Although Junior Colson's debut in the powder blue was delayed, it came to fruition Saturday afternoon in Dallas.
"It felt good to be back out there," Colson said Tuesday. "It wasn't in my control to be out for a while."
Colson missed some time to start training camp after undergoing an appendectomy and worked his way back onto the field near the middle of camp.
And when the rookie linebacker finally got to step between the white lines, he displayed the skills and traits that made him a recent third-round pick.
The rookie linebacker was all over the field against the Cowboys, racking up five total tackles, including two on third downs that got the defense off the field. He also posted the second-highest coverage grade (77.7) and third-highest defensive grade (81.1) among rookie linebackers in Week 3 of the preseason, according to Pro Football Focus.
It was a welcome sight for both the Bolts and Colson alike.
"Just being to be able to be back out there with my brothers, have fun, enjoy it," Colson said Tuesday in his first media availability since the draft. "I had a lot of fun out there, just getting my feet wet a bit."
He later added: "We play at a high level in college, it just kind of felt like that. It was just a bigger game, it wasn't like I was playing a bigger team. It was fun."
Colson remained mentally involved even when he was working his way back.
He has taken the same approach as he has in previous years — to try and be as prepared as possible with everything and continue to stay ready.
Even if he's in a scheme he knows like the back of his hand.
"Every year I always do it the same," Colson said "I'm kind of like a new kid, always learning, so I write all the same stuff down again. Same plays ... doesn't matter how many times I've ran it. I'll still write it down again, I'll still look over it and go over it because you can never be perfect at it."
Colson later added: "It might come up maybe 14th game and we haven't ran it since the first game of the year. It'll come up at a certain point, so you always want to stay sharp, you always want to stay ready."
It helps to have some familiar faces around while navigating through a rookie season, too.
Whether it's Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh or Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter — both of whom he played for at Michigan — the Chargers third-round pick was straightforward about how much it's helped.
"Oh yeah, I'm not going to lie about that," Colson said. "It makes it easier.
"It makes it, maybe you can say a step up. It's a blessing," Colson added. "It does having those guys, the terminology, certain things, makes it a lot easier to just go out there and play."
Not only does it make it an easier transition, there is also a built-in understanding between both sides.
"It's awesome to have all the guys here. It's a lot of fun because at the end of the day they're the same people," Colson said. "They coach you just as hard, they understand you, you understand them and how they operate.
"Having those guys with me, I think I've been placed in the best situation," Colson continued. "I've been blessed to be able to have those kind of guys around me, to have Coach Minter, Coach Harbaugh, all those guys, [Executive Director of Player Performance Ben Herbert], [defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale], all those guys around me.
"I don't think in a long time there's been somebody that's been more blessed to be in a situation that I'm in," Colson added. "I'm happy, I'm enjoying it."
The focus now shifts to his first regular season as a pro — one that he is preparing for as best he can.
It's about controlling what he can control when the time comes.
"Since I've been back, I think I've been performing very, very well," Colson said. "As the reps come my way, I just have to make sure I'm ready for those, ready for them, ready for anything that happens because that's the only thing I can do.
"I can only control myself and how I perform," Colson added. "I think I've been performing at a really good level right now."
