LOS ANGELES CHARGERS vs. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Saturday, August 18, 2018 | ROKiT Field at StubHub Center | Carson, Calif.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS HEAD COACH ANTHONY LYNN

Opening statement:

"Classic example of a bend-but-don't-break defense. Normally we don't see deep balls going over our heads like we did today, but they didn't let them in the end zone, and that was the most important thing. Some of these guys are showing up and they're very consistent. They're starting to carry over things from practice into games, which make us easier for us to evaluate. I thought [Mike] Pouncey did an excellent job in the run game on that line. I thought Mike Williams showed up and doing the things that he's doing. That young running back, [Detrez] Newsome — thought he played the game well and finished. We only had two backs, just Melvin [Gordon] and Newsome, so he played a lot of snaps. Special teams and backfield — I thought he did a heck of a job. It's good to see some of those guys just make plays that they made because they made them in practice and pretty soon we have to make these decisions on that 53. That's just going to make it that much easier for us."

On why RB Austin Ekeler didn't play:

"He has a sore calf, so I didn't want him doing anything. He probably could have played if it was Week 1, but I didn't want him hurting himself any worse than what it is right now."

On DB Jaylen Watkins' injury:

"Just a knee. All we know right now is just a sore knee. He's getting an MRI tomorrow."

On QB Philip Rivers with the first team offense:

"I see that every day in practice. Those offense and defense runs, they go at it every day, so he moves the ball down the field. He did it today."

On WR JJ Jones punt return:

"It wasn't just JJ, it was the whole punt return. We challenged them last week, and it was good to see them respond that way."

On DE Isaac Rochell:

"That's another guy that stood out to me tonight. I just forgot to mention his name. His pass rush, his special teams, his contributions — he's really becoming a versatile athlete."

On if Rochell can play outside and inside:

"Absolutely. He can play big end. He can play little end. He can play inside the three. He can run down the field in kickoff coverage. Right now, there's not too many things he's not doing."

On WR Mike Williams' first preseason touchdown:

"It good to see Mike take the drill to the field. He's been doing it in practice, and its good seeing him go up and make that catch in a game. He's playing with a lot of confidence right now."

On K Roberto Aguayo:

"He was 100 percent, so I thought he did well. I wish he had a couple more opportunities, but he got one there at the end. Took a delay of game just to back him up a little bit, but he kicked well today."

On why Roberto Aguayo was featured as the kicker tonight:

"We wanted to see Roberto."

On how they chose which kicker would play tonight:

"We're just doing it by game, next week you'll see Caleb [Sturgis] a little bit more, and then you will see Roberto [Aguayo] again."

On what he took away from this game:

"The guys, like I said earlier, the guys are playing the most consistent football right now and it's smart. We're not going to beat ourselves. That's the thing that we recite every single day. There are some guys that are going to be disappointed tomorrow when they watch the tape because of penalties. But so what? Certain guys have turned the corner. They understand the speed of the game. They're executing. They're playing physical and clean football. It's good to see some of the guys do that."

On if the play action issues in the game is due to the rotation of the free safety position:

"You could say that about a lot of things, Dan. You're always rotating guys in other games, guys coming in cold, but we have expectations. We put the Chargers uniform on and we play a certain way. On our defense, we stay on top. Today we didn't get that done."

On playing at home:

"It's always good to come home and play in front of your family and friends and your fans. So it felt good to be back here."

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS RUNNING BACK MELVIN GORDON III

On the first drive of the game:

"We were hitting on all cylinders. As far as passing, rushing and blocking it, we were getting the job done. Kudos to us, but we still have a lot of work to do."

On running behind C Mike Pouncey:

"Good. Just how fast he gets to the second level. It helps better with the reads. I'm able to read a little faster. When guys get on guys, it makes it really easy for me to run."

On the upcoming practices with the New Orleans Saints:

"Just to be effective. Be the offense and defense that we know we can be. We're practicing against a great team. They came out and got after us last year. They made the run to the Super Bowl. We know how good they can be. It's a challenge to see who we are. It's really our last tune-up before the start."

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS DEFENSIVE END MELVIN INGRAM III

On upcoming third preseason game:

"We try to get better every day. We go out and play a complete game together before we go into the regular season."

On his physical ability and understanding of the game:

"It's there, but I still have a long way to go. You can never be too good. I'm trying to get better in every aspect of my game, mentally and physically. We are still climbing."

