Monday, December 17, 2018 | Hoag Performance Center | Costa Mesa, Calif.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS HEAD COACH ANTHONY LYNN
Opening Statement:
"We took a few extra days to dig into Baltimore and get a head start on those guys. I understand that you may have some Kansas City questions, but I have to tell you that game seems like it was three weeks ago. We've been into Baltimore quite a bit."
On RB Melvin Gordon III:
"Melvin will be limited today, but he will be at practice."
On how close Gordon was to playing on Thursday night:
"Very close. He looked good pregame. Without having a full week of practice — if we would have played that game on Sunday, he probably would have played — but because we had the game Thursday and no full-speed practices, I didn't think it was wise to put him out there."
On if he was surprised at how good Gordon looked on Thursday:
"I was. His change of direction was really good."
On WR Keenan Allen and RB Austin Ekeler:
"We're going to re-evaluate Austin today, see where he is and go from there. Keenan, he may do something today in individual. He will be limited as well."
On if Ekeler has cleared to concussion protocol:
"He was still in it as of Friday. We will re-evaluate him today and go from there."
On the change in defensive strategies from playing Kansas City to Baltimore:
"That's why the preparation this week is going to be critical. You're playing a team that is really unconventional compared to what we've seen all year with that rushing attack, so many schemes and the way they're using their quarterback. They're using their quarterback like a running back. It makes it difficult for a defense. You have to be disciplined, you have to be in your gaps. There's a lot to prepare for."
On the days of recovery following the game on Thursday:
"That's one of the things where you have one of these Thursday games late in the year and you can give your guys a couple days of rest. That's what we did. I gave them two and a half days off, I told them to get your Christmas shopping out of the way. Let's get re-focused today and we'll go straight into Saturday."
On NT Brandon Mebane:
"Mebane is back today."
On having Mebane back in the building:
"It's huge. Just having him back as a man in our locker room is big — and on our football field, he's one of our leaders on the field and is a good football player."
On the performance of depth on the team:
"I've been really happy with the depth on our team and I'm happy with how our coaches are using the depth on our team. They're putting guys in position to have success. It's been a combination of both."
On WR Mike Williams:
"Yeah, last year he was hurt. It was obvious that he was hurt. He wasn't having a lot of fun and he was struggling just to get to work. This year, it's been night-and-day. He got better from day one when he got back from OTAs through training camp and all the way into the regular season. He's having fun, he's making plays in practice, he's making plays in games. This is the Mike Williams that we drafted."
On TE Hunter Henry:
"You know, don't be surprised to see him work his way back in. He may do some things on the side this week and some individual drills. He may start that as early as today. I'm not sure yet."
On the team's win over the New York Giants last season starting a run 20 wins in the past 26 games:
"You know, you're going back to the Giants on me. That's a long time. I just know we needed a win in a bad way and no one flinched. We kept preparing just like we had been. We knew we were close. I said something — I can't remember what I said, but the guys responded. We went out and got our first victory and it was nice to get that done."
On beating Pittsburgh and Kansas City on the road:
"If you don't win the division, you're going to have to go on the road. We've had some preparation [now], playing big games on the road. I think when you do that, it can bring confidence when you travel. I think our guys have played well on the road all year. To be honest with you, it doesn't matter where we play. Whether we play at home or on the road, it's still a game. You still have to play the game between the lines. We just respond to that."
On rallying from deficits in the victories over Pittsburgh and Kansas City:
"I wish there was a switch that we could just flip and turn on — but I think it's just guys sticking to the plan, doing their job and just believing that if we keep doing the right things that [the game] will turn — and it did both times."
On RB Justin Jackson:
"He's been that guy waiting all year for his opportunity. When he came, he was prepared and he was ready. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes. He's a good runner. He's a good receiver. He has done an outstanding job. I can say the same for [RB Detrez] Newsome."
On his largest emphasis entering the final two weeks of the regular season:
"We just have to find ways to keep getting better each and every week. In December, that's when you want to start peaking. That's when you want to start playing your best football. That has kind of been our goal all year long, is to peak at the right time."
On if Henry will practice with the team this week:
"He will work on the side."
On going for the win at the end of the game at Kansas City to prevent the Chiefs offense from having another possession:
"I'll be honest with you, that's one way to look at it — not giving them another shot or giving us another shot, but I just wanted to win the game. At the end of the day, I couldn't think of a better time to do it with our offense on the field, with the weapons that we have on offense. We didn't have Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler or Keenan Allen, but we had enough. I knew that, they knew that and that's all that really mattered."
On Ravens QB Lamar Jackson:
"It is an option offense, to be honest with you. Everything is quarterback-driven and it's a read-scheme. I've lived that world before, but it's a lot of preparation. Like I said, guys have to be in their gaps, guys have to be disciplined. You have to make the right calls at the right time to slow that scheme down. Everyone talks about Lamar as a runner, and he has done an outstanding job running, but he can throw the ball and beat you as well. The guy threw for 9,000 yards through college, won the Heisman Trophy. Sometimes, he'll make some throws and [all] you [can] do is just shake your head. He can beat you with his arm. They don't use it a lot. Like I said, sometimes you think he's a running back, back there, but he has an outstanding arm and can beat you throwing the football as well."
On if the linebackers could play more this week than last considering the Baltimore rushing attack:
"That depends on the personnel that they put on the field. If they're small, I like our dime and nickel packages that we put on the field. [S Adrian] AP [Phillips] has done an outstanding job with that, him and [S] Rayshawn Jenkins."
