In this episode, Jake and Dan are joined by Dan Wade & David Droegemeier from Locked On Chargers to discuss some of the biggest offseason storylines, questions & expectations headed into the 2024 Chargers training camp and season. How different is this offseason from previous regimes, Chargers visiting San Diego and Camp Pendleton, OL Expectations, Position Group improvements and weaknesses, Justin Herbert, coaching impact, who has the most to prove, are they buying the offseason hype, key position battles to look for at camp, and more – tune in!
Ever since the Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh as their Head Coach, a new era of physical and attention to detail football has begun, bringing in excitement for Chargers fans and national media covering the team.
The hiring of former Ravens Director Joe Hortiz as the new General Manager has given the team quite the boost in free agency and roster structure saviness the team has desparately needed.
Harbaugh, Hortiz and Spanos proceeded to hire an assortment of coaches including Navarro Bowman, Greg Roman, Jesse Minter, Sanjay Lal, Nick Hardwick, Mark Tressman, Chris Oleary, Steve Clinkscale, Chris Beatty and Ben Herbert to help transform the direction of the franchise.
The team made a slew of free agency additions including Bradley Bozeman, Denzel Perryman, Hayden Hurst, Will Dissly, Kristian Fulton, DJ Chark, Gus Edwards, JK Dobbins, Alex Leatherwood, Bud Dupree, Troy Dye, Ben Mason, and more.
Chargers Most Improved Position Groups, Key Offseason Storylines & Questions w/ Locked On Chargers
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Chargers Unleashed Hosts: Jake Hefner (@JakeTHefner) and Dan Wolkenstein (@DanWSports)
Blueprints Host: Jason Balliet (@Syntari13)
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 chers Unleashed Jake keer and Dan wienstein and joining us from the locked on Chargers podcast this is the crossover with David druger and Daniel Wade gentlemen I know it hasn’t been too long since the last time that we talked but damn it it always is great when we can have the quad box of the Chargers unleash crew and the locked on Chargers crew this is what it’s all about these are the type of conversations that we love to have especially in June when we’re just itching for football content at every place that we can find it the Chargers wrap up manatory mini camp this week we’re obviously going to delve into that a lot of uh opinions and perspectives from David and Daniel as it relates to what is taking place with the Chargers since the draft over the last couple of months and where things are headed for the 2024 season so lots to get into gentlemen how are we doing I’m doing great David how are you doing I’m doing phenomenal I mean this a it’s a great time to be a Chargers fan it’s a great time to be covering the Chargers feel like there’s a lot of optimism uh and I think there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about where this team is going under Jim Harbaugh Joe Ortiz and you know this new Chargers regime 100% 100% it’s exciting times I know Chargers fans were not used to having nice things and we’re seeing so many decisions and implications and ramifications of all of these good things come to fruition as the weeks and months have gone by since Jim Harbaugh was brought in so to answer the question Jake I am doing fantastic how are you Jake you’re the only one hasn’t answered this wenin I don’t think you’ve ever been in a bad mood number one okay you’re always you’re always 100% not true you’re always the chipper of the bunch come on you’re The Optimist I am the resident pessimist of the group there’s no surprise there I’m doing fine I’m excited for this evening it is always a blast I’m always yeah if is the excitement not seeping through my pores enough do you need me to get closer to the camera it’s always a blast when we have the locked on Chargers crew on here for a crossover episode the conversations just are always the best well let’s get the crossover crossed over uh let’s just kind of set the table here we we got a lot of fun topics to discuss we kind of want to get your perspective on just like the new regime and what you’ve noticed is kind of the big rocks of differences between now and of times of past we’ll talk about Camp penlon which I think a lot of us were excited as Chargers fans about uh position groups that may need to improve what we’re buying or selling some of the hype offense and defensive expectations position battles the whole nine but David Dan you guys have been doing this a long time longer than we have and you’ve seen multiple regimes come and go Jim Harbaugh Joe hortiz this new era we’ve all kind of talked about it at nauseum but like overall what is in your opinions the biggest difference between what we’ve seen to date in the Jim Harbaugh Joe hortiz era and what we’ve seen in past GM new coach era which if we’re being honest was Tom Tesco plus head coach of your chosing yeah I mean I I think first of all let’s be thankful that this is an off season we can getc excited about right I mean the Chargers keep pretty much every coach for four years like we there was a nonzero chance we were getting a Brandon Staley off season and coming from a guy that records five episodes a week 46 weeks out of the year I did not want to have a Brandon Staley offseason you know just hey can can he