Hayley Elwood Talks Chargers Jim Harbaugh, Jesse Minter, OTA Takeaways | COMPETITION LEVEL RISING

In this episode, Chargers team reporter Hayley Elwood joins the show to discuss the new Jim Harbaugh era, the newnessof this new team, DC Jesse Minter’s philosophy & impact, the change circling Justin Herbert and how to help him thrive, her sit-down conversations with Junior Colson & Ladd McConkey, wide receiver room expectations, thoughts on some of the “reclamation projects, brought in, and more – tune in!

Hayley Elwood Talks Chargers Jim Harbaugh, Jesse Minter, OTA Takeaways | COMPETITION LEVEL RISING

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Chargers Unleashed Podcast, and Blueprints, are weekly Chargers podcasts, part of the LAFB Network, covering all things Los Angeles Chargers. Chargers Unleashed and Blueprints provide listeners with unique and refreshing perspectives on the latest in Chargers news and storylines, along with special guest appearances, player interviews, off-season discussions for NFL Draft, Free Agency, training camps, and weekly updates surrounding Los Angeles Chargers for fans around the globe. Tune in for Chargers interviews, Chargers news, and more!

Chargers players discussed include Justin Herbert, Derwin James, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Rashawn Slater, Josh Palmer, Asante Samuel Jr, Daiyan Henley, Quentin Johnston, Tuli Tuipulotu, and much more. We also discuss Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, OC Greg Roman, DC Jesse Minter and the rest of the Chargers coaching staff. The LA Chargers 2024 draft class: 1 OT Joe Alt 2 WR Ladd McConkey 3  LB Junior Colson 4  DL Justin Eboigbe 5  CB Tarheeb Still 5  CB Cam Hart 6  RB Kimani Vidal 7  WR Brenden Rice 7  WR Cornelius Johnson

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[Music] welcome to another edition of chargers unleash Jay keer and Dale wienstein here with you from the LA football network this is your first time tuning in the show make sure to hit that like And subscribe button on YouTube you can also follow us on Facebook Twitter Instagram Spotify and apple podcast Dan walkenstein the Chargers have returned back to OTAs this week and like I always say Dan wienstein plus a phone plus whoever ends up being on the other line magic things tend to happen and today Dan walkenstein has made another one of those magical things happen today Dan walkenstein if you would special guest joining the show today is none other than who Haley Elwood Chargers team reporter friend of the show has been with us I think every year since we have done this show which now goes back five years which is insane joins us on the show today lots to discuss we’ll talk about her recent conversations with lad mcon and Junior Coulson talk about Justin Herbert in this new era of Chargers football under Jim Harbaugh Jesse Minter will’ll talk about the offensive line Alex Leatherwood we’ll talk about all kinds of stuff as well as what to expect moving forward with maybe some positions that may still need to be filled all of that and more with Haley Elwood charge team reporter but Jake before we get to that let’s pay the bills talk about our friends I want to remind everybody that bet online is your number one source for all of your summer Sports this season including baseball Golf and NBA and NHL Playoff stats all the latest stats news and scores available for you to follow for all of your favorite teams get in on the latest odds and lines including the latest team matchups player props and odds for just about every sport out there head on over to the website today that’s betonline.ag or use your mobile device to get in on the action bet online use the promo code unleash tell them that Chargers unleash sent you that’s bet online where the game starts hay Elwood from your Los Angeles Chargers joins us next on charger Unleashed well Chargers fans are very excited these days they got a brand new head coach new facility coming up OTAs are well underway exciting today as well for Chargers fans we have a wonderful special guest front of the show Haley Elwood Chargers team reporter joins us here on Chargers unleash hey Haley thanks again friend of the show as always welcome back yeah thanks so much for having me we’re doing our little annual chitchat right now very excited to be on and join the two of you and talk some talk some Chargers here gotta do it in this time of the year gotta do it in this time of the year change but there’s a lot of T talk about yeah all of us time our Tan Lines flowing uh excited to see what it looks like now and the end of the season because I’m sure they look very different lot to discuss today with you Haley excited for this one we’ll talk about your conversations with lad mcon and Junior Coulson as of late get some of your observations about this new coaching staff and some of the players and storylines but you were there at OTAs this week uh what are your kind of key takeaways or thoughts or observations you had from this week out there in Costa Mesa yeah I will say this this is my 11th season covering the Chargers being with the team and when I started with them in 2014 back in San Diego I don’t even think I was as dependent on a roster as I was yesterday of looking at numbers to players on the field and comparing who’s in what I mean Denzel perryman’s not like hello six I think is what we’re working with now obviously with KH Mack and 52 so there’s just so much um there’s been a lot of turnover obviously it’s it’s you can’t understate that and so when you actually see everyone out there and you see a brand new coaching staff that now is able to interact with these guys on the field and go through drills with them and go through everything this is the start of the 2024 Chargers and we really have seen that I obviously missed uh the first week of OTAs but I was there yesterday as you mentioned and it is just a really really interesting team to actually start to get to