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Chargers Preseason Week 1 Lessons! · The Thunder Down Under Chargers Podcast

0:03
Who's got it better than that? No way! Robert
0:06
is being chased, thrown on the lawn, and it is
0:10
caught! Touchdown! Keenan Allen! What a great...
0:13
My goal is not to break. My goal is to make you
0:15
harder to break. Number six! Number six! Suits
0:20
sacked by Joey Bolson! 19th yard touchdown! 19th
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yard touchdown! The 8 -yard run by Derwin Jean!
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Susses speed, takes a shut down field, has Nighton!
0:31
PUNCH! Grab your lunchboxes and go attack this
0:37
game with an enthusiasm unknown to man. Cut!
0:49
What is going on Bulk Femme and the TDU crew?
0:52
Welcome to the Thunderdown Under Charters football
0:55
podcast. Andy and Alistair today. Sadly no Jack
0:58
as he and his partner... excitedly expect the
1:02
arrival of their second baby girl. So we're wishing
1:04
them all the best this week, but the show must
1:07
go on. Our pre -season football started, the
1:11
charge is 27, Texan 7. As excited as you can
1:16
be about second and third stringers playing,
1:19
how did you feel watching this game? The emotions
1:25
were mixed, right? On the one hand, football
1:27
is back, which we've all been waiting so long
1:30
for. You forget about how brief the football
1:33
season is. Blink and you almost miss it. So we
1:35
do wait and go through all the off season of
1:37
draft picks and free agency and analysis. We
1:40
just want to watch some football. We just want
1:41
to see a touchdown throw or a missed touchdown
1:44
throw as the case may be a few sacks. Hey, you're
1:47
being very generous to Jack. I think Jack's actually
1:49
adopted a pre -season mindset to this show. He's
1:52
a starter. He's not suiting up. He doesn't need
1:56
to take, he's a vet. He doesn't need these snaps.
1:59
Uh, but we joke, buddy, all the, all the best
2:01
for the next few days. I know the listeners will
2:03
also feel the same way. We're very excited. Uh,
2:06
enjoy your time being there for your family.
2:09
And we're looking forward to news of the very,
2:12
very exciting arrival of your next little one.
2:14
But yeah, Andy, I mean, the, the play on the
2:17
field is one thing we also have to deal with.
2:20
Opposition to, you know where I'm going. Opposition
2:23
teams having their home announcers in the broadcast
2:25
booth, having to hear the name Marlon Klein about
2:28
a hundred times for a blocking tight end, having
2:30
a full quarter of McNair family glazing going
2:34
on with the, uh, the old screen in the left.
2:36
So, uh, I'm not feeling a bit mixed. What do
2:39
you think? Uh, yeah. Yeah. Look, you're right.
2:43
As, as fans, especially of the away team. All
2:46
you want to do is watch football and especially
2:49
watch these rookies, watch the depth pieces have
2:52
their crack. And yeah, you're getting picture
2:54
in picture and the charges, the game's on mute.
2:58
And as far as the broad, the game callers have
3:02
it, uh, no charger player exists. So, um, they're
3:05
not even talking about what's going on the screen.
3:07
They're talking about like CJ Stroud's like,
3:09
Last practice. I'm like, what are we doing? The
3:12
guy's scoring a touchdown on the screen. This
3:14
is his big moment in his life. Yeah, look, it's
3:20
pre -season football. So I guess you need to
3:23
take that hand in hand, don't you? But, um, yeah,
3:26
at the end of the day, good to have football
3:28
back. And there was some, like I mentioned, some
3:31
young, exciting depth pieces, some, some rookies
3:33
out there, uh, making some plays. So where do
3:38
you want to start with? Do you want to start
3:41
in a positive mindset? Do you want to go negative?
3:44
How are you, how do you want to kick this off
3:46
mate? I'm going to kick this off with the most
3:49
important discussion point of the whole off season,
3:51
which has been the offensive line in general.
3:54
What moves we can make to turn over the line
3:57
that cost us in multiple playoff games under
4:00
Harbour and Roman and who is going to assume
4:04
that what we believe is one starting spot remaining
4:07
along the line at left guard. So I'll throw straight
4:09
to you. We had a lot of guys rolling in and out
4:12
in different spots along the line. What do you
4:15
think? Do we have an answer yet to who's going
4:17
to be the starter in between Rashawn Slater and
4:21
Tyler Beardish? Or do you still just hold the
4:24
fort and see what happens? What are some takeaways
4:26
of the O line for you? Yeah, I think you've got
4:29
to just remember that it's sort of one game and
4:31
it's one professional outing and it's not a huge
4:35
sample space. We've got three games so I don't
4:37
know if I necessarily want to jump to solidify
4:41
in the left guard spot but there was a draft
4:44
pick who showed some really great things in his
4:48
play and that's Jake Slaughter picking up stunts
4:51
and just moving off blocks to kind of pick up
4:56
What would be his, his guy, but, um, doing a
4:59
really good job. And it's that was stuff that
5:01
we sorely missed as, as viewers of charges football
5:04
last year was the, just the varying abilities
5:07
that you need to be an effective offensive lineman.
