2019 TRAINING CAMP MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Sunday, July 28, 2019 | Jack Hammett Sports Complex | Costa Mesa, Calif.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR GUS BRADLEY
Opening statement:
"I think you guys saw in practice today that we had our first big, situational football where coaches were off the field. We had a little 'move the ball,' a little red zone activity. That was good. I think it's always at this time when you get three or four practices in with the coaches off the field that you can see how they operate with no coaching taking place on the field. It's always good, especially for those younger players. I think it's one of those things where you go back-and-forth. We're seeing some young guys make some plays. Our older guys, the recall has been pretty good. We just have to keep adding to it."
On LB Kyzir White:
"He's doing a good job. We're rotating him at some different positions at the linebacker spot just to get him the feel. He'll rotate based on the day. We're trying to get him with the more that he can do — that mentality — to give him more options to get on the field."
On S Nasir Adderley:
"He's been doing a good job. You [saw] him back here today, he made a couple of good plays and then [there was] one that he has to learn from. It's like back-and-forth, but more good than bad. I think it's a whole new system compared to what he had in college and a whole new position. There are some growing pains right there, but the progress that he's making at this point, we're pleased."
On Adderley's ball skills:
"He made a great play yesterday that showed that 'ball-hawk.' One of the things that we ask from that free safety position is the ability to have a lot of range, to cover a lot of ground, but also to make that tackle. I think we also need to see his angles and approach. He had a couple today that he could work on. I think, when we get into a scrimmage situation like against the Rams, we'll get a chance to check that out. He definitely has the [ability] to cover from red line to red line."
On the free safety competition:
"You know, [S] Rayshawn [Jenkins] has been here for a couple of years. He understands the position and he's playing with a lot of confidence. I think it helped him at the end of the year where he played a couple of games at that position. That has kind of carried over. It will be a competition throughout [camp]."
On Adderley's approach to practice:
"You can see that there are players when they're out there that they're thinking quite a bit. You can't tell really just how fast they are or if they're thinking quite a bit. I've seen him — [on the play] yesterday that I was talking about — where you saw him not think and just play [with] his athleticism. That's on us as coaches to continue to help him learn so that he gets to that point."
On his impressions of today:
"Well, I thought [DE] Melvin Ingram [III stood out]. We had the first play of team run and [he] did a really good job. He kind of set the tone for the defense. He had a good day today, I thought. Our rush is improving, I think, to have [DE] Joey [Bosa] and Melvin back in there and some rush with [DT Justin] JJ [Jones]. That continues to be something that we're evaluating closely. I thought he had a particularly good day."
On S Derwin James Jr.:
"You know, he had such a good year for us last year. [James has] come in [this year and act like he] never got it. His approach to the game, how he attacks it, it's just like he's a rookie again. He absorbs all of the information. He really wants to be good now. He really wants to be good. We'll continue to try to do some different things with him and utilize his skillset."
On DT Jerry Tillery:
"He's out there in practice now doing some stuff with [Defensive Line Coach] Giff [Smith]. He's doing well. When I talk to him, he seems to be coming along really well. We'll just progress him as they tell us."
On if Tillery can play in the preseason:
"It's kind of day-to-day when they tell me and then we operate based on that. Hopefully, they keep telling me to keep pushing him."
On S Rayshawn Jenkins:
"Rayshawn was a guy that was a player where we really didn't know what to do, as far as position-wise with him. He played strong safety when we first drafted him and he [weighed] around 215 or so. Then, we thought, maybe he's our dime linebacker and he got up to 218 or 220. At the end of the season, he played free safety and was a little heavy [for the position], but now, we locked him into free safety and his weight is right around 200. I think it's bee good for him, that transition. He's kind of locked into it, like, 'Here's my position and here's what I'm competing for.' He has really changed his body in a good way and his explosiveness. That's required out of that position, so give him credit."