know if you will there has been so many different things that have happened between new coaches new players and all this stuff but now you’re seeing it kind of come together and it still is obviously super super early I mean we can’t make a lot of predictions right now as to how this roster is going to shake out by any means but what I will say is to get everyone on the field they’ve had great attendance it’s awesome seeing guys like CLE Mack and Joey bosea out there especially during OTAs when this is a voluntary time as well um but when all these things happen it’s just been really good to see and it was kind of fun to just sort of like again see the little seeds kind of start to get planted here for what’s going to come in 2024 yeah and I will say I I think your spot on I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at some of the photos from the team as they’ve come out and I have to reference the roster numbers like wait six one nine who’s zero like I I don’t remember how many or another season where I’ve had to do that more than now and it speaks to this is a new team and it’s a new era and it’s it’s going to take some time and they’re not done we just saw Alex Leatherwood was just signed yesterday so um you got a chance to speak with a few of the players and some that are very exciting for Chargers fans a new wide receiver possibly wide receiver one of the fature for Chargers and lad makoni and then the linebacker who Jake and I have been gushing over and believe will have arguably more impact than any other rookie drafted by any team not a quarterback because of what he is bringing from Michigan you got a chance to kind of sit down with both of them what were some of your takeaways with lad and with Junior Coulson so I’ll start with lad and um and not just because he went first when we literally sat down with them I think it’s important to really stress the impact that playing at Georgia has had on him and obviously you can look at guys that come from Big schools and the production they had and be like oh yeah I mean obviously it’s a D1 program he’s won national championships like all these things right right but what he talked about with me was specifically how his versatility is something that he really honed at Georgia that it was because at Georgia they moved him around so much that that’s how he became this true inside outside kind of dual threat receiver he wanted to be on the field any way he possibly could so with that it was hey put me wherever and I’ll make something happen and so when I asked him well do you feel more comfortable at one space or another he told me no it’s really just where can I be to make a play and I think that’s huge now coming into this Chargers offense because he also is someone who’s been described as very quarterback friendly and now being paired up with Justin Herbert and this new offense that’s going to be really key and he said these reps that they’re getting right now are obviously extremely critical as I kind of talked earlier about the seeds kind of starting to be sewn this is where you’re going to see that camaraderie develop the other thing about lad makoni that I didn’t learn until I was researching him is that he was a former quarterback and he really wanted he tried a couple times throw that ball at Georgia but the plays broke down and he said he would love to throw a touchdown but he goes let’s catch one first and then we’ll see what happens but um but I think that also bodess like a really interesting perspective as a wide receiver on the field when you’ve been under Center throwing to guys like that you’re now on the receiving end and maybe there’s some Vision there that he has from his previous experience playing quarterback that can help him as well when it comes to Junior Coulson when the Chargers drafted him as a sports like media member he is like a reporter’s dream because you have this super talented football player with this incredible backstory and everything that he’s had to overcome in his life growing up in Haiti his father passing away being orphaned being adopted coming to the US not knowing a lick of English playing football not knowing English I mean it’s incredible when you see what he had to overcome to be who he is today both as a player and also a person just to get there yeah just to get there and I think what you mentioned and bold prediction by the way about the impact that you think he’s going to make but I think obviously the Chargers loved him and and thought he was super talented to draft him but that Michigan tie is extremely critical I firmly believe in terms of this defense you have Joey and you have khil and you have Derwin and you have these veterans who have been in the NFL now for a very very long time but this defense is new but Junior Coulson has played in it he knows it he’s the guy who Jesse M is asking you know telling to answer questions and he’s the guy who’s making calls out there right now when he’s been out and been healthy I know he’s working off to the side currently but he’ll get back to that but I think all of that knowledge is so critical to almost kind of help him be this glue guy to sort of bridge the gap between maybe the veteran players who are learning it and the younger guys who are learning it to be that guy who’s been in the system before and I think that’s going to be extremely critical is they move forward on building this defense into mini camp into camp and into the season too and one and one piece that I I listened or watched your your piece with Junior Coulson and the part that I wanted to kind of get your thoughts were on was when he was talking about you had asked him about like the Jesse M excitement and him being so excited kind of just keep building on that uh with him and in talking about the Jesse M defense and how why he’s excited talking about learning concept versus play calls and the importance of communication from your experience in years past maybe covering the