Take a look at some of the top quotes from the fifth day of Chargers training camp.
1. Head Coach Brandon Staley on Monday's practice
"Really liked our pace. Any time that you're in pads for the very first time, I think, as a coach, you're just making sure that the operation goes smoothly and that everyone understands the parameters of the practice. When you put pads on, there are different rules of engagement, so just making sure that both sides of the ball understand that. I felt like that was a highlight for me in practice —not just the way we competed, but how we competed; fierce but fair, and making sure that we respect each other as competitors. Being brand new, I don't want to take anything for granted. We wanted to make sure that we defined it well for our players so that they could go out and play well. I was excited about how we practiced today."
2. DT Linval Joseph on Staley
"I mean, to be honest with you, he's probably one of the best coaches I've had in 12 years. He's a family man. He loves football. He wants the best for his players and wants you to be an overall good person. I feel like it's more than just football with him. I feel like it's a family. I feel like since he got here and over the whole OTAs have happened, it's brought us closer together. When we were able to come together for OTAs, it showed us how much he cares on and off the field.
"Once again, he's a little bit younger. He's 38-years old. He has a lot of energy. He loves his job. He loves his family. I feel like this was a good decision to bring him in."
3. TE Jared Cook on QB Justin Herbert
"Man, he's smart. He gets the defense. He gets the offense. He's able to push the ball down the field and find holes in the defense where it really matters. He takes what the defense gives him. He's just good at identifying stuff. I think [C] Corey Linsley has been a huge help to him, just kind of helping him with MIKE points and identifying defenses. He's done a great job of catching on and moving forward."
4. Staley on Rashawn Slater
"High aptitude to improve. I think that he can handle it mentally, the way that we want to play. From a mental standpoint, this guy is about as sharp as you could hope for on the offensive line. Mature beyond his years. Physically, you see the movement, you see the strength. Now, he has to translate his game to blocking [OLB] Joey Bosa and understand that there's a big game within a game in blocking different players and understanding how to use your skillsets against somebody else. Then, how to work with your teammate — 'Hey, I have to know how to play with our left guard,' and how those guys can really work together. We're still at the beginning of that, but he's here staying after practice all of the time with [Run Game Coordinator/OL Coach] Frank [Smith] and [Assistant OL Coach] Shaun [Sarrett], and that's what you're after. You want your players that are young to want that improvement. He certainly wants that."
5. Joseph on the DL
"Just from this offseason, being able to come together and take time to learn one another, learn this defense. You can see the maturity. You can see that everybody is engaged and ready to come together."
6. Cook on his connection with Herbert
"For having an offseason where we haven't really done a lot [together], I think we have meshed well. I think he kind of gets it, understands route timing and when I'm breaking. I think, moving forward in camp, that it's only going to get better. This week, as we continue to work, we'll just keep improving and keep talking through some things. He's in my ear, I'm in his ear, just talking things up and getting to really understand each other, especially once we see full-speed defenses."
7. Staley on WR3 competition
"We have a really deep receiver corps. I think it should be a strength of our football team. We have a lot of different types of receivers. There's really good competition there. I think that, from a defensive standpoint, we're getting challenged every single day. We're able to make clearer evaluations of our defensive backs because we know who we are defending. There's also a positive to that. I'm really excited to watch that group grow. [WRs Coach] Chris Beatty, the guy coaching them, is an absolute G. I've seen a lot of improvement from Mike [Williams] and Keenan [Allen], as well, and that's what you're after. That group that is already a strength, can they perform even better, because we have a guy that can throw them the ball."
8. Joseph on practicing against C Corey Linsley
"Oh, it's been great, man. It's been great. I feel like it may give me the opportunity to get another deal. I'm going to come out here every day. He's going to give me his all, I'm going to give him my all. Hopefully, I come out on top. He's fast. He's smart. I'm glad he's on our team. I've played against him for six years in a row, twice a year, and we had some good battles."
9. Cook on what he'd like to improve on
"Keeping my pads lower, getting better in the running game. I had a holding call today. Getting better position, getting my feet right. There is a lot that I can improve on, especially coming back off a summer break and in the first day of pads. There is a lot that I can improve on."
10. Staley on rookie DB Mark Webb
"I'm encouraged by his performance. Not satisfied, yet. He's still brand new. I think he has flashed that he belongs on the NFL field. If you just look at him, he looks like he belongs on the NFL field. We're trying to train him at three different positions. He's handled it mentally. We're putting a lot on him because we expect a lot from him. It's not easy, but he's shown the aptitude to handle it athletically and mentally. He's at the beginning, but he's shown some resilience here. We expect him to continue to improve."
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