Elijah Molden has wasted no time to make an impact with the Chargers.
The 25-year-old defensive back was traded to the Bolts in late August and has stepped up in a big way since joining the squad.
Chargers.com recently caught up with Molden ahead of Week 4 about what his transition has been the like the last month as a member of the Bolts.
Here's our 1-on-1 conversation with Molden:
How have you been settling in here with the Chargers? How have the last couple of weeks been like for you?
"I think right from the jump, my first impressions were Coach [Jim] Harbaugh was talking to me on the phone when I got traded and he was like, 'Man, this is football heaven.' It feels like that, people here love football. There's a great energy around the building. Energy, aura, I feel like I'm grateful to be here."
What were you doing when you got the trade news and how did you react to that?
"To be honest, I was waiting around for my agent to call me because I figured I would probably get traded or released. Then boom, I got a call from my agent and then I was waiting to hear from Joe Hortiz and Coach Harbaugh. I went on a bike ride with my family, we were rolling around the neighborhood and then they called me on the bike. We had to stop and pull over and they were trying to get me on a flight as soon as possible and I was like, 'Alright, let's do it.'"
Obviously you played with Kristian Fulton in Tennessee, but did you know anyone else here?
"Yeah, Kristian Fulton, Teair Tart, I came over with Hassan [Haskins], Will Dissly went to school with him [at Washington]. Obviously against Justin Herbert and Troy Dye [in college]. Quite a couple of familiar faces for sure. Funny enough, my sister's boyfriend went to Michigan, so most of the staff he was familiar with. He kind of filled me in and he loved them and said that I would, too."
How much did you embrace a fresh start?
"Yeah, I'm confident in my abilities and I feel like the end of last year and all of training camp I was playing my best football and I believed in myself. I wanted to get on the field and help a team and I felt like the best way for me to do that was to be on a different team that valued me. Sure enough, the Chargers showed a lot of interest and picked me up. The whole process is crazy, especially having a wife and a child and moving across the country. It's been pretty surreal, but I feel like I've always had faith in whatever plan God has for me and I knew I would end up where I was supposed to be."
What do you like about playing for Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter?
"Outside of just the scheme, he's very even-keel. Not too high, not too low. You want to be coached by him. He's very, very intelligent and he sees thing from a different perspective. He's easy to be around and it's easy to receive coaching from him."
What do you think is your best attribute on the field?
"Probably my instincts, I think I pride myself on my instincts and being able to make plays. Obviously if you look at me, I'm not the biggest guy, but I every time I go out there I want to try to send a message to my teammates and really everyone. My teammates, let them know that this is what I'm about and then my opponent, whoever we're playing, put my brand of football out there."
How rewarding was it to get that interception in Week 2?
"It felt so good. It's funny because my last couple of picks, I've called it the drive before. I did it in Tennessee, it was a pick-six though. Then this one I told Asante [Samuel, Jr.], 'When I get this pick, meet me in the end zone.' And then five, 10 minutes later it happened. It was just a formation they gave us and we were practicing it all week. The first two seconds of the play, as soon as I saw something I pulled my trigger and ended up being a good play."
What are your hobbies outside of football?
"I love to cook. I cook dinner every night for the family. I haven't been able to for a while because we're moving all the pots and pans, and I was in the hotel for a minute. And just hanging out with my family, there's nothing better than that."
Final one, have you had a chance to explore Los Angeles at all? Or have you been all ball?
"Literally all ball, man I went down to Manhattan Beach one day with Hassan, kind of checked it out. But yeah, I think I had no idea what LA would be like, but where we're based it's not exactly what I thought it would be. I thought it would be busy life, this or that, but we're in a nice pocket. I feel like it's going to be a good place for the family. Nothing like living in SoCal. We've wanted to be back on the West Coast for a while, and SoCal is a good spot to be. Once my family gets over here, we'll do some exploring, go to the beach, definitely hit up Disneyland on the bye week. All that stuff."