team play calls versus Concepts is that new is that different like how do you see that impacting onfield production I’ve never heard anyone so explicitly discuss the seword versus the PW the concepts versus the play calls in terms of these are things that we are learning yes there’s a play that’s going to be called based off these Concepts but we are creating Concepts as Jesse Minter told me to allow the players to understand conceptually what they are supposed to be doing and it is this philosophy if you will of being able to create Concepts and Concepts could be coverages disguises whatever it might be and how to apply those week to week in terms of who your opponent is and with that comes another c-word which is communication and that is something that Junior Poulson told me because look I asked him to your kind of question Dan it’s like I don’t play football so what does this mean and who better to ask than someone who’s actually been in the defense before and he told me this Concepts also these Concepts also go along with communication and he said comms are Paramount in this defense it is so important to communicate because you have to understand what you’re doing what everyone else is doing but as Jesse Mentor told me it’s never too much they make it so digestible because the goal is to take what you do and you build it around your best players and their best attributes so these are all things that sound phenomenal you know they sound really great and they worked out really well at Michigan and so now you’re going to kind of see this in the NFL and one thing that Jesse Mentor had told me too is they actually feel in the NFL there’s a little more of because you know who you’re going to be playing every week whereas College like players can rotate there’s so many different guys on teams in the NFL you pretty much know granted given catastrophic injuries here or there who you’re going to be facing so he kind of feels like it’s going to be a little more applicable and a little more um easier is not the word I want to use but but attainable to kind of use these Concepts now in the NFL where you kind of know who you’re going to be playing week after week and so I think all of that is super interesting and and Chargers defensive line coach I I wrote a note Mike ston said yesterday that Mentor is the best game day coordinator he’s ever been around which is super high praise and that’s something I think that yeah you said Chargers fans should get excited about because that’s what this comes down to right winning on game days and having a plan and we’ll see how it all shakes out but I think this philosophy now and I think again it kind of goes back to the importance of having someone like Junior Coulson who has been in this system before being able to kind of understand and explain to maybe some players who might not get it quite yet how it’s all GNA shape out ell this is the first time that we’ve had you on since Jim Harbaugh was named the head coach of the Chargers and since his arrival the coaching staff has been retooled rebuilt in His Image along with Joe hortiz this team has now been rebuilt and uh you know retailored into the vision that he wants for what he’s going to put out there on the field and we’ve seen some little nuances here even from Ben Herbert talking about attention to detail and some of the drills that we’ve been seeing out there in practice just from your perspective so far what do you see have been the biggest changes and whether it’s just the little things to the big things to the message that’s been putting out there on the players what’s your perception on everything that’s taking place thus far I think we’re seeing a new kind of culture take place here within the Chargers and that culture kind of comes down to this team means business and this coaching staff means business and I I laughed because Denzel Perman was at the podium a week ago or so and he was like this thing’s a whole different structure and he goes look I wasn’t here the last couple years but Jim harva has a whole different structure and and someone had asked him you know were you asking questions about the defense and he’s like no I’m just asking about running like how much running we’re doing right now did you guys do this in Michigan because holy moly this is new um there were some different drills that we saw at OTAs there were some some different kind of nuances one kind of cool thing too um when the players are stretching it’s just the strength and conditioning staff that’s on the field with them and then all the assistant coaches and position coaches kind of hang out to the side and then when it’s time to get into actual practice they all ran out and I had asked someone who had been in Michigan is this something that they did and they told me no but it’s kind of just this like hype too that was like brought to a may practice like it’s it’s you know it was May what 29th yesterday and and these guys are revved and ready to go so with no music with no music yes no music that has also been a thing and full uniforms mind you there were no pads that were on yesterday but if you go to chargers.com you or you kind of like look through photos or through the photo gallery shout out Ty nowl and Mike Noak our awesome team photogs you will see these guys are in jerseys and pants we are not wearing shorts right now and I think that’s kind of a signifier of that means business and and someone had told me in Michigan it was practice what you play in and that’s kind of a philosophy that’s sort of being again plant the seeds now these guys are getting ready for a game Day on May 29th and I think one other thing I kind of noticed too was there’s this also very like Hands-On element that’s happening and it’s not that other coaches in the past have not been Hands-On and and I’m not saying that by any means but really yesterday again with coaches being out there with the players and seeing it all kind of work together I was was