The Chargers announced at the beginning of the month that Pep Hamilton would join the Bolts' coaching staff as the team's quarterbacks coach.
Hamilton, who has over a decade of experience coaching in the NFL, most recently served as the general manager and head coach of the DC Defenders in the XFL.
But now nearly a month into his current gig, Hamilton discussed why he wanted to join this staff, thoughts about the quarterbacks room and more.
On Joining the Chargers
"It feels great to be a part of a franchise that has high expectations. Having the quarterback group we have and working for coach (Anthony) Lynn is something I'm looking forward to. The opportunity to work for Coach Lynn's staff, and a franchise that expects to win, that was intriguing for me. I was excited when Coach Lynn first reached out … he laid out his expectations which is not only to win, but to have sustained success. (Offensive coordinator) Shane Steichen's been great. He's a bright football mind and the sky's the limit for the offense."
On the Quarterbacks Room
"The group is a group of guys who love football. And, we have an athletic group. I do think that with the group, their physical attributes are different than what the team had in the past decade or so. Those guys will be able to do a lot of things that you probably haven't seen in the offenses the Chargers have had in recent years. I just know that we've had some great meetings. Everybody's been attentive, just gathering information."
On Tyrod Taylor's Familiarity with the Offense
"It's helpful, especially under the circumstances. In a non-traditional offseason, familiarity with all the above is going to be important. We're going to lose a large portion of time that we would have on the grass because we're not able to have a traditional offseason. It's going to be very important that Tyrod's understanding and familiarity with coach Lynn and our system, that that carries over to the rest of the guys in the huddle. His poise impresses me. I've been watching him from afar for quite some time, and I've always been impressed with his ability to go out and make plays and more importantly, help his team win games."
On Justin Herbert
"The combination of size, athletic ability and arm talent (is intriguing,) but more importantly, he's had a ton of experience playing in games. It really helped him staying an extra year at Oregon. He has over 1,200 pass attempts in college and you can't teach experience. When it's time for him to play once he's acclimated to the speed of the NFL game and has a good understanding of what NFL defenses are trying to do, I think the sky's the limit."
On His Coaching Philosophy
"My overall coaching philosophy is to meet the players where they are. I do understand that guys have certain physical gifts that you want to highlight on the field, but all guys learn differently. It's important as coaches that we help them to realize their full potential. And if that means that we have to adjust some of the things that we've done traditionally to accommodate the player, then we'll need to do just that."