5:10
Um, so promising there, uh, good to see other
5:14
kind of depth spaces as well. Travis Burke with
5:16
the fire that burns in him like that. That's
5:19
he was playing some nasty football and it was
5:21
just those guys, uh, fighting for their jobs,
5:25
really. And it was awesome to say that they,
5:27
they brought it. Yeah, I totally agree. I mean,
5:30
Slaughter got trialed at two different spots
5:33
and I thought he looked pretty comfortable in
5:35
both of them. For the listeners, I'm about halfway
5:37
through the all 22. So I haven't completely formed
5:39
my views on what I saw. I thought on Slaughter,
5:42
you did see some of the things that popped up
5:46
as issues in his college tape, which is like
5:49
at that second level. just struggling slightly
5:51
with block sustain. But there were a few really
5:56
good solid pass pro reps from him where he dropped
5:58
an anchor, which was a problem for him at Florida,
6:00
but wasn't against the Texans. And like you say,
6:03
we also saw him pick up a really good stunt at
6:06
least once when he moved across the left guard.
6:07
So I think a really solid outing for him in his
6:10
first game. Just high level. Pretty incredible.
6:15
There are six offensive linemen from this game
6:17
who received a PFF grade of 80 plus for at least
6:21
one of their integers So either overall or run
6:24
blocking or pass blocking That's got to be the
6:27
first time ever in the history of Chargers football
6:29
since we've been watching to have six different
6:31
linemen our seeker Spoma Burke Branson Taylor
6:35
Penning and Harky even your third string offensive
6:38
line coming in Looking really good. And let's
6:41
go with the guy who received the highest PFF
6:44
grading of all of them. Coyote Awashika. Not
6:48
playing the left guard spot, but he's possibly
6:50
the front runner now in that race as we head
6:53
towards week one. What say you? Yeah, interesting
6:58
with Branson Taylor also getting a good run pass
7:03
block grade wise, but yeah. I'm yeah, really
7:08
interested to see sort of the, the next level
7:10
exposure that Jake Slaughter can get. Um, but
7:14
maybe you're right. Maybe our CK is really leading
7:17
that charge and it's not the worst thing in the
7:20
world. Having a guy that's actually played regular
7:23
season games, um, at least starting out at that
7:26
position and knowing that you've got a very promising
7:30
option at backup center and backup left guard.
7:33
So positional versatility too. It's not a. bad
7:36
position to be in, uh, even though you would
7:38
like your second round pick to be contributing
7:41
actually in the starting sense, sort of earlier
7:44
on, but not a bad position to be in at all. No.
7:48
And even though I've started with a recitation
7:52
of some PFF grades, I will just say to the listeners
7:54
urge, I'm urging a bit of caution around PFF
7:57
grades for pre -season performances just because
8:00
PFF themselves say that grading is more and more
8:03
useful the higher the sample size. They actually
8:07
caution you using grades for one whole game.
8:10
They think six, seven, eight games into the season,
8:13
they start getting accurate for a player. Here,
8:16
where Coyote Awashika, he's had 15 snaps for
8:19
the whole game, getting a 90 .1 overall grade.
8:22
I mean, I'll just tell you, from the film I watched,
8:25
he didn't stand out as playing particularly better
8:28
than Branson Taylor or Jake Slaughter from my
8:32
vantage point. I thought if you look at some
8:34
of his run blocks, they're down blocks and much
8:36
easier little hinges or seals. He's not being
8:39
asked to get out in space. He's actually just
8:41
sealing the lane for the outside run. And it
8:44
wasn't like he stood out in a memorable way.
8:48
So just be mindful when you're reading. It's
8:50
not, I don't think the coaching staff will be
8:52
sitting there thinking our seeker was so much
8:54
greater than all of these other guys who played
8:57
alongside him. Although he was good, which is
8:59
all you can ask for. I want to ask you something,
9:01
Andy. Just, just on that. Am I wrong in saying
9:04
that our she could play at right guard and is
9:07
there a direct kind of correlation just to how
9:10
you can play God, whether it's left or right.