very curious as to like what is this collaboration like and you see Nick Hardwick really getting in there I think Hardwick would probably want to still play center if he could you know and he’s just like in there with the guys and Jim Harbaugh with the quarterbacks at one point he was working working with a undrafted rookie quarterback Casey H Balman from Augustana by the way great song Boston from that band in the mid 2000s Augustana if that Rings any bells anyway working with him like on a couple step drops and different footwork and things like that and I just thought that is so cool to have a guy like Harbaugh obviously working with an undrafted rookie quarterback and really taking the time to work with him to pull him aside to work on things with him and so I think you’re seeing all of this again just kind of come together but there are certainly some definite different nuances that that we have not seen with the Chargers and I think it’s going to be tough I think you know we’ve seen the strength and conditioning staff they mean business and it’s going to be really interesting when rolls around kind of what that format is like and how different that’s going to be to different Chargers teams in the past but I think now it’s getting these guys in this mindset of getting ready to go and even like if that means you’re wearing something that you’re going to be wearing similarly in the fall let’s put it on now and just see what happens because we’re ready to go even out here in May it is interesting it is interesting you mened the collaboration sorry didn’t mean to cut you off Jake but it resonated with me because I was listening to Budu pre talk yesterday and he was saying how it was wild seeing Jim Harbaugh like on the sleds or whatever he was like in the fire he’s not used to that and he remember seeing that with Mike Vel back in the day when he was with him and then you hear in your interview Junior Coulson talking about nvar Bowman who thinks he could still play and get after it sometimes and Nick Hardwick and all all of this it feels so much more energetic and Lively and collaborative that we were just not used to that and the group think I think is something that gets a lot of people excited and no ‘s above anything else and they’re all in it together it seems so no I’m 100% you’re right yeah I think that’s a good point I think too when you look at some coaches like Bowman like Hardwick former players former you know Bowman specifically who played under Jim Harbaugh these guys are not that far removed from NFL from their playing days in the NFL so you kind of have also this like um age Gap that’s almost being bridged with even though Junior Coulson was like making fun of Navaro Bowman like ER he says like look I gotta blurry tweak him down however I did not realize that Navar Bowman and I are the exact same age and if I knew that in that interview I would have been like whoa whoa whoa buddy let’s not you know let’s respect our elders here shots fired out interview but but um but you see that and I think it’s cool to have these guys kind of relate and then specifically someone like Navaro Bowman who knows the exact teaching philosophies who’s been and worked under Jim Harbaugh before can now Implement that to his P you know position group as well you mentioned Jesse Miner just a couple minutes ago Junior coulson’s relationship with him I wanted to talk about just in terms of his plan overall as a defense you mentioned the comments that Mike ston had made yesterday at the podium I remember comments that he had even made uh during the national championship week when he talks about best timing of the right play to dial up from what Jesse Minter brings to the defense and now that you have new Personnel this defense as a whole he kind of got what he wanted by having Joey Bosa C Mack and Tulie being able all get an opportunity to coach them but I wanted just to get your thoughts on what do you think are the three biggest things that Jesse M wants to accomplish with this defense we know he wants to get after the quarterback heard some comments from Steve clink scale talking about stacking in terms of being versatile in this secondary but from your understanding your perspective and and your uh talks around the team what do you think are probably the three biggest things that he wants to accomplish with his defense yeah I think it’s getting after the quarterback I think it’s also staying connected on your assignments and then I think from like almost philosophical standpoint it’s not giving guys too much where they feel overwhelmed and specifically we talked a couple months ago about Derwin James and how Derwin is just this incredible player I mean he can do everything but is that a good thing you know what I mean is it good to have someone like that be able to do all these different things or should we tap in to what he does best and kind of leave him with that and I think that is what you’re probably going to see a lot with these players too is them really doing what they do best and being able to hone those skills and being able to almost play freely I think he told me it’s like 50% what we play but 50% how we play as well with this defensive scheme and so all of that kind of coming together I think is just going to bode for a really interesting defense that is yeah predicated on disguise and different coverages and being able to kind of you know maybe keep people off their game I mean that’s something we also talked about is like look I asked him point blank you got to Michigan and the goal was we need to be Ohio State well now that you’re in the NFL the Chiefs are in your Division and they’re going for the three repeat this year so like how do you do that and he goes and he’s like but look we’re up for the challenge and I think I’ve also never really heard someone be so candid about something like that that you know that this is your biggest it’s the afc’s biggest opponent but they are literally