On Jenkins as an athlete:
"He really is [a good athlete]. I think his feel for the game brings out more athleticism. [He has an] ability to key the quarterback and make plays, but he's really physical. He has a strong safety mentality, so he has that physical nature that we're looking for as that middle-field safety. He does have the speed. He has good instincts back there. We're optimistic about his growth so far."
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS DEFENSIVE END JOEY BOSA
On how he felt at practice:
"I felt amazing today, I mean the soreness is definitely kicking in, especially with the first day in pads yesterday. I stay the same speed and I could feel other guys slowing down, so it's fun out there."
On feeling sore:
"My foot's feeling great. I mean, like I said, I'm gonna be dealing with soreness. It actually has gone down so much, I hardly even think about it these days. [I mean] just normal, groin and hips and normal start-up kind of soreness."
On if soreness impacts his performance:
"No, I have confidence in my body that it's gonna be okay as long as I continue to take care of it. As long as I'm recovering well, stretching and staying on top of my things, I feel confident with going full-speed. It's just some muscle fatigue and soreness. I'm not afraid of anything pulling or anything like that."
On what LB Thomas Davis Sr. brings to the team:
"I mean TD [Davis], having him back there is unbelievable at his age the way he can move around the field is fun to watch. To have him as a leader, he's given me crap about not running off the field, which I don't get enough, so it's good. It's just good to have a leader like that and to see a guy, like I said, who's been in the league for so long. It's just impressive to see how hard he comes out to work every day."
On what players can learn from Davis:
"I think maybe not positional or technique-wise, but just how to be a pro what everybody preaches, how to take care of yourself. I mean, obviously, he had to do something right to be in the league. I don't know how long it is — 13, 14, 15 [years]? Yeah, 15, I undershot it. Obviously, he knows how to take care of his body, he knows the ins-and-outs of the league. So, he's a good guy to pick his brain."
On the defense:
"You know, obviously the first few days there's gonna be some rust, but all you're looking at right now is guys competing and guys giving effort. Everybody's busting their ass, it's fun to be out here. Guys want to be out here. There's not complaining, guys are really locked in. Right now, we are where we want to be. As camp goes on, we'll be more focused on technique and obviously assignment and everything, but right now everybody is giving great effort so that's good to see."
On his technique:
"During the season, you never got it. That's what [Defensive Coordinator] Coach Gus [Bradley] says. Every week, you're always improving. I try to get better every single week as the season goes on. I pride myself in that. I guess I'm at a good spot right now, but I'm always trying to get better and always trying to improve."
On 49ers DE Nick Bosa:
"Yeah, I talk to him every day. He's enjoying it out there. Had his first day yesterday in practice — said he had a great day. I'm sure I'm going to have some film sent over here on Snapchat pretty soon. It's so cool that we're both going through it at the same time and he's feeling healthy, which is important right now."
On training with his brother:
"It was nice being able to train [together] this year, just push each other in that aspect, and now we're in the league together. We're playing in a similar defense doing the same thing every day, so it'll be great to compare and, you know, talk about our tackles and what they do. Right now, we haven't done much. We don't have a lot of time doing that right now, but as the season goes on, definitely."
On Nick Bosa's hamstring:
"We had a great offseason. We pushed his hamstring really hard, so I have confidence and I'm sure he has confidence in his body right now to go with it full-speed or he wouldn't be out there."
*On last season: *
"I don't like watching film from last year, it wasn't me. I [didn't] have the same power, the same strength. It's not excuses, it is what it is. It's a fresh slate this year. I just kind of want to put that behind me, what happened last year. I'm in a much better place this year — knock on wood — and I hope I continue to stay healthy. I just want to continue improving."
On improving after injury:
"It definitely makes you grateful for the time you have out here. I don't know if it makes me a better player that I have a messed-up foot — it's not messed up, but you know what I mean. Going through that, no I think I would've had an unbelievable year last year and I would've added on this year."