9:13
Do you think it's a, um, I don't know, a measurable
9:18
thing? I think it's like for like, unless you're
9:21
in a system that leans heavily one way or the
9:24
other in its direction, especially in the case
9:26
of McDaniel, stretch or outside zone, if we've
9:29
got a tendency where we always want to run left,
9:32
then the type of blocks your left guard will
9:34
make will be different to the type of blocks
9:37
your right guard will make. It's easier to be
9:39
your right guard in that scenario because really,
9:41
you're just trying to wall off or get in front
9:43
and make sure no backside linebackers or defensive
9:46
tackles can wash down the line and get all the
9:48
way out to the left. If you think about it, if
9:50
you're a right guard, knowing the run is going
9:52
to the left, it's a much easier job for you than
9:55
the left guard who's got to get right out in
9:57
space, accelerate, deal with moving angles. So
10:01
hopefully that Kind of answers your question.
10:04
Um, I thought you saw some, some little growing
10:08
pains linemen realizing that when you run outside
10:11
zone, you're just flying off the ball quicker
10:14
than you're ever used to maybe getting one hand
10:16
on a guy. If he's in your play side gap or your
10:19
backside gap and getting out in space. I still
10:22
think that'll be a work in progress. I saw some
10:24
guys tripping over their feet at the second level.
10:27
There's probably a lot of muscle memory. They're
10:29
going to need to kind of reinvent themselves
10:32
as linemen if they're not used to this system.
10:35
Back to my question, guys who are not used to
10:37
this system, I'm still thinking like when I watch
10:41
Branson Taylor and when I watch Logan Taylor,
10:43
it's coincidental, they've got the same name.
10:46
For me, these are guys who are a little stiff.
10:48
And I don't know, I'm concerned for Logan Taylor
10:53
Andy, that the guys being asked to play right
10:56
tackle, I thought he was solid, but There were
10:58
definitely some issues popping up on tape. What
11:02
are you thinking now about the backend of this
11:04
roster? Because on our last show, we went through
11:06
early 53 man projections. We talked about who
11:10
misses out, is it Penning? Can Logan Taylor or
11:13
Haki pick up a slot based on what you saw? Are
11:16
you feeling any different about kind of the end
11:19
of that offensive line 53? I'm trying to remember
11:23
where I fell on the Logan Taylor. Hockey, I think
11:27
I said hockey would miss and where I fell on
11:30
Penning as well because Penning really didn't
11:33
look like, he didn't look great and it didn't
11:36
look like he was up to competing against a first
11:40
team kind of environment. Right? So whether that's,
11:45
I don't really have to go back, but again, if
11:47
you're using Logan Taylor at outside on a tackle,
11:50
uh, it's just, he's just got such a weaker game
11:53
than if you move him inside. So Um, I don't know
11:57
if the philosophy is just, you know, try and
12:01
battle harden them in situations that they're
12:04
not good at and try and help them get there that
12:07
way, especially in Logan Taylor's case. But,
12:10
uh, I think I, I think I'll sit pretty happy
12:13
with where I was on my initial. I don't think
12:15
there's been that much of a shift. Alex Hucky,
12:17
I don't think did enough to sort of change my
12:20
mind on a higher pick or a more experienced player.
12:24
I think Haki did as well as he could do to stay
12:26
in the battle. That's what I'll say. I thought
12:28
he had a few reps with that similar intensity
12:30
and violence that Burke brought, especially in
12:33
the running game. So like he definitely didn't
12:35
do his chances any harm. It is just like you
12:39
do marvel at the difference in the depth of this
12:41
team. You're not having to search for guys who
12:45
you've never heard of before who are lining up
12:47
and getting consistent starts like Ryan Nelson
12:49
and these kinds of names we've seen in years
12:51
past. It is a genuine fight. at the bottom of
12:54
the roster for Penning who's on more money to
12:57
make it, Logan Taylor who's just been drafted
13:00
to make it, Harky who's just been drafted to
13:02
make it. Really hard to know, but I mean, at
13:05
least for now, it seems that we know for sure
13:09
the five guys who are safe and it includes the
13:12
four starters and Pipkins who didn't dress. So
13:15
clearly like they're thinking you're our swing
13:17
tackle at a minimum. You may even still be in
13:19
the starting guard spot. We're not playing you
13:21
in this pre -season game. I don't know how I
13:23
feel about that, but anyway, it is what it is.
13:27
He's probably made more of glass than not. So
13:30
perhaps bubble wrapping him is, uh, the more
13:33
strategic. Yeah. Uh, cool. Yeah. We talk some
13:37
preservatives. There's a bit of a self preservation
13:40
going on for sure. Yeah. We spoken about the
13:43
offensive line now. And, uh, one thing that was
13:47
really encouraging was the clean pockets provided
13:51
to Trey Lance for the most part of the early
13:55
well that first half of the game and I think
13:59
for me it it kind of it disappointed me a little
14:01
bit as to how Trey Lance executed a lot of his
14:04
passing game he had some good throws but on the
14:07
whole it just third overall pick he's really
14:11
just not living up to the close to that bill
14:14
so Yeah. Well, how did you sort of see Lance's
14:21
game and compare that to Ui Angolele? Um, yeah.