your biggest opponent because they are in your Division and so even to win the West you know you’re always going to be fighting with them and so to be able to kind of put that all together I think is going to be really really interesting but yeah I think it’s all those things that you and I kind of both talked about and again it’s that big picture view of really sort of getting everyone to kind of see things from a higher level but make it easy to digest and then that way when they go out on Sundays they can play free they can apply these Concepts maybe they applied it one way one week we’re going to switch it around apply it this way this week and really see what happens um this is an interesting schedule for this team this year you know the NFC South is not particularly the greatest uh division in the league but um you know and also finishing last in your division like look it sucked obviously but you were able to get a good player in the draft and maybe that kind of helps you schedule-wise with teams that you’re stacked against because they are also like the lower level of their divisions but we’ll see how it all comes together but I think it’s it’s something that’s kind of really exciting to see how it all plays out and see maybe some of what we saw at Michigan now translate to the NFL we’re talking to Haley lwood Chargers team reporter if you’re tuning in on ESPN you could listen to or watch the full episode on YouTube or anywhere you find your podcast haly a couple more for you uh you’re doing this is I always love getting team perspective from folks who are in the building constantly because so much can be put out there on video and on pictures but the real stories and understanding from people who have conversations I think is what really helps me understand this team more so thank you um the you mentioned earlier it’s so hard when there’s so many new players on a team to kind of get a feel for just how much has changed and it’s it’s amazing the overhaul that we’ve seen and there’s so much that they had to do but I think we all would agree that the job is not done and there are still some in my opinion positions that could probably use some more work uh in terms of like missing pieces or maybe the components because we know they couldn’t get everything done in one year tot there’s no way way but in your opinion like what are some of the missing pieces or components that this team may still be either going after now or maybe in a year that you think can kind of bring this whole thing together that may not currently have on the roster yeah I think maybe if you look at position groups maybe cornerback is one that that job isn’t totally finished yet for this season and obviously you added a couple guys in the draft you brought on Christian Fulton in free agency but I don’t know it kind of still feels like there could be some work that could be done there at least maybe finding some there’s still a lot of big veteran names out there zavan Howard Von Gilmore like older players obviously but maybe just some veteran depth which we’ve seen this team bring in now over these last couple weeks with some different positions so I think that could kind of be one um you know obviously they’ve done a lot of work with the offensive line they’ve done a lot of work at receiver and things of that sort but I kind of feel like corner and I don’t know maybe there’s also some safety position flexibility that’s on this roster too that could possibly Trend in the cornerback Direction but I kind of feel like when you look at a position group that for me is sort of where maybe that work isn’t quite complete but Joe hortiz has said this is not a draft project this is not a free agency project this is not a get to week one project this is a continuous churn is the word and I’ll probably bring that up again later throughout this conversation that that he used to constantly churn this roster and make it the best it can possibly be you were mentioning Joe hortiz and what he’s done with the roster one thing that he and Jim Harbaugh have obviously talked about is competitors welcome bring in competitors building out the the bottom of that depth of the roster and given that and especially even given now that you have so much turnover in a year from a coaching and player perspective which players do you feel are entering this season with a chip on their shoulder with something to prove or which ones would you say to say which ones would you possibly say that are primed for a possible breakout season this year I think they’re two obvious answers and they’re both in the same position group and I think it’s quite Johnston and Brendan rice and so I think I’ll talk to Johnston about Johnston first and I just think you know obviously we’ve heard specifically hortiz like they’re not giving up on him and they’re ready for him to kind of take that next step and maybe a fresh start within this offense this new offense is something that could truly help him I think Brendan rice is like the obvious answer when you talk about like chip on the shoulder and Shout Out Jeff Miller for that incredible headline of the Year steamed rice could feed Sons hunger to thrive a couple weeks ago I have not seen that you didn’t see that fantastic Jeff get that Pulitzer man um look we don’t usually talk about seventh round receivers we don’t like it’s it’s and the Chargers have taken a couple in years past every now and then and they haven’t panned out that’s the reality of the situation it is a steep steep climb and obviously we talk about him because of his family name he did go to USC and was very productive there but I think we know the story obviously slipping to the seventh round I think though the the reason we also talk about him is because this wide receiver room is very different and there’s possibly a lot of competition there and I think he could maybe be someone who could break out but he has to be able to do the work and that’s actually something