Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco was a guest on episode No. 19 of the Backstage: Chargers Podcast presented by Toyota.
In a 20-minute interview, Telesco recapped the 2018 season and discussed how the team can further improve in 2019. Other topics included: parallels between the 2002 Colts and 2018 Chargers, how kicker Michael Badgley became a Charger, 2019 Senior Bowl Week – which is currently underway – and more. Highlights from the conversation are below:
Telesco on Year Two under Head Coach Anthony Lynn (6:35):
"Last year, we really started to build that resolve, and the grit and the toughness – (we) built that last year. What I saw this year was I saw, really, the players really taking ownership of themselves. … Obviously, Anthony (Lynn's) our leader. Anthony's the one that sets the tone, but I really saw this year the players taking that ownership of really running that locker room. Just a bigger voice, and I think they all know what's expected of them from the head coach – and that helps – and then they carry out that message through the locker room and we're going to see that through the offseason into next training camp."
Telesco on the Senior Bowl (17:20):
"It's not as big as what they did in college in the fall, but it's certainly bigger than what they'll do at the combine because at least at the Senior Bowl they have a helmet and shoulder pads on and they're playing real football rather than at the combine running around cones and hitting a pad. So, this is real football and it's good competition, so they're playing – it's the best against the best; best seniors against the best seniors. So, every rep in practice, you know it's a quality rep and they're going against somebody who's probably going to play in the NFL as well. So, (it's) a great evaluation tool. It's (an) up close and personal look at these players. Our scouts will spend a lot of time with them, just talking with them, getting to know them as people, which we can't do on campus very often during the fall. So, this is the first time we can really start spending some time with these players and see what makes them tick, and just to see them live."
Subscribe to the Backstage: Chargers Podcast presented by Toyota on Apple Podcasts. A five-star rating/review is appreciated and will help spread the word to other fans during the regular season. The Backstage: Chargers Podcast posts each Tuesday and is also available on Stitcher, TuneIn or Google Play.