14:27
How did you say it? I thought Lance was basically,
14:32
I mean, I called it on our last show. I thought
14:33
his spot is completely safe. And after watching
14:36
this, I no longer think that. So I thought, yeah,
14:40
I thought he sucked to be honest. And people
14:42
can dress it up on, you know, charges, favorable
14:46
podcasts. The facts of the matter are he has
14:49
scattershot accuracy, Lance. He takes way too
14:53
long to process. Way too long. To give you an
14:56
indication, McDaniel wants the ball out of your
14:59
quarterback's hands at the quickest of the entire
15:01
league. Tua was 2 .36 seconds. 2 .5 at the max.
15:09
Lance averages 3 .63 seconds per throw in this
15:14
game. He just doesn't see it. I reckon he's a
15:17
one or two read quarterback. The best thing he
15:20
does, to be honest, is when he sees that your
15:23
first two reads aren't open, he tucks it. He
15:26
does have some elusiveness to take off and scramble,
15:29
but you can't base an entire game plan around
15:32
one, two reads, tuck and run. Even though he
15:35
does have a strong arm and he does have really
15:38
ascendant athleticism, I thought... What we saw
15:42
from this game was how good this scheme is with
15:44
its play action passing. So you will run outside
15:47
zone, outside zone, outside zone. And then on
15:49
that boot action, you're going to have someone
15:51
wide ass open almost a hundred percent of the
15:54
time. And in this game off play action, the charges,
15:57
uh, I know I had it noted down eight out of eight,
16:02
eight out of eight off plus pass action in this
16:04
game for over a hundred yards. So 8 out of 8,
16:09
114 yards on play action. So that part was fine,
16:12
but I just felt like numerous times in this game,
16:15
man, turnover where the plays missed an opportunity
16:18
to hit, I think it might've been Brennan Thompson
16:20
or KLS at the back left of the end zone early.
16:23
I can't remember who it was, but there was definitely
16:25
- KLS. KLS. Yeah. Yep. And I'm going to post
16:28
a video later about his interception. So keep
16:32
an eye out for that on TDU film, whether that's
16:34
completely on him or a bit scheme related. But
16:37
in a game where this guy was under pressure on
16:39
only 24 % of his drop backs because of how well
16:42
the O line blocked for him to walk away with
16:45
a statistics that he did 12 of 20 164 yards and
16:49
a pick three turnover where the plays zero big
16:52
time throws. I think this quarterback battle
16:55
is back on all they need to look outside of the
16:57
building. But what is anything you want to add
16:59
to that? And what do you think? What did you
17:01
think of DJ's performance later in the game?
17:05
Look, I think Trey Lance definitely offers the,
17:08
the scrambling kind of presence that DJ doesn't
17:12
for mine. Uh, not in the same, same area. And,
17:16
um, DJ's stats were, were kind of padded by that
17:21
55 yard catch and run by Ammar Johnson. Uh, but
17:25
six of nine, I mean, it's not a huge sample space
17:29
to go off, right. And, uh, you know, playing
17:31
against the, probably the third defense from
17:34
the Texans. But yeah, the accuracy is a big one.
17:37
And I think it's important, even though you'll
17:39
post something later about that, uh, that pick,
17:42
uh, it is important, I think, to talk about the
17:46
expectations of McDaniel's, the trust of his
17:49
scheme of throwing that ball. But he also has
17:52
to do a job of selling that middle of the field
17:56
safety and Even if he popped it up, probably
17:59
another five yards, just popped it over the top.
18:01
It would have been in the basket. So accuracy
18:04
again, uh, kind of let him down, not say that
18:07
it's fully at fault, but you've got to recognize
18:10
if that throws on or not. Um, it just, it didn't
18:14
look like it was going to hit the receiver at
18:16
all. No, and he under threw, like he under threw
18:20
counter a Lambert Smith who had a pretty good
18:23
game. He probably saw just as Jack decides to
18:25
cut him at the last show he came out. Now KLS
18:28
still could have caught that. I think at the
18:30
end of the day, the DB didn't get his hand in
18:32
there and KLS just spilled the beans, right?
18:35
Got spooked. Yeah. Expected it to be, expected
18:39
it to be, uh, contacted. Yeah, that was kind
18:45
of one of the only trades that looked good coming
18:47
out of Lance's hand. So it was disappointing.