do it should he be gone why is he still here Jim Harbaugh we did 15 straight shows with him on the thumbnail so this is a much better offseason than we could have had I think when you’re talking about what the the differences are it’s hard to say I mean because it is such a broad question right like is as far as like free agency went free agency we didn’t see the JC Jacksons or the Brian bulaga right or even the Cory lindley’s any of those big contracts we saw a ton of one-year deals we’re not going to jeopardize what we have going on in the future we’re going to do what’s financially financially reasonable this year but also do whatever we can to fill as many holes as possible and build as much depth as possible you get to the draft we’re now taking Delmar glaze in the third round randomly when no one’s ever heard of him maybe that’s a real player I don’t know it might be the Raiders third round pick I’m not sure I’ve never heard of him yeah we saw them be sensible as far as where they took players getting guys of Great Value later on the draft the Brandon Rice’s the Cornelius Johnson’s the cam Harts all of those guys and when they were up in the third round they took a dude who might might be the best linebacker in the draft right a guy that maybe shouldn’t even have been there in the third round available to them they filled needs but they took guys that deserve to go there without making huge obvious reaches so I think there are a lot of differences I think at least from the joe hortiz side those are the biggest ones that I’ve noticed early on yeah I think for me it’s it’s twofold um it’s a level of professionalism in in the way that things have been ran uh as far as from the head uh the top all the way down I feel like you know ownership is really on board now like and and they they’ve proven that with the money that they’ve invested you know the going out to get the the head coach with the experience in Jim Harbaugh going out and and getting joe hortiz because Joe hortiz would have never left Baltimore if if not for this opportunity to be working with Jim Harbaugh I think that’s something we have to point out I mean he was in a very very high up position W with Baltimore and I’m sure he was getting paid plenty of money I mean there is really no reason for him to jump out and leave unless it was a really very rare situation and now I feel like with ownership investing that type of capital allowing him and Jim Harbaugh to run things the way they want want to that shows kind of a level of change in professionalism in the way they’re doing things and then the other theme that you hear just from every single player is the attention to detail it is at a completely different level under Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff everyone’s talking about it and when everybody’s talking about it that means it’s a theme it’s something that’s happening and I think when you get you focus on those little details those small minute changes those start to stack up and turn into big bigger more impactful changes so I think those are the two things that stick out to me right away yeah and and the details right it’s like the little things become the big things and you hear so many players talk about how you wouldn’t necessarily think you know how to certainly tie tie your shoes or how to put the weights back would translate to game days but like it’s a mentality right and that’s just details on pregame random stuff in the locker room let alone attention to detail of how you’re going to execute a certain block or how you’re going to be you know going down during specific plays as a receiver like it I agree with you I think the details all of you obviously but the I think the part is just like for me has and Jake and I have talked about this like the Brain Trust that is now within the coaching staff and you see it I was talking to Jake about this yesterday you see it in that Navaro Bowman miked up where not only are you seeing a Navaro Bowman as a Chargers coach now which is wild along with like Nick Hardwick but there’s 30s something coaches on this staff right now and you’re seeing players you’re seeing players resonate with those coaches but not only that you have this Brain Trust of coaches that are able to kind of collaborate and bring out the best for the team and so you’re seeing nvar Bowman for example out there coaching it up with the players getting them all like very specific detail oriented with how they’re moving throughout plays and and drills and then you’re seeing the coaching staff at the end of it going up to Navaro Bowman and talking to him about like you know now you’re not an allpro anymore I’m paraphrasing you can’t go out there and be an all pro but you can see your players develop and that’s what your reward is and so it’s cool just to see the coaches not only coach the players but help kind of bring the best and most out of each other and so all of this feels different and and that kind of goes into I think the next part of this is you’re seeing a lot of themes here throughout mini camps and OTAs and even this week they go down to Camp Pendleton there’s purposeful decisions being made throughout the offse and there’s a method to The Madness of all of the things that we’ve seen and it comes out eventually talk to us about what your thoughts were on the Camp Pendleton thing which I think all of us were San Diego Chargers lived in San Diego at one point and then also maybe just maybe your biggest takeaways from the mandatory portion that we’ve seen so far this week go ahead David yeah I I think you know the fact that they’re understanding that they’s still a large large fan base in San Diego and and trying to connect those two maybe write some wrongs I I I really truly feel like the way that the Chargers separated from San Diego was the wrong way to go about it I feel like they burned a lot of bridges and and the way that they did it they wanted to clean break they wanted to jump they were full force focused on La and that’s all that their mind that’s all their mind was at you know where where they were going and I feel like they could have handled that a little bit more delicately um they did and so I think this is an opportunity for them to and I I really feel like this is Jim Harbaugh here I feel like this is a decision that he made I mean obviously I don’t know that that’s just me you know guessing what I feel um but I feel like this is something that he decided to say hey we need to reach out we need to try to do something to try to connect you know the fan bases in San Diego to you know where they’re at in Los Angeles and just kind of you know reach out with an olive branch and say Hey you know we understand where we spent 56 years of our history and we want to try to try to mend some fences and and I feel like it’s a positive thing I understand there’s a lot of hurt out there and understandably and rightfully so right I mean that they were there for a very very long time but I personally love it obviously I’m an army veteran so seeing them go out there and and be with the the the Marines and and their families and spending some quality time inviting all of them down to watch at the field level uh I feel like that’s a very special uh moment uh special situation and I’m very proud uh to be a Chargers fan um and to be you know somebody covering the team seeing them reach out and do something like that yeah I agree uh I’m pretty much every front I I do think it’s super Bittersweet in a certain way right because it’s like you’re going down to San Diego and San Diego is where we all grew up you know the where we started loving this team so it it is a little Bittersweet cuz that’s about as cool is you know they’re going to get to San Diego playing at San Diego right but I also think just like you know to do that these are very important periods they get very very limited time they weren’t going to Camp Pendleton to get you know the resolve of the Marines there and have a super Focus practice they went there to do a cool thing and they did right having Jim Harbaugh have all the families and those things like breaking down the fence and just basically saying hey come on down right like you don’t see that very much where you’re just letting 5,000 people kind of run a up amongst you know hundreds of millions of dollars worth of players it just doesn’t happen a lot like that so to to see all of those families days made to see you know people that are in our armed services get to have their day mate to get their you know fatigue signed to get their kind of whatever they have their Chargers footballs all that stuff like those are memories that last a lifetime I I think it was a really really cool thing to do I hope we see something like that every year hopefully that becomes a tradition again where they’re doing things like that every year so I I you know it is Bittersweet I think think for San diegans for sure I live in San Diego I know the Chargers fans are still out there we talk about it all the time bartender I’m talking about it all day but to have them come down and you know show a little a bit of an olive branch right to kind of open the pathways a little bit I think is absolutely a positive thing Jake did you think or did you see that as an olive branch to San Diego or did you see that as something to the military or was it both I think it was a little bit of both to to David’s point you know the way that they left still I we we know from hear listening to it on social media yes but we still see the after effects of it today that are people that are still hurt by it and to see that and I fully agree with David that it was also a Jim Harbaugh decision for that to take place everybody that was in attendance deserved every bit of that and I wish from a standpoint even from outside all the service people that were there that it could have been a bit bigger venue just for a little bit more fans to come and enjoy that and enjoy that type of a moment because this this was the essence of this team for so long and for Harbaugh who once played in the city of San Diego for the Chargers I think it was a very personable thing to him and to give back to the military and those families I thought was a beautiful thing but just to show just from a standpoint of being personable to fans I think that was the extension of everything else so you wish it could have been on different terms you wish that there could have been more people in attendance for a moment like that but for Jim H and the team to go out and do something like that for the military and those fans that were in attendance it was awesome yeah and I think at the end of the day this is one of those you know build it and they will come if this team starts winning they will come up to La for football games and I have no doubt in my mind and I don’t know about you guys but San Diego I believe has more downloads for us than LA County San Diego County has more than LA county for us as locked on excuse locked on as Chargers Unleashed Chargers fans are here in San Diego like make no mistake about it it’s but it’s tough It’s a Bittersweet thing and it takes time winning cures a lot though and I think that’s what Chargers fans are excited about with this new era Chargers football let’s get into kind of the offseason players some discussions in terms of like expectations OTAs mandatory now perfect attendance we had the OTAs as well um what do you mean what do you believe is maybe the biggest storyline so far that’s come out of training camp not training camp but ota’s mandatory or voluntary there’s a lot of different names for the practices and the off Seasons I think we could do without you know we could simplify it we don’t need OTAs and mini camps and Training Camps you know too many things too many names of things to me it’s always hard right because you’re talking about about no pads on or anything I have liked the fact that like I think maybe the Brandon stale era convinced me that you weren’t allowed to go 11 on 11 at this time of the year I don’t I don’t know you know maybe before that I knew you were allowed to but I kind of like how they just jumped into it even though there’s only so much you’re going to get you know from the the lineman and the trenches and things like that when you don’t have any pads on but I like you know getting out there and just doing it doing it the real way doing it as close to real as you possibly can at that point of the year the one name that keeps popping up to me is lad makoni you know we had Chris rim on the show he brought up lad makoni Daniel popper has done an excellent job for the athletic documenting every practice he’s been at seems like lad makoni is a fixture there as far as hey this connection is growing which I don’t think is a small thing because I if we think back to last year by the time we got to the regular season the connection between Quinton Johnson and Justin Herbert wasn’t there yet you know Quinton Johnson obviously went into training camp behind Josh Palmer and Mike Williams and Keenan Allen he wasn’t getting a ton of those first team reps Vlad makoni day one was the slot starter for this offense and I love the fact that that relationship is already starting to build so I think you know durability things like that there are some concerns but I think if you’re talking about guys who have stood out at OTA so far I think it would be lad makoni the guy that keeps I keep hearing about at least David for you what would you say is the biggest storyline or maybe if you want to look up a different way biggest pleasant surprise maybe yeah I mean I I think it’s just been like the the attendance like the amount of players that have showed up and have been there throughout the off season and and I feel like because there’s that level of excitement U that level of change knowing that you know you have a real legitimate head coach in this league that has won um and has you know real experience and you know the the gigantic staff that he brought along with him I I feel like the players are excited about it and they really truly feel like they are going to they they expect to win like they are going to win Jim boss says like I want the expectations to be Skyhigh right because if you’re afraid of expectations then you’re afraid to compete and I love that right I mean from you know a Chargers fan that you know has not seen their team win the division in 15 years right I want to get back on top of the mountain I want to Dethrone the Chiefs I want to be the kings of the AFC West again and I feel like for the first time in a very very long time we finally have the right guy that can get us there a lot sooner and a lot more effectively than any anybody else that was coaching this team the last you know 10 12 years yeah and I think I want to change my answer I want to go with gold jersey that that’s my answer now the gold jersey is the biggest storyline for me the fact that they get Justin Herbert to go out there and wear a golden Jersey where not any of the other quarterbacks which you know he did not want that I mean Jim Harbaugh told us he didn’t want it right I mean which is the least surprising thing in the world that Justin Herbert wouldn’t want to be the one dude who has literally a arrow point in down on him in the middle of every practice because he is shining in a golden Jersey but I also love it I love the golden Jersey and I love the fact that Jim har like yeah you know ah what are you going to do everyone has to stay away from quarterbacks we just want you to stay a little further away from this specific quarterback and and like I talked about I think we literally brought up on the show like we’re coming from you know the Anthony lindes of hey he’s a backup for a reason you know what I mean so to see Herbert now get continually propped up and praised the way that Harbaugh has to the extent of giving him a golden Jersey to wear on the practice field so really no one gets anywhere near him I I have to I have change my answer to that just make sure that you can stay two yards away from all the other quarterbacks but for Justin it