On the team going up against Seahawks QB Russell Wilson during the first half:

"It's good. Russell moves around and we talk almost every play. It's good to get out there and chase somebody around and bring them down."

On WR JJ Jones' punt return:

"I was excited. I want to play punt return, I wish I could do that. That's what we needed. Don't be surprised when I get in there."

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVER JJ JONES

On his punt return for a touchdown:

"Just a great call from [Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator George Stewart]. I just have to thank all my teammates, the other 10 guys that were out there with me, helping me sprint that 72-yard touchdown. Coach Stew called a great play, middle return and it opened up like the Red Sea and I just hit it. Just made a play for the team."

On being humble:

"It isn't all about [me]. It's a team sport. Without the other guys, it wouldn't happen. It wouldn't work. Like I said, once again, credit to my teammates for giving me the opportunity, blocking for me, being unselfish so we could score a touchdown."

On playing on special teams:

"Yes, [I like playing on special teams]. Absolutely, because I have speed, athleticism, things a lot of people wish they had and with special teams, I get to return kicks. That's what I love to do."

On making the 53-man roster:

"As a receiver, it's kind of hard. You have Keenan Allen [and] Tyrell [Williams]. Those are great players. They're here and they've been doing it. Special teams, we're returning kicks. With my speed, I ran a 4.2 [in the 40-yard dash] on my pro day and that can help me return a kick. Once again, I just want to thank my teammates and everybody for helping me get into the situation to put my team in the best place that it can be by scoring a touchdown."

On kickoff returns and punt returns:

"I love doing both. Kickoff returns, you have time to set up and block, but punt return, you have to find the ball in the air, while moving two or three yards right in front of me. It's a quicker transition trying to make guys miss doing punt returns. If I had to choose one, it would be punt returns."

On if he's in the spotlight:

"It looks like it is [on me now]. It was a great opportunity, a great chance to make a play. I'd like to thank the other 10 guys who helped me get the opportunity."

On the preseason:

"I'm just trying to score more. I'm not satisfied with doing one. I want to score three or four more."

On the special teams blocking:

"That's the main key to me scoring a touchdown. Without those 10 guys, I would be out there by myself. Those 10 guys get that block, that big hole opens up like that. I want to thank those guys for making those blocks and thank Coach Stew for giving me the opportunity to be back there and return kicks."

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS QUARTERBACK GENO SMITH

On thoughts about the game:

"We won, so that's always a good thing. I feel like the offense played pretty well. We made some plays. Obviously, there are things we can improve on, but we'll watch the film and go from there."

On thoughts about his performance:

"Personally, I felt pretty good out there. I think the [offensive] line did a great job protecting and the wide receivers did a wonderful job getting open. It just made my job easier."

On the touchdown pass to WR Mike Williams:

"Oh yeah, that's all Mike. Mike's a great receiver and you need to give him a chance [to go up and catch the ball]. The [offensive] line did a great job protecting me and giving me a shot to get back there and deliver. That's why he was drafted early and he showcased some of his ability."

On his comfort playing in the offense:

"Yes, I am [comfortable] in the offense in general and with studying. I've been studying my butt off and I'm still staying within the playbook. Putting in those after hours, I think that's what has helped me out the most."

On thoughts about the remainder of the preseason:

"I think opportunity is important and you have to take advantage of it. Every time I get an opportunity, I look forward to it, try to get out there and give it my best."

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVER MIKE WILLIAMS

On his touchdown:

"I'd just seen it on the field a couple plays before that when I was on the sideline — coach let me get a 'go' ball. He believed in me, called the play and the results were good. [QB] Geno [Smith] gave me a chance to go up and make a play, and I went up and got it. I just needed it. I felt like I was doing it in practice and I just needed to translate it to a game."

On the first home game:

"It felt good. [The fans] were bringing the energy. I thought it was real loud in here. This team is going to come out here and play hard."

On working with QB Philip Rivers:

"Every day we're working. Every day, all the receivers are getting all good work with all of the quarterbacks. So we have to continue to get better every day, continue to get balls from them and make the plays that come our way."

On hosting the New Orleans Saints for practice this week:

"I just want to get better every day. They have some great [defensive backs] on their side, so we can see some good looks in practice. We have to come in next week and prepare and get better."