that he told uh Gilbert Manzano from SI I think uh Gil was at the rookie Premiere and kind of asked Brendan about working with Jim Harbaugh and and Brendan told him yeah I went over to Harbaugh and I was like hey man I’m going to be sticking around and Harbaugh I guess looked at him and said okay um you talk about it but go do it like you need to go do it actions speak louder than words and so that is where now though we will have to see over these next couple months and I think in the preseason is going to be really big too which preseason for me is going to be very interesting like are the starters going to play like there’s so many questions that that are going to happen there for me personally but I think those two guys specifically and I think that also just kind of those speaks to the wide receiver room as a whole right now and how different it is obviously you lose Keenan and you lose Mike but how much competition there might be for some guys to actually like carve out key roles in it Jim Harbaugh has not minced words since he arrived that the number one priority for him was to protect Justin Herbert and rebuild this offensive line make it stronger obviously they did that with selecting Joe Alt with number five overall in the NFL draft and they’ve done some retooling a little bit as it looks like in OTAs thus far still trying to find that right starting five combination we’ve seen times where TR Pickin is kicked inside to Right Guard and Joe Al is playing out there at right tackle with the ones we’ve seen a rotation with Jamari saer at Right Guard right tackle uh you brought in Alex Leatherwood yesterday to again reinforce this offensive line obviously Bradley Boseman a new center what do you what do you take away from this is just in terms of still kind of putting forth the message that Jim Harbaugh has set forth in terms of just wanting to make this the strongest that it could be as it relates to the offensive line but um do you see any particular combination that you’re in favor of it’s too soon man um no I’ll say this I think that I I think the Right Guard competition is going to be that’s going to be a huge huge competitive spot once we get into camp and joal has been to your point kind of working in like starting with the twos working into the ones going back to the twos and so there’s been some you know obviously as a rookie he’s kind of learning they’re trying to ease him into to that at tackle and whatnot but I do think that the Right Guard is going to be a key uh position battle come training camp and I think it’s all about finding that best starting five and finding the most also physical starting five too we’ve heard about the physicality we know this team wants to be tough in the trenches it is being made upfront right now and so I think all of that um is something that’s probably just going to kind of have to come together over these next few months you know we get into mini camp obviously here in about two weeks then they take the six week break and then they get back into it and so I think all of that though is going going to be interesting but I think you know bringing in guys like Le Leatherwood again churn baby churn like that is the point of this you know and can he be someone who can kind of stick around as maybe like a seventh offensive lineman on this group and just sort of rotate in if need be but I think they are just looking like we said this project is not done and and a pro project is a negative term but I should say this team for 2024 and building this team is not done by any means and so I think we’ll you know we’ll see I think that left side is pretty locked down on the line right now you know boseman’s likely you know be the center they’re working together obviously but the right side is where some questions are probably going to have to kind of be decided over these next few months you you you said project and it the perfect timing because you know it’s a work it’s a work it’s a work in progress obviously but you know as much as and there’s a ton of excitement and there’s a lot of reason for that and this team has done a lot to kind of Silence a lot of the naysayers and silenced a lot of the people that were maybe doubting what they could possibly do because they’ve really hit it out of the park so far at least from what we’ve seen or what I believe but I have noticed that there’s a lot of what I call Reclamation projects that have been brought in to this team whether it’s JK Dobbins because of the injury stuff or Christian Folton because of his time in Tennessee and maybe just needed a new change of scenery or Bradley Boseman with his time in uh Carolina versus in Baltimore where maybe had to kind of step down Hayden Hurst now Alex Leatherwood and there’s a like the the volume of those types of players seems to be pretty high and maybe that was required because of the cap situation because of how many holes they had but it feels like there’s a lot of stock and a lot writing on those guys being reclaimed versus where they were previously is that maybe a bit of a risk like is that something that we should be cognizant of and maybe cautiously optimistic for like what do you make of the volume of those types of players being brought in I think a lot of those players that you specifically named have ties to Joe hortiz or maybe some of you know like the Baltimore regime that’s now kind of been brought in out here out west if you will and so I think to me that signifies that there is a trust and a faith there in terms of hey I know this guy I know what he’s capable of and now we’re going to bring him into this system and hope that he can grow and like you said kind of like reclaim that sort of position and and or talent I guess that you will that he had you know whether it be a season or three ago but I do think also this just sort of goes back again the churn word we’ve talked about it so many times already on this podcast but it just kind of goes back to that that