On his mindset:
"I mean, I was frustrated last year. It's over now. I'm here at camp. It's a new year. I'm ready to go, had a great offseason. It was a tough process working back to get back to where I was, but I did, and I exceeded it. I'm where I want to be."
On goals for the season:
"I think everybody's goal is to go win the Super Bowl. We wouldn't be out here giving 100 percent effort every single day if we didn't believe we had a chance to compete for a Super Bowl, and that's our goal. It's been our goal since the first year I got here. I know we won five games that year, but you know that's our goal and anything less than that is not good enough."
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS SAFETY RAYSHAWN JENKINS
On last years' experience:
"I would definitely say it was a big confidence boost for me and, I would say, for my team and coaches. I feel like going in at the last phase of the season, I really showed them that I am a guy that they can count on and trust."
On obstacles to get that confidence level:
"Yeah, I would say mentally and physically. Since I've been here, I've probably dropped about 15, 16 pounds. I had to trim up. I came in, in my opinion, a little overweight. I feel like that limited me on the field and I would say coming in and just having to learn how to be a professional."
On a teammate that became a mentor:
"I would say [S] Adrian Philips. That's the guy I sit next to every day, I learn from him, I ask him questions, so I feel like he boosted my game, mentally."
On getting heavy going into the league:
"Exactly and that was the mindset. I was trying to come in heavy because the strong position was in my ear, so I felt like I needed to put on some weight. At college, I played at about 220 [pounds] but I was more of a free safety, still covering guys. When I came in here, I was more of a traditional strong safety position, so I feel like that was my mindset coming in."
On moments that led him to where he is at now:
"Not really a light bulb moment. The past two seasons, just sitting and trying to feel out a position that I will be more comfortable at in the league and will help set me up for better success. I feel like the free safety position is the position for me because of my body type. I feel like I can still play strong, I can still play dime, but the position more suitable for me will be free."
On how he lost the weight:
"My diet was the biggest thing. I was not really taking care of my body in college, honestly, just because I didn't know how to. Once I got into the league, I had other guys show me, like Adrian [Phillips], he eats pretty clean so I kind of picked up some of his eating habits. Just the food throughout the facility and everything, they try to feed you a lot of fresh stuff and healthy stuff. I kind of eat at the facility a lot too."
On cutting out foods he loves:
"Probably pasta. Pasta and rice. I had to cut back on that. I was over-eating I would say. I'm pretty good now with my diet."
On his go-to meal:
"My go-to meal would be, I like oxtails and rice. I'm a South Florida guy."
On his weight:
"I'm about 200 right now. That will probably be my playing weight going into the season. I'm trying to maintain 200 throughout training camp because in training camp you tend to lose a few pounds [from] all of the running around and the sun beating down on you every day. I'm going to try and maintain that and just cruise into the season at that weight."
On being comfortable at that weight:
"Oh yeah, my back doesn't hurt anymore, my hamstrings don't really bother me anymore. Being down in weight, it just helps my body overall."
On the video of him jumping over the 68-inch bar:
"I actually didn't even try [the 70-inch bar] because I was like, 'What's the point of it?' I didn't try. I might do it next season, next offseason. Those are some of the things I kind of do in the offseason that help keep my explosion up without having to touch too many weights."
On the feedback of the video:
"It was like 200,000 views on it, so I mean it was some nice feedback. I think that Checkdown re-posted it. A lot of like big-name IG [Instagram] accounts posted it. It got a lot of feedback."
On his teammate's thoughts of the video:
"That was the first thing I heard as soon as I walked back into the building first day. Everybody was like, 'Hey, can you drop over this?' [They were] just setting stuff in front of my face. They were pretty impressed with it."
On his offseason:
"I took a vacation. I went on a Mediterranean cruise right before I got in just to help clear my mind. [It was] kind of resetting that mental clock and everything. I was just trying to come in here as healthy as I can so I can come in and help my team in any way possible."