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS HEAD COACH PETE CARROLL

Opening statement:

"First off, we'd really like to win these games because it's more fun. Unfortunately, we didn't position ourselves to get that done today. The lessons are so obvious. We got down to the red zone, we take a couple field goals. We're right down the field and we get the ball up inside the one, which is a horrible thing to do, and they ran it up on the 20. It couldn't be worse. The opportunities to score were just totally there. I loved the way we moved the ball with the first group in the first half. They were confident, playing fast and doing things we wanted them to do. Guys were catching the ball and making plays. I thought some guys really jumped off the film. [WR Jaron] Brown had a couple nice plays. [WR] David Moore had a couple beautiful plays. [RB] Chris [Carson] ran the ball really well, but it gets crowded because he was getting the ball up inside the one. Guys up front did a nice job so there's a lot of good things, but when we don't knock the ball in, it's hard. These guys happened to be, a year ago, the best red zone defense in the NFL and you can see why. They're hard. They do a nice job down there. They kept us out, just like they were hoping to. I thought there was a lot of good stuff. I thought [Chargers QB] Philip Rivers looked great against us in the first drive, and then we slowed it down a little bit. Then they took him out. I wish we could've kept playing against him. He's such an extraordinary player. It would have been good for us to work against him. Nothing against anyone, we just have that much regard for Philip. We got out of here healthy. Only [G/T] D.J. Fluker dislocated a finger. We're very fortunate that is all we have to take home, and that's it at this point. We got back to work and we've got to keep learning the lessons that we've got to cash in. Both games have been similar where we get the ball down there and we needed those touchdowns, and we need to get better there."

On the penalty that negated RB Chris Carson's touchdown run:

"I didn't see it, but I was told pretty clearly from the guys upstairs that it was a block in the back on [TE Will] Dis [Dissly] and he was trying to cut the guy off and he just shoved him. It wasn't even near the play, unfortunately. That kills it. Chris looked great on the play. We obviously desperately needed the touchdown to keep this game alive."

On if G/T D.J. Fluker's injury will keep him out for a while:

"I don't know that. I don't think so. He's an offensive lineman. I think he can handle that. He says he's fine."

On DE Rasheem Green's productivity:

"Those are numbers, man. Three-and-a-half sacks in two games jumps off the stat sheet for you. He looks really aggressive and very skilled in his pass rush, again. He was technical. He was really great with his hands and got them free. That's a real positive. It's hard to do that anytime for anybody. Fired up to see that and see him produce like that."

On G/T Germain Ifedi:

"I've got to look at film. I don't have anything. I know we got bull-rushed one time. I think that was [Chargers DE] Melvin [Ingram III]. That one wasn't a good one. All in all, the rush was pretty composed and moved when you needed it to and took advantage of the rush when we had some penetration. That's the same both weeks. Looks very similar. That's a good statement for us. I really think we're much more solid than we've been early in the last couple years. Feeling the continuity and you can see it's working nice. Good signs right now."

On taking more shots downfield:

"We always try to be explosive, so I don't [think] that changes it. The shots come more at rhythm. Sometimes he [Ifedi] has to move to find his spacing and all that. The execution and ability to move the football has been consistent for those guys and that's a positive sign for us."

On how they can get WR Brandon Marshall going:

"I'm not worried about that one bit. What's it going to take? We've just got to leave him out there and throw it to him. He's fine. We're not trying to over-do it right now. We're just trying to get him back to full speed, feeling comfortable about his play time and all that. He has looked very good, particularly in the last week-and-a-half or so. He's come [in] and we're able to lean on him. Next week, I think he'll be able to be full go and everything, full reps and all that kind of stuff, which just helps. We're working with him a lot and he has a chance to be a factor."

On the nature of WR David Moore's catches:

"Same as last week. He did again. I think it's an extraordinarily positive sign for his ability to make things happen. To elevate like that — [QB Russell] Russ [Wilson] is really good at putting the ball on guys. He's always wanted to throw the ball to guys that will go get it. He is not hesitant to do that and David is giving him all the reason. Dave's stronger than you think — he's 6'2", 216, 218 pounds or something like that — thicker and more explosive. He maybe doesn't look like that, but he sure shows it. Right now, it's a great sign. We paid him enough to get him out there and felt really good about the things he did."

On the punt return:

"I don't know. We just got spread out. I don't know. Obviously, that was just a back-breaking play. Obviously, that's the difference in the ball game."

On QB Alex McGough:

"I thought that was beautiful. It was a difficult time. We needed it. We needed to take some shots, we needed to be aggressive and it seems like he hit everything. It's a great sign for him. I really like that he was under pressure in that time and he had to feel that and express his ability, and he did. Very positive. Couple great throws up the side. Malik (Turner) made a great catch. The two-point play was a beautifully — executed goal line play, too."

