know, and he treats me and my family super well. That's first and foremost. Second, he does an incredible job of creating a culture in which he's open to ideas. He listens and it's really about creating a back and forth with the players where they feel comfortable with you and you feel comfortable with them. The big difference working with him is he values everybody's opinions and he's willing to take your input. I think that's what sets him apart as a coach and why he's had so much success because he knows that he can't be the only guy in the room with the ideas. He's listening to everybody and I really respect that about him."
How have the past few months been under Jim Harbaugh?
"Jim's been incredible to work for. The thing about Jim that I like is that he's got a distinct vision and brand of football that he wants to play and you can see how the team is taking to that early in the season. I think it's been really good to see how he operates and stuff like that. This guy is a competitor. He wants to win at everything. He was doing the workouts with the players. I mean, when you see someone doing that — and no job is too small or too big — I think that makes you want to work harder. So I can see why he's had success in all his stops and I've enjoyed working with him."
What makes Cameron Dicker such a successful kicker?
"Cam does a great job of bringing energy every day. He's got energy, work ethic and then he's always in a good mood, you know? And I think that's always a good thing for a kicker because you're able to relax. You can tell that he's just out there having fun, but he's got incredible work ethic and he's also super competitive. I think he has that drive that it takes to be at this level and sustain."
What does long snapper Josh Harris bring to your room?
"He's got leadership and presence. You can look at him and you can see that he's diligent and has work ethic on and off the field. That sets him apart from other people. The biggest thing that I see with him is like he's constantly working on his craft with exact precision. He's studying tape right after the practice. He's watching it, he's already seen it before he comes up to watch the tape with us. I've got total respect for him and his game and how he's been able to sustain in this league. Year 13, that's incredible."
What do you like about JK's performances right now?
"JK’s got incredible hang time, elite hang time. He's had that basically his entire career. I think that he's another guy that, on and off the field, incredible work ethic. Always working on his drops. And then big thing for us is he's done a great job of controlling returners with hang time and direction. If he can continue to do that, we'll be set up for success for the year. But he just does a great job vertically exploding through the football and giving our coverage guys the time to get down there."
Which young players have impressed you so far this season?
"Cam Hart, obviously, he stepped in at fullback [personal protector] and did a good job. He also has the ability to play gunner. He's played safety on punt return and then he also has the ability to play corner. His versatility is something that helps this football team out. AJ Finley is versatile for us. Junior Colson is coming along, so is Tarheeb Still. They may not have had as many opportunities or reps, but you know, they put the work in every day and I'd have full confidence that those guys can go out there and execute. And then Simi Fehoko has kind of taken his game to the next level. He's made a couple of big plays on punt as a gunner. I think all those guys collectively are doing a good job."