18:50
Um, Brennan Thompson's speed was on, was on display,
18:55
even though it was sort of brief, even I think
18:58
on one of those punt returns, he showed the speed
19:00
to get lateral and around the corner, even though
19:03
he didn't sort of make much vertical yardage
19:06
past that. He's not getting caught kind of, he's
19:09
decisive, gets the speed out to the sideline
19:12
and turns the corner. Shows it in running, in
19:17
running routes as well, the speed. through the
19:19
field so it's really exciting. I think it really
19:21
furthers the discussion on the the fifth wide
19:25
receiver spot with Darius Davis and KLS because
19:28
KLS did have a decent game barring that deep
19:33
drop. Thompson appears to offer the speed in
19:37
the passing game that Davis has and KLS I think
19:42
offers a little bit more from a route running
19:44
perspective than Davis has so is it going to
19:47
boil down to Davis being Fickens guy and keeping
19:50
him as the punt returner because I Don't know
19:54
if he's got the conviction to be an assertive
19:57
kick returner. I think he he's indecisive and
20:01
It limits his the use of his speed, I think Let's
20:06
say me too So first Brennan Thompson's gonna
20:09
make this team Not however, if you had some slight
20:14
issues with his play strength coming out of college
20:17
and you watch the all 22, you will see some of
20:20
the same stuff. He was targeted six times for
20:22
two catches. And there are some times where he's
20:23
not getting open on the film. So just be mindful.
20:27
We don't yet know how he's gonna be used this
20:30
year. Is he gonna be a purely kind of one dimensional
20:32
will hit you every now and then it's gonna be
20:35
inefficient, but you will have one or two 50
20:37
yard touchdowns. Or is it something more reliable,
20:41
which is what I want from my fourth receiver
20:43
in an offense. I don't want six targets, two
20:46
catches. So that's going to change with Herbert.
20:49
I do want to note the quarterback play feeds
20:51
into that, you know, but that's something to
20:54
monitor. I thought he only had an okay outing
20:57
for week one, but he did show that that speed
21:00
off the punt return, which should theoretically
21:03
place a lot of pressure on Darius Davis. KLS
21:06
is the bigger, better route runner. who contributes
21:09
in a way that Darius Avers just doesn't as a
21:12
receiver. But I'm wondering, is Davis' spot essentially
21:15
safe? Because he barely played in this game.
21:18
And is this just Ficken's guy? And Ficken's going
21:21
to say to Hortiz and Co, I want this on my team.
21:24
He can find the end zone. He can hit it in ways
21:28
that other guys don't. This is the one guy I
21:30
want on my roster to give it to me. I'm getting
21:32
the sense there's a bit of that dynamic going
21:33
on. Yeah, I guess these are the opportunities
21:37
where you've got to see what others have. So
21:40
like what they've got and whether the competition
21:44
is justified. It'd be really interesting to see,
21:46
is it absurd to think that the charges would
21:48
take six wide receivers in their 53? Uh, and
21:52
you'd, you'd hope that the receipt, the return
21:55
duties either go to, um, yeah, Brennan Thompson,
21:59
KLS split them over there or Keaton Mitchell,
22:02
uh, as another option. Um, and split it up between
22:06
kick and punt returns. Uh, yeah. You wouldn't
22:10
kind of think, I wouldn't think that they'd take
22:12
six, especially if they're going to push for
22:13
nine or 10 linemen or nine linemen and a matlock.
22:19
God forbid. I agree. This is one of these scenarios
22:22
where I don't think anyone is showing themselves
22:24
to be indispensable. So I start to think, I don't
22:27
want to carry six guys who aren't actually that
22:29
complete football player. I will risk it. And
22:32
if I need to return punts or kicks, like you
22:34
said, Kate Mitchell, Brennan Thompson, lad, McConkey,
22:37
KLS, they got enough guys. If you, if you want
22:39
to go on, um, most and say that we'd prefer to
22:43
keep McConkey out of the return game, uh, and
22:46
just keeping fresh, but how many, how, how often
22:49
are we going to have three wide received like
22:52
being sort of 10 or 11 personnel and have that
22:55
many wide receivers, um, on the field at any
22:58
given time. So Six is a bit of a stretch. If
23:01
you were a spread air raid, then yeah, you'd
23:04
want four or five or six really reliable Receivers,
23:09
but it's it's not that world. It's a great shout
23:11
And I mean what we're gonna see is a lot more
23:13
of in gold and our three tight ends Hopefully
23:16
never Scott Matlock again on a real route. No,
23:19
thank you. No, thanks I was shocked at the game.
23:22
I can't keep watching this guy miss blocks I
23:25
had to double check the number. I was like, it
23:27
can't be that far down the field. It can't be.
23:30
It wasn't far enough. Didn't get the catch. Look,
23:33
let's flip over to the other side of the ball.
23:35
It is only a pre -season game. What did you think?
23:40
Why don't you, in fact, no, do you know what?
23:41
I'll start, I'll start us off on that side of
23:44
the ball. The standouts to me are actually right
23:47
in the middle of the defense, and guys you probably
23:49
won't even be talking about or know about. Jamiah
23:51
Carter, Tara Edwards, dudes who just straight
23:54
up aren't going to make the roster. So pretty
23:57
impressive depth. Again, you're seeing a team
23:59
that are finding guys off the street, getting
24:02
them in there. They're playing pretty good football.
