Top plays, notes, quotes and more from Tuesday's action.
TOP PLAYS:
Jason Verrett showed off his strength by dislodging a ball over the middle.
Melvin Gordon took a pitch to the right and followed his lineman up the field.
Chris McCain slashed across the line of scrimmage to meet the rusher in his tracks.
Branden Oliver wiggled his way up the gut between linemen for a nice gain.
Philip Rivers trusted Antonio Gates over the middle, placing the ball between two defenders for the tight end to make the reception about 20 yards down field.
Jatavis Brown filled the hole nicely for what would have been a huge tackle.
Melvin Ingram was a blur off the snap, greeting the running back in the backfield.
Caraun Reid sliced through the line for a noteworthy pass rush.
Keenan Allen caught a bullet over the middle from Philip Rivers.
Nick Dzubnar tracked Keenan Allen over the middle and had him dead to rights.
Trevor Williams stayed stride-for-stride with Travis Benjamin on a deep bomb, forcing the incompletion.
WHO IMPRESSED:
Ricky Henne's Take:It was a gray, overcast morning with light drizzles - the kind of weather that makes most want to curl up under the covers in front of the fireplace. But if you think the Chargers had a sleepy practice, think again. I was impressed by the energy the Bolts brought to the morning session. It was pretty chipper with a lot of back and forth chatter between the offense and defense. Antonio Gates followed up his impressive preseason debut with another strong practice, catching a number of passes over the middle. I also liked the way Melvin Ingram continues to burst off the snap in a flash.
ODDS AND ENDS:
Head Coach Anthony Lynn announced that Denzel Perryman will miss about 6-8 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery. He also stated that Kenjon Barner is in the concussion protocol while Jerry Attaochu is week to week with a hamstring injury.
Nick Dzubnar and Korey Toomer saw most of the reps at Mike linebacker in place of Perryman.
Hall of Famer James Lofton was in attendance catching all the action.
Practice resumes Wednesday and is open to the public at Jack Hammett Sports Complex. Gates open at 9:00 a.m.
BOLTS QUOTEBOOK:
*"Denzel was looking to step up as a leader and he did. He was one of our leaders on this team, and he still will be. He'll be around. He'll be at the meetings and he'll be at practice, he just won't be on the field." – *Head Coach Anthony Lynn
*"You have to make (protecting the football) an emphasis in practice. You have to talk about it. A couple of (the turnovers) were tipped balls and one time Kellen (Clemens) was trying to pull it and the ball came out. It was just unfortunate, but it doesn't matter." – *Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt
* "It's still a battle at that position. It's not just handed to me. It was never handed to me in the beginning when I got here last year. I've still got to go out and earn a spot. I've got to put the work in." – *Linebacker Korey Toomer
*"Special teams is my bread-and-butter. I'm a fighter. I like wrestling guys. I like competing. It's just you and me, one-on-one, who's going to get the ball? I like that fighter's mentality. In my mind, I'm always going to be a special teams demon. As long as you put me on special teams, I'm going to compete my ass off every single time I'm out there." – *Linebacker Nick Dzubnar
TOP PHOTOS:
The Bolts return to the practice field after their StubHub Center debut for preseason game one.