On the punters:

"They're both kicking it really well. They're both hitting it. Their numbers are up there. We have to get all the numbers on it, but hang time [and] distances were good. It seemed like there was a real bomb that Michael [Dickson] hit, and the other one that went dead on the sidelines like a perfect punt time-wise, position-wise and the whole thing. He hit one last week like that as well. He's doing a good job. Jon [Ryan] is kicking the ball well. Keep on going."

On the defense:

"My impression was [Chargers QB] Philip [Rivers] had us a couple of times. We didn't do much to disguise it. We were playing pretty straight. He knew what he was going against. He did a great job. He plays against our defense every day. We made it a little too easy for him. He really picked us apart with a couple things he did and then we said, 'Okay, Philip is for real, we're in trouble.' Also, we moved around and disguised some things and slowed it down. I think the first drive was great for them. I think we got out executed there and then we came right back and slowed it down."

On SS Maurice Alexander and CB Dontae Johnson:

"Just the fact that they're out there. It's great that they played some. I think they both felt pretty good about it. They didn't feel challenged by too many plays. We made it through the first game. Those guys are ready to play a lot of football for us. I'm hoping they'll come out of the game feeling good enough to get all of the work this week that will allow them to continue to compete. There are shaping up some great battles. Guys are doing well and holding their own. It's going to be fun to see how this comes out in the next two weeks."

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS QUARTERBACK RUSSELL WILSON

On how the offense did and the movement of the ball:

"I think we moved the ball really well from the get go. First play we had a great play. [WR] Jaron [Brown] had a great game he looked really good. [RB] Chris Carson ran the ball pretty well. Third play of the game, we scored. After that we got the penalty and we can't have that. In the red zone in particular we have to stay on schedule. That's the lesson of the night. The great thing was that the score should have really been 21-7. We had three touchdown opportunities and that's what we look forward to. We got to the truth with what we did and how we can get better. I think the tempo of our game was really good. I think late in the second quarter we were backed up a little bit. We were fighting down-and-distance, but other than that it was exciting to see how we finished the game and how guys stepped up. [QB] Alex [McGough] threw his first touchdown pass. I know what that is like. To see us make some plays at the end and to know we didn't give up, which is the best part."

On what it is going to take to get the ball in WR Brandon Marshall's hands:

"Well the first game, he didn't play much. It is still early. I think he looked really good today. He did get a pass interference on the go ball, but he keeps showing up. He could have had an opportunity on one of the scrambles. He doesn't look 34. He plays really good and is making plays at practice. It's early and game situations might not work how we anticipated but it's preseason and it's still early. "

On the Mentality of the Offense:

"I really like what we are doing. I think [Offensive Line] Coach Mike Solari is doing a great job with the offensive line. I think [Quarterbacks] Coach [Dave] Canales and I are dialing up on the plays. You saw how fast we were moving up the ball up and down the field. You talk about one play here and one play there the score would have been 21-7 against a really good football team. That is what we look forward to, our energy at practice, our tempo at practice and how much we are executing. We have so much depth on the offensive side of the ball in term of receivers, running backs and guys stepping in. I feel confident in who we have."

On his confidence in WR David Moore:

"David Moore was exceptional tonight. The way he went up and got that football in the third-and-long. I tried giving him a chance to make a play and sure enough he did. When you have guys who can make great plays like that, it just fires me up big time. I came back to him in the next play and he made another great play. That is what we look forward to when guys can make great plays and they keep showing up."

On Chargers DE Melvin Ingram III's pressure on the offense and how he adapted:

"It's the NFL, you get to play against some great players and Melvin Ingram is one of the best to do it. He is a guy who has hands, great feet, understands the game, great timing and he knows what he is doing. I think we did a pretty good job going against him. He made some plays though, he is going to make plays. When you have guys as great as him they are going to make plays they are going to do their thing. The key is not letting them make too many plays. I think we were able to do that. We will see him further down the road and we know he is going to try and cause havoc."

On his running back group:

"I think our running back group has been really solid. I think that is the most exciting thing to see this offseason. To be able to see it translate to the game. To see [RB] Chris Carson run the ball as physically as he did. He had a great night and has been rock solid. [RB] Rashaad Penny didn't play but to see him transition to the National Football League, he is going to be a great player for us. [RB] J.D. [McKissic] is electric. It is an exciting time for us. We don't make to make any conclusions, but we want to stay the course. That is what preseason is for, to see who is right for us. We have a lot of guys and that's what is the toughest. It is exciting to have all these great guys."