24:04
I will say the Texans first on their first drive,
24:06
they had their starting offensive line out there.
24:09
They went with their starters. They did score
24:12
a touchdown on that drive, but I thought overall,
24:15
The run, the run defense was pretty stout, uh,
24:19
in this game, moving across to the edges. What
24:22
are you seeing from your Canard, Andre Carter,
24:24
Akeem Mezador, Nadam Tucker? How's that, how's
24:27
that battle going for you? Yeah, uh, Mezador
24:30
certainly flashed for the, the brief period he
24:33
was on. Um, I saw, I noticed 56 flashing around.
24:37
I saw Canard get into the backfield. Um, but.
24:42
What really caught my eye, and you mentioned
24:44
him, is the sort of sixth, seventh, eighth defensive
24:49
line, interior defensive line pieces. And Tarai
24:51
Edwards had an awesome role stopping the Texans
24:55
in the red zone and forcing the turnover on downs.
24:58
And then in the ensuing Texans possession, had
25:02
a big run stop and then broke through and pressured
25:04
Mills and threw it out of bounds. So it's awesome
25:08
to see that depth there in. Uh, position that
25:12
we were sort of, I don't feel like we're quite
25:15
not, not set, but we're waiting for, you know,
25:19
as you say, the defensive tackles that we've
25:21
drafted to bud into year three, your Jamari Caldwell
25:24
is just Justin Aboigbe. Uh, and then a couple
25:27
of stop gap guys like Delvin Tomlinson. So really
25:31
great to see, we know it's probably going to
25:34
be a rotational kind of position. Really great
25:36
to see that there will probably be available
25:39
guys on the practice squad. that can get elevated
25:42
and won't be a total liability. So really good
25:45
to see their, um, anything you'd like to add
25:49
on the, on the edges. And I didn't really touch
25:51
much on it, but, uh, I just saw flashes without
25:55
it being particularly, uh, or inspiring. Yeah,
26:01
I agree with that. I think part of that was games,
26:05
game script, game scenario, pretty running, pretty
26:08
vanilla stuff. There were a few good ones of
26:13
those early. There were an overload kind of simulated
26:16
pressure, but I thought, uh, Nadam Tucker is
26:19
the one to me who stood out as setting, setting
26:22
the edge a little bit better than the other guys
26:25
while still affecting the passing game. So I
26:28
thought he did, he did his stuff. Well, Dupree
26:30
not playing in this game. So what does that tell
26:32
you? Maybe he's, he's safe. I think he will be,
26:35
uh, and it goes back to the. I made a, uh, there
26:39
was a commenter on the, that sort of vague roster
26:42
prediction episode. And the reason that I kept
26:45
Dupree and over canard was that, yeah, it was
26:50
that buck melanoma. Yep. Just, uh, that's right.
26:54
It was, uh, just the guaranteed money in the
26:56
contract, the dead cap situation for Bud Dupree
26:59
and the special teams offering, hoping that you
27:02
can stow a second year or a undrafted free agent
27:05
go on the practice squad. as that depth piece,
27:07
but yeah, good to see from Tucker. I think he's
27:11
yeah, showing some good fire. Um, and you're
27:14
right. I literally didn't call much, but I did
27:17
enjoy a fair bit of efficiency from rushing for,
27:21
um, like a delay on the fourth and then actually
27:24
sort of penetrating. Uh, and yeah, that run defense
27:27
on short downs was, was great. Um, the name passes
27:32
me for who else flashed a bit there, but. Uh,
27:36
yeah, on the whole, pretty good. And the linebacker
27:38
level game on, I mean, initially you have guy.
27:44
Yeah. Olsen actually, yeah, he felt like he sort
27:48
of returned from the wilderness a little bit.
27:49
It looked like he had a place out on an NFL field.
27:53
He made three tackles. He graded very well. He
27:56
reacted quickly. He rallied to tackle. That's
27:59
a, that's a deep linebacker room, man. We know
28:02
who our two starters are. Presumably next up
28:04
would die in Del Sean Phillips. Cause they were
28:06
the, they were in there to start the game. Then
28:08
you had Colson and wax come on. I haven't quite
28:11
got to the part of the game where wax was dominating
28:13
yet other than he needs to get on the jug machines.
