Bolts begin OCS's

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Monday, May 19, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

Two weeks ago, the Chargers officially kicked off the 2008 season with their mandatory minicamp. After a two week break, the Bolts were back at the grind Monday as they held their first of 14 voluntary Offseason Coaching Sessions.

“It’s always nice to get back out here,” Head Coach Norv Turner said. “Our guys have been working hard in the offseason program. We’re not in pads and we’re not emphasizing the physical parts of the game. We’re trying to work on technique and the skills and a lot of situations. I think we get a lot done in these sessions.”

The Chargers will work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week before taking off next week for the Memorial Day holiday. They’ll be back on the field June 2-5 and 10-12. Rookies and select veterans will have the opportunity to participate in a final week of OCS June 16-18.

While the coaching sessions are strictly voluntary, players have a chance to make great strides during the summer practices.

“The first thing is you want to get your young players acclimated so they can compete when you get to training camp,” Turner said. “For the starters and those guys that play the bulk of the game, we’re trying to get them to grow in terms of their skill level.

“A big part of it is situations. Today we spent a lot of time on third downs. Each day we kind of take a theme. Tomorrow will be a lot of red zone. Thursday we’ve got two-minute offense. There’s areas where we can look at last year’s tape and say ‘Hey we can do this better’ and work on those things.”

First look

Veteran offense tackle L.J. Shelton signed with the Chargers just days before minicamp but was excused from the weekend due to personal matters. That meant Monday was the first opportunity Shelton had to don the lightning bolts, although it wasn’t the first time Turner’s been impressed with his work.

“I’ve seen L.J. a lot in games coaching against him,” Turner said. “He’s a really good player. He looks good. He’s where I expected him to be in May. We need to get him in shape over the next three months but that’s what this offseason program is for.”

Shelton spent the morning working at right tackle with the second-team offense.

Injury update

Defensive tackle Jamal Williams, tight end Antonio Gates, center Nick Hardwick, fullback Andrew Pinnock, linebacker Carlos Polk and wide receiver Eric Parker were all at Chargers Park Monday but none of the six veterans participated in practice as they recover from injuries.

“We’re making great progress,” Turner said. “I don’t expect them to work until we go to training camp but I think they’re all right where we’d hoped they’d be.”

Parker missed all of last season after undergoing an operation on his toe, which Turner said has healed properly. He’s now dealing with a calf injury suffered during a workout.

“I’m hoping by the last group of OCS practices we have in June,” Turner said when asked about Parker’s projected return date. “It doesn’t bother me if he’s not ready until camp. I think it’s making great progress and I expect it to be where it needs to be.”

With Williams out, Brandon McKinney took most of the reps at nose tackle with the first-team defense Monday. Cory Withrow worked at center with the first-team offense, and Scott Chandler and Brandon Manumaleuna were both on the field for first-team snaps. Rookie Jacob Hester saw action all over the field, including several snaps at fullback with the first-team offense.

Rivers works

Quarterback Philip Rivers, who continues to diligently devote himself to rehabbing from ACL surgery, participated in Monday’s practice on a limited basis. Like he did during minicamp, Rivers threw in individual and 7-on-7 drills but was a spectator for team drills.

“We’re still being careful,” Turner said. “We don’t want an accident where someone trips and falls on him. We’re keeping him out of anything where there’s any team-type periods, but he’s getting a lot of reps.”

No rest

While the “offseason” is now four months old, Turner has yet to take much of a break. He’ll save his vacation time for later in the summer.

“We normally take ours at the end of June and beginning of July,” Turner said. “We’ve got some work to do. We’ve got about a month more of getting this stuff honed in and then we’ll get away.”

Preseason tickets available

Individual tickets to the Chargers’ two home preseason contests will be available for purchase online starting Tuesday morning. Fans can buy tickets at www.chargers.com.

The Bolts open the preseason on Saturday, Aug. 9 against the Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff for the preseason opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific Time. Two weeks later, the Chargers will also host the Seattle Seahawks on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The Aug. 25 game will kickoff at 5 p.m. Pacific.

Krause signs in Houston

Former Chargers tight end Ryan Krause, who was a sixth-round draft choice of the Bolts in 2004, signed a free agent contract with the Houston Texans Monday.

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