philosophy that that they’re just going to be bringing guys in and it’s all about hey we’re going to turn this practice squad we are going to turn the bottom of this roster we are going to turn every element of this roster position groups to make it as good as it possibly can be so when you see them sign guys you know the fan reaction might sometimes be less than less enthused than maybe normal on some other guys like player to player but I think look at it holistically right now this is a team that there are 90 guys on this roster essentially at the moment and so they are trying to figure it all out it is a brand new team I do think it’s important to maybe temper some expectations going into the season because this is just new from top to bottom but it is kind of cool in a sense that you have a new coaching staff with pretty much a brand new team that’s kind of coming in you know give or take like a few key players at very very prominent positions but I do think that you know this is a a time where they’re just working through it and don’t live and die by the transaction I guess is kind of what I would say and just sort of trust and have faith that you know they’re kind of working through their philosophy and this but again it’s it’s new it’s new for all of us right right because we’ve been you know seeing this Chargers team under one regime for a very long time different coaches throughout the last like 10 plus years or so but um but I I don’t know I’m not sure I’m not sure it’s really like a negative necessarily I think more of it is like so many of those guys again like Joe hor brought in like he has familiarity with from Baltimore so hey like why not give him a shot and I think it’s just going to be a a team that’s really really predicated on competition and really trying to get get the best out of everyone and building that key 53 come end of August and early September we got a couple more for you and we’ll get you out of here Kaye and uh I I think you mentioned bre and rice we talked about Quinton Johnston a bit let’s talk about the receivers here for a sec because I I think the part that has Chargers fans excited is it feels like there’s legitimate juice on this group that we haven’t seen before that’s no shade to the guys we had previously but there was some athleticism and speed and dynamic playmaking abilities that were just feeling a bit lacking in years past which are now on this team in many different flavors what are your expectations of the wide receiver room because it just is so different than we’ve seen here and it seems a lot deeper where the precipitous drop off from wide receiver one two is it nearly as wildly deep as it has been in years past I think deep is kind of a good way of of of saying what I said earlier which was like competitive you know there there are a lot of different yeah 31 Flavors if you will of receivers on this team and you added a guy like DJ sh who has speed and you said like that’s something that you know the speed element to me also Darius Davis like how does he get involved in this offense and he’s been kind of the deep guy so at at point during OTAs I think for me though I’m also very interested and and we’re not talking about him a lot but Joshua Palmer is still here and Joshua Palmer has obviously had some you know injury history over the last couple years but when you have gotten to know him as I have over the last few years he is such a student of the game and I think it was two years ago he specifically told me he was watching like every cutup of Kenan he could possibly watch from kenan’s entire time in the NFL and he was always in kenan’s year asking him like this release that release getting it out of this and and all these different things and just really really want to know well Joshua now has the opportunity to be the number one and be the Elder Statesman in this receiver room and so I just think also the fact that he has camaraderie with Justin Herbert how you know building off of that and so I think it’s such an interesting group but with so many new faces we haven’t really talked about the one guy who’s been here the longest and that’s Palmer and so I just think it’s going to be again really interesting to see how it all shakes out and how um we also haven’t I don’t think we’ve heard from him yet and really get his thoughts on what this offense is like and um working with Coach LA and all these different things and so I think like you said it’s it’s deep there’s going to be a lot of competition I think this is a battle throughout Camp too that we’re going to have to see unfold because you know you know there only so many roster numbers that can happen they can you know a position group can obtain but you’re minus two already with the losses of Keenan and Mike so you know those guys are out so who now is going to kind of take these spots and fill these roles roles and then who can also kind of be added to the mix who can really shine in terms of what can they show throughout camp and throughout the preseason if need be that can help them earn a spot and I think when you look at position battles and you kind of look at what’s to come this off season I think that’s going to be a really really interesting group to watch last one haly we’ll get you out of here I’m not sure how long on any of your segments that you go before you start mentioning number 10 but we just went about 34 and a half minutes without even talking about Justin Herbert so we’re going to finish with Justin Herbert on this one Justin Herbert’s now on his third head coach his fourth offensive coordinator since being in the league and I know it’s early days in OTAs and we all know how he approaches the game in general but is there anything that you have seen from him or you know just from the time that Harbaugh has arrived or even from the draft in terms of gearing up for this time of year gearing up for next season that either a different approach that he is taking uh just