28:15
Cause mate, you're not going to get too many
28:17
better chances to snaffle and interception. That's
28:20
going to be tough as well, but that's what you
28:22
want to see Colson had. He's one of his best
28:24
outings as a charger played quite a few snaps,
28:27
about 30 snaps. Uh, yeah, good, good on you,
28:30
man. And what about the defensive backs? What
28:34
were your, any takeaways from that group of group
28:37
of players? Yeah, a couple of thoughts. Avery
28:40
Smith got beaten comfortably on the touchdown
28:44
play, but then responded really well with an
28:47
awesome pass breakup, I think on the next one
28:50
that went his way. Uh, you saw, we've spoken
28:54
about it, uh, since watching it, but you definitely
28:57
saw the, the, the yin and yang of Genesis Smith
29:00
with the grabby DPI followed by just a freakish
29:05
would be interception if he kind of had the wherewithal
29:08
to get that other foot down. So you're definitely
29:12
seeing athleticism ability to read the ball,
29:16
but just also trust your instincts rather than
29:19
needing to sort of grab your receiver. Mickens
29:22
almost made a few plays on the ball, but yeah
29:25
it's just the jittery the jitteriness of holding
29:28
on to a couple of those interceptions but on
29:30
the whole like um i saw some of the db's contribute
29:35
on special teams icehouse waxed uh was one of
29:39
them um broke through as a gunner but you know
29:42
they just i don't think you're gonna see many
29:43
of these guys get anything more than some August.
29:47
We're definitely in the pre -season and we're
29:49
dropping names, dropping wax off, wax on old
29:52
ISIS, um, old ISIS on special teams. Uh, I actually,
29:56
I thought special teams were a tiny bit rusty
29:58
just between you and me, but my only takeaway
30:01
from the DBs was for me, cornerback four did
30:04
not reveal himself. There was, I mean, we assume
30:08
it's Dean Leonard because of his special teams
30:10
value. I thought Nico Reed and Eric Rogers didn't
30:12
do anything to elevate their stock. I thought
30:15
Avery Smith was probably the best performer of
30:17
the bunch. I know he did give away that touchdown,
30:20
which was just a nicely time throw in the end
30:22
zone, but he made some plays. He had that play
30:24
on the fourth down. Um, yeah, that's, that's
30:28
one we're just going to have to keep on watching.
30:29
And that's also one where I would be thinking
30:32
about what else is out there. Other teams, free
30:36
agents like Russell Douglas. I'm not that comfortable
30:38
going into a season with your three locks being
30:41
cam heart, a little injury prone to heaps still
30:44
not practicing at the moment injured Dante Jackson.
30:47
And then behind that it's Dean Leonard and some
30:50
UDFA types. Yeah. Let's just see where we go.
30:55
I know we were all very excited about Nico Reed
30:57
last pre -season, Eric Rogers, Avery Smith, but
31:00
Maybe a veteran presence is to be called for.
31:03
Just that's one of my question marks on a unit
31:05
that otherwise only conceded seven points on
31:07
the day against Davis Mills, who I think is one
31:10
of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL.
31:12
So really strong. Showed it with that touchdown
31:14
throw. That was a, that was a vet, like a pro
31:16
veteran throw to box out the corner. And what
31:20
about the 30 yard pass to Marlon Klein that he
31:24
fit in between a leaping Troy Dye and RJ Mickens.
31:28
That's a heck of a throw. Yeah. They, it was
31:31
not a bad quarterback for sure. So can play.
31:34
So good start from CEO, apparently Chris O 'Leary.
31:38
CEO is what all the players are calling him.
31:40
So that's what we'll go with. I've got a question,
31:43
mate. The commanding officer. All right. The
31:45
commanding officer. This is from Tao837. Now
31:49
to be fair to Tao, he asked this before the game
31:52
and maybe some aspects aren't as relevant, but
31:54
just to end, end this brief show this week, he
31:57
said, I've got a question for you guys to consider.
31:59
It's about Hortiz's roster construction. At this
32:03
point, it appears there's a good chance the Chargers
32:06
use their second round pick this year on a backup
32:08
center for the next few years, possibly. This
32:11
despite Slaughter being Hortiz's blue star player.
32:14
It appears that the 2025 second round pick Trey
32:17
Harris will be relegated to a W3 or W4 status
32:21
depending on how fast Thompson attends. It appears
32:24
that Canard Might get beaten out by UDFA Tucker.
32:28
It appears that Gadsden may take a back seat
32:31
to Kolar and Njoku this season. It appears that
32:34
Colson isn't making up any ground in camp as
32:37
there's been no real buzz around him. Combining
32:39
that with Hortiz's approach to free agency, do
32:43
you think some of the bloom is coming off the
32:45
rows for Joe Hortiz Andy? Uh, it's a, it's a,
32:53
it's an argument that is tough to knock. Um,
32:57
there's definitely been some slow starts from
33:00
a few of those second and third round picks and
33:02
even the sort of identity around Jake Slaughter's
33:05
role. Um, I think maybe for, for instances like
33:10
Trey Harris, I would say no to the Bloom coming
33:14
off the Rose because QJ is in a little bit of
33:19
kind of contract limbo. They've taken the fifth
33:22
year option, but we don't know what next year
33:24
hold. So if this isn't a, I think, regardless,
33:29
QJ is probably not going to be a charger after
33:32
his fifth year. I would be surprised if they
33:35
keep him. If he has a good year, the return on
33:41
the compensatory pick will be decent. And if
33:44
not, then they can move on from him anyway. And
33:46
Trey Harris comes into that role. And we might
33:50
even see that earlier than the end of the year.