On what he likes about his pass protection and what he needs to get ironed out:

"I think we just need to stay the course. We faced a pretty good pass rush and they do a pretty good job, but we still moved the ball pretty well. We threw the ball pretty well. We made some plays down the field and attacked them. Like I said, the first three drives we were in the red zone. For whatever reason, we scored a touchdown and got a penalty then fumbled the ball. If we keep doing that, in terms of moving the football and the offensive line does a great job in the pass protection we are going to do great things."

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVER JARON BROWN

On how games like today help establish a rapport with QB Russell Wilson:

"I think it's important, we are working on our chemistry every day. It takes a lot of practice."

On deep passes in games:

"We had some opportunities last week and we didn't really get a chance to capitalize on them. This game, the calls came pretty early, so we just went out there and made some plays."

On biggest improvements on offense today:

"I would say, we still didn't finish some drives, we've got to do a better job of that and personally, I thought we came out pretty good. Some penalties kind of killed us, I'll have to say we've still got some things to do."

On how much stock he puts on preseason performances:

"We treat every game like it's the season, we come out here and try to be in midseason form. I had a false start myself, so I can't really talk too much on that. I've got to watch the film but it's definitely important."

On looking forward to playing more in next preseason game:

"I want to be out there and stay out there, so hopefully next week I'll get a little more playing time."

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS CORNERBACK TRE FLOWERS

On his play time last two weeks:

"Just repetition. We practice it every day and the game is where we get to actually perform. I just want to go out there, do what I have been practicing and really take over."

On the play called for his sack tonight:

"It was a great call. They didn't see coming and I got my first sack."

On what he did to get that sack:

"I lined up like I was in man-to-man, like we always play. I got the opportunity to blitz so I had to make a play."

On the transition to cornerback:

"I'm still learning every day. I have people in the room that can help me. I'm still learning and I'm going to leave it at that."

On what he is learning from the receivers:

"You have to have confidence out here. [WR] Brandon Marshall has a lot of confidence. [Chargers WR] Keenan Allen has a lot of confidence. [Chargers QB] Phillip Rivers has a lot of confidence. It is just learning what you can do best and knowing what you can do best."

On Chargers WR JJ Jones' punt return touchdown:

"I know I didn't make the tackle. I wish I did make the tackle. We are going to watch it as a team and learn from it."

On the difference of playing special teams:

"I actually played special teams at Oklahoma State. Playing on all of them is a little different, but I love it. I just love playing football."

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVER DAVID MOORE

On comfort level with depth:

"I would say my comfort level is pretty high since we do it every day in practice and then we are doing in games just back to back, we are out there having fun."

On reinforcement:

"It's not really that different, we practice like we play, so we practice like a game. Just go out during the game and do what we do during practice and just have fun while we do it."

On getting the ball down the field:

"There's always an emphasis on getting the ball down the field, that's what we want to do. Then those big plays were a big thing so I don't know what to say about that one."

On the game plan:

"That was part of the game plan. Coach said we were going to run the ball and take shots, and that's what we did today. We ran the ball and took shots, and did pretty good on both of those I would say."

On positive steps taken in the game:

"I would say positive steps was knowing that we can take shots down the field and that we can run the ball and if we can be consistent on those then the rest will take care of itself. We'll eventually get the ball in, land in the red zone, but today we came up a little short. That's why we've got practice, live to see another day."

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS RUNNING BACK C.J. PROSISE

On what he wanted to see from himself today:

"I just wanted to go out there and play fast, do my job and my assignments and get the feel back of playing the game. That's the idea, for you to go out and do a job, and keep doing our thing next week."

On if he feels pressure for making up for lost time:

"I would say missing time had me fall back a little bit. I feel like today was a step in the right direction, just getting back and being healthy out there is exciting."

On how he saw the team build off last week:

"I thought we did great, we came off the ball and we were hitting. Our o-line was aggressive, and we were very physical up front and that helped me keep containment. That's something we hope to do better every week."

On passes going to running backs:

"Us [running] backs love to get the ball down in space, making people miss and creating plays for the team. Being able to get the ball, even if it's a check down, getting the ball in open space is fun and I'm really happy with that"

On what he learned from this game:

"I'll try to be more decisive. Some runs I went in there just using my power to run behind my pads, but I was shuffling my feet a little bit, so I want to be a little more decisive and just hit the hole."