his philosophy going into this year what what have you seen from that perspective with Justin Herbert so we haven’t directly heard from him yet and I haven’t specifically talked to him to get kind of his take on all of this which and I’m sure we will over the next couple weeks especially with mandatory mini camp on the horizon but I think you know watching kind of everything transpire on the field it it looks again very collaborative and Greg Roman when I sat down with him and there’s been a lot of discussion on this offense and how Justin Herbert’s G be incorporated you like to run the ball all these things right he goes look our job as coaches is to identify the good that is there and bring it to life and bring Justin Herbert to life and so when you hear that sounds great and that sounds awesome I think a huge element to this offense yes it’s new yes it’s the eenth system that he’s been in but another thing that I don’t think is being discussed enough is the uh return of Shane day as quarterback’s coach and someone who I know and people within the building know Justin Herbert has a very strong relationship with and to bring him back into the full and I think that also says a lot about um look I do not know if he was consulted on this hire by any means but what I will you know kind of talk out loud is I think it’s cool that Jim Harbaugh recognized like hey this guy and this coach had a great relationship let’s bring in someone who he’s familiar with to make this transition this again umth transition that he’s been through a little easier and so watching the two of them out on the field it’s like old times you know from a couple years ago and so I think that familiar face is huge in terms of kind of bridging all of this together and I think it’s kind of cool you know I I’m interested to kind of hear what he has to say about harva especially as a former quarterback and just how that kind of all like unfolds but I just think you know um it’s a lot of new obviously and he’s had a lot in his very still young career in the NFL but I think hearing Greg Roman say those things like we all want you know what’s the best and it’s our job to bring it to life that’s what you want to hear and again so early and we will see what happens with this team and how this all unfolds but I just think at this point you know he’s now a vet like a Savvy vet if you will and when you lose guys like Keenan on this team and even Mike who had a few years on Justus you know Justin of what year five season five now this is 21 two three yeah um you’re getting up there man and and this isn’t like not that the training wheels were ever on with him because they came off immediately in week two 2020 but um but you know he’s now like a true veteran on this team and I think um it’ll be fun to see how it all comes together and also just kind of fun to hear but I do think the return of Shane day has been really really big and I think it’s been very cool to see someone like Jim Harbaugh who could truly bring in I’m sure whoever he wanted to be in that role as quarterback’s coach as the actual position coach for that group to now bring Shane day back and know that those two were pretty tight and have that familiarity familiarity there for Justin I I will say maybe the most anticipated outstanding piece about the Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh relationship to me is come game day are they gonna be doing like the pad chess bump fist thing because like Justin Herbert versus Jim har like those are very different types of person yeah very different people so I’m curious what that free game whatever it is will be do you think that that’s happening if you I don’t know yeah I’m not sure um didn’t happen yesterday didn’t see that uh I can tell you that much there were no pre uh preot bumps if you will um I do find it very interesting he’s in a gold non-c contct jersey right now which is like it’s very striking out there to see this like gold jersey which is kind of cool instead of the normal like red ones that you see um so you can’t miss him can’t miss number 10 when he’s out there on the field right now but yeah I think uh you know I’m sure someone will ask that when he takes the podium and I’m I would bet money that uh well maybe I shouldn’t say that but that I would I would bet certain things that uh Justin Herbert would probably have a very uh very smart retort on that if you will probably probably Haley thank you so much for doing this we I know we covered a bunch here today and you were fantastic as always uh you just got done with Junior colsen and lad mcon discussions what are some of the things that Chargers fans can look forward to from you moving forward yeah we’re uh we’re trying to kind of sit down hopefully with a couple position coaches over the next few weeks before the break to mini camp um I’m trying not to name names because you know we’re trying to get the asks in and everything like that but it’s between us no one no one needs to know between us and all our nobody listens this yeah um but uh trying to maybe get some of those down and and uh actually talk to maybe some of the guys behind the big guy if you will um to see what it’s like coaching on this staff and being around these players and kind of starting to see this all sort of come together I love it Haley Elwood charger team reporter you are fantastic thank you so much for coming on friend of the show you’re always welcome maybe we’ll get you on before next year during the offseason because every time you come on it’s gold so let’s uh keep that Sunshine gold alive well I appreciate it look there was absolutely nothing to talk about today so thanks for having me let TR yeah nothing nothing going on in Chargers land but no seriously thanks for having me it’s always fun joining you guys and uh yeah let’s do it again of course for Haley Jake myself Chargers unleash La football network thank you so much tuning in and we’ll talk to you next on Chargers [Music]