33:53
But the philosophy behind the slaughter pick
33:56
is the backup center. There's still potential
33:58
that he could start at left guard and be good
34:01
there. So ones like Canard and Colson where I'm
34:06
on the same kind of opinion about them being
34:09
fringe roster players and still a high draft
34:13
pick. You're not going to nail them all. Maybe
34:17
we've had, Hortiz has had a higher return on
34:19
fourth, fifth and sixth round picks. So maybe
34:22
that overshadows the, how you view the, the higher
34:26
valued picks, I guess, if you, if you're following
34:28
that. So yes and no. Uh, and the jury's still
34:32
out on a lot of it, I think to sort of sit on
34:34
the fence. You are just assuming Jack's mantle
34:37
of answering, you know, different bit of here,
34:38
not quite coming to a conclusion. No, I think,
34:41
no, I thought you did that fairly. Explain sort
34:44
of, I agree on some parts and this is why I don't
34:46
agree on others. Yep. That's the way to do it.
34:49
That's podcasting 101. I'm going to, you know,
34:53
I'm going to jump out. I'll just say next time
34:55
I'll just say no, and that'll be it. Yeah. Um,
34:59
podcasting 201 is coming out with a bold take
35:03
and say, and stuff you. So if I had to choose
35:06
Tao, uh, I would say maybe the analysis is too
35:13
granular. So I'm sure you're right at that level.
35:16
I kind of see what you mean with each of these
35:18
moves. I'm not well positioned enough to see
35:20
if all the other teams you could accuse the GMs
35:22
of similar things like the third round picks
35:24
being beaten out by ex -UDFA. I'm sure it exists.
35:27
I don't have a strong enough feeling across the
35:29
league. What I do have a feeling about is taking
35:32
a step backwards and looking at the forest. I
35:35
feel like this team is as deep as it's ever been
35:37
since I've been a fan. Now, the test will be
35:41
in the regular season, whether some of these
35:43
guys who are dominating in the pre -season look
35:45
as good. But at least for now, I feel like the
35:49
approach of attacking the offensive line so so
35:53
violently with with back in picks looks to be
35:55
reaping some benefits. It does seem like we're
35:57
going to have quality depth even on the practice
35:59
squad, which we haven't had really forever since
36:03
we've been fans of this team. And maybe I don't
36:06
care so much if if a fourth round pick is being
36:10
beaten out because they found a UDFA gem who's
36:12
actually playing really well. I think that maybe
36:15
speaks to the strengths. of the roster management
36:18
and the GM more to the weaknesses. So look, there's
36:22
some, there are some position groups on paper
36:24
where we'll see, we'll really find out in the
36:26
regular season, like cornerback, depth of wide
36:30
receiver, things like that. If their approach
36:34
has actually worked, but at least for now, this
36:37
would not be the time where I would be criticizing
36:40
Hortiz because I think The smell on his rose
36:43
is pretty fresh and good right now, where you've
36:45
just had a dominant weak one in the pre -season.
36:47
Everyone is healthy. Our different positions
36:50
look as deep as they've looked for a while. Could
36:52
they have done more? We know they could have
36:55
in free agency, but yeah, I'm not, I'm not really
36:58
on the same page as you at this stage, but let's
37:01
revisit later in the season. Andy, do you have
37:03
any thoughts or questions or anything before
37:05
we wrap up? For our listeners, we're going to
37:07
have a little break now. Maybe for a week or
37:10
so. We'll see if we can get a special guest on
37:12
the show, but probably at least a week to week
37:15
and a half till our next one. Any parting thoughts
37:18
or comments or questions from you, mate? No,
37:21
not at all. I just hope to see some growth in
37:24
the second pre -season game. That's all for me.
37:28
Okay. And Nate, no injuries, joint practices
37:31
this week with the 49ers if they want to go ahead
37:34
with them. Yeah. they might actually cancel it
37:36
and that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
37:38
Is it supposed to be in LA or is it in San Fran?
37:41
Cause I don't want any charger near that substation.
37:44
So if we can avoid that at all costs or Brandon,
37:47
I being on the road as a motor vehicle operator,
37:50
I don't want to be anywhere near that stuff.
37:53
All right. Well, thanks for tuning in guys. It's
37:57
pre -season football, so it'll all ramp up soon
38:00
enough. And we will hopefully be talking about
38:03
regular season games sooner than we could possibly
38:07
imagine. Until then, take care. We'll see you
38:08
next time on the Thunder Down Under Charges podcast.
38:11
See ya. Lloyd turning, go!