Top Quotes From Day 12 of Training Camp

Aug 11, 2021 at 03:40 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, California.

1. Derius Swinton II on the competition at kicker:

"It's been good. Every guy every day has been working on something. Sunday was a good day to get out in the stadium. We've been kicking on this - obviously, the surface isn't the same as the stadium. Getting back into an NFL stadium, getting back in front of the fans, I think that was a good experience for him. All of them would tell you, as any specialist would tell you, they want to hit every kick. The reality of it is that we didn't. That's just something that we have to get better at. We embrace it. You don't want to go through practices and be perfect. You don't know how to improve if you don't have a miss here and there. You want to hit every kick, but we're just going to keep improving. It's a long camp. You don't want to be peaking now; you want to be getting there in the regular season, at game one."

2. Michael Badgley on what he worked on in the offseason:

"A little bit of everything, whether it was kickoffs or field goals. Getting the legs sharp, getting my lines down to what I am comfortable doing, getting some power put into that leg and kind of working on all assets of the game. Maybe focused more on the kickoff stuff. I had a great offseason built into this and was ready to go for it this camp."

3. K.J. Hill on his comfort with the offense:

"I'm very comfortable with it now. I had OTAs this year, so that was a big thing for me. I had OTAs where we ran those same plays in the spring, so coming into summer, I had an idea of what the playbook was and what was going on. In my first year, I didn't have that. I just came in and it was time to play. This year, coming into year two, it's way easier. I wish [this was the way] I had come in as a rookie."

4. Derius Swinton II on K Michael Badgley:

"This guy has done it for a long time in this league. He has really done it a long time in this league. He's hit a lot of big kicks. What you see from him now is his height on the ball is getting up. He's really done a good job in that 40-49 [yards out] area, where most misses in the NFL are for kickers. We've been focusing on that. I think he's just had his head down and has been working. As a high school quarterback, he's embraced competition. I think that he's really embraced that. He's hard on himself. He's just getting himself to where he needs to be, peaking at the right time. I like the way that he's been working and progressing every day."

5. Michael Badgley on being in a position battle:

"It's competition. It's why you play the game. It's part of why you like football, why you love being in sports; the competition always brings out the best in people. That's how I am always approaching the game. Competition is always going to be there."

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6. K.J. Hill on the intensity of competition in training camp:

"I love the competition; it brings the best out of me. Competing at wide receiver, competing at punt return, kick return. All I can do is my best. I love competing; I'm a competitor. It brings the best out in my game.

7. Derius Swinton II on where he learned his special teams drills:

"Situational football. You can't assume guys know. If a kick's blocked and it goes across the line of scrimmage, what do we do? Do we need to go get on it? If it goes behind the line of scrimmage, we want to scoop and score. If they go out into a fake, how do we cover it down? Trying to put these guys into miniature situations so that when we go to the big game, it's, 'Oh, I've done this before. I have recall.' That's what you see every day, some type of situational football, whether it's two-minute and we're ready to kick it there - we're trying to get that here and there in practice, just so that when we get into the moment, it's, 'I've been there before.'"

8. Michael Badgley on if he has adjusted his approach to field goal attempts:

"Well, every kicker has their own style, and they are going to know whether or not if it's a miss hit right off the bat. With every kicker having their own style, it's kind of hard to just change up what you do. So, it's one of those things where you go back to step one and go right back to the process. I didn't change who I am or the way that I kick. I am just excited."

9. K.J. Hill on QB Justin Herbert last year compared to what he's doing this year:

"Justin is playing with a lot of confidence right now, more than ever. He's being more vocal being a leader out there. The biggest thing coming from our rookie year to year two is the speaking up more and being a leader, leading this team. That's what I see more from him this year."

10. Michael Badgley on Special Teams Coordinator Derius Swinton II:

"Great coach with a lot of energy. He brings that into every single meeting. He's excited to be here. I think that just kind of pours out to the rest of the teammates. It makes everyone else excited about special teams. He's been a great coach."