Top 10 Quotes From Day 7 of Training Camp

Aug 04, 2021 at 03:08 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers practice at Training Camp on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, California.

1. Matt Fieler on qualities of an offensive line that he sees in this group:

"Just the continuity. Everybody gelling and if we have a question, we aren't afraid to ask it. We're talking all the time just to make sure we're all on the same page. As long as we're all on the same page, everything will work out.

2. Drue Tranquill on the defense:

"I mean, it's awesome. Personally for me, not having played for a year now, just to see our fans out here and feel the energy - the excitement with a new coaching staff, new players, a lot of free agents, a totally revamped offensive line, [S] Derwin James [Jr.] back, I'm back. We have guys healthy. We're really excited. We're just trying to compete every day, develop these relationships and be a good football team come September."

3. Brandon Staley on a rookie understanding the 'game within the game':

"[WR] Keenan Allen's been playing receiver in the NFL for eight years. He has eight years of experience. He's seen everything. He's done everything. As a new player, if you think about that, he has eight more years of inventory than you do. For you to catch up, you have to come to work with a lot of purpose. What we have to do, as coaches, is help fill in that gap. Then, his teammates, like [CB] Chris Harris [Jr.], help him fill in those gaps so that he's ready to go nose-to-nose with guys like that. That's every player; [RB] Larry Rountree [III], [TE] Tre' McKitty, [LB] Nick Niemann, all of those guys. That's such a big part of the NFL. We're trying to help him with that process. I'm really proud of our rookies. I think that they're holding their own out here and really showing flashes of why we drafted them. That group, as a whole, we're really glad that they're Chargers."

Related Links

4. Feiler on Rashawn Slater

"He's a hard worker. He's got grit. He wants to learn. As a tackle - an offensive lineman, really - that's what you need to do. You need to learn from your mistakes and ask questions. He's asking all the right questions."

5. Tranquill on going up against TE Jared Cook:

"Jared is more of a finesse guy. He likes to wiggle at the top of the stem and creates separation that way. [Patriots TE] Hunter [Henry] was a guy that likes to get more physical. He would get hands-on and get a push-off. You just have to know the personnel you're going up against. Certainly, it expands your repertoire in terms of your coverage skills when you have to go up against different guys with different toolboxes."

6. Staley on why he's had a safety serve as his primary defensive signal-caller for the second straight season:

"I think it's a little bit of [the individual player and person and the philosophy.] I don't want to be in the middle of that, but I think it is in the middle of that. I think both of those guys [S Derwin James Jr. and former Rams S John Johnson III] are unique people and they're unique players. They're never going to come off the field. I think they both have leadership qualities where the other ten guys really believe in what they're saying. They can talk like a coach. We've got other guys that can do that, too - that's why we're training other guys. But Derwin, specifically for our team, I think is the best fit to be out there first. I think he's rare really everywhere, but he's also a rare leader. Our people respond to him. Not just his teammates, but players, coaches, everybody. There's nobody that I would want talking to our defense [other] than him."

7. Tranquill on how he and Kenneth Murray can complement each other:

"I mean, Kenneth is a freak of nature. This guy is 250 [pounds], can run in the 4.4 [seconds for 40-yard dash]. He's really physical. I'm more - with my experience at safety - more coverage-oriented. We complement each other well in those regards. I think we're both really good, all-around football players, so we're able to play off of one another."

8. Fieler on the defensive line:

"They're good. They're working all the right things. They'll come up after practice and ask what we are seeing on a play, or, 'What did you see on your set against me? What gave you the go-ahead to do what you did on that set?' They want to learn. They're hard workers. They're good."

9. Tranquill on Derwin James:

"You know, when Derwin is on the field, there's another level of energy. There's another level of excitement and another level of belief. When he's on the field, it's just a big play waiting to happen. You can feel that as a player out there with him. It's exciting to have him back on the field with us."

10. Staley on OLB Joey Bosa's transition to outside linebacker:

"Joey Bosa would be good doing anything. We're trying to get him into a new comfort zone. There are some things that we're asking him to do that he hasn't done before. More than anything, what he does best, he is going to be able to do it at a high level in this defense. That's what we're going to ask him to do. Some of the other things that are brand new for him are going to not only help himself, but his teammates. We've really tried to map that out for him: 'Hey, by you being able to do these things for us, it's going to help a lot more people, which will, in turn, help you on the back end of it.' He's been great. He's the type of player that you need in this league on defense. You need premium players to play the type of defense that we hope to play. Through seven practices, he's practiced hard, practiced well. Excited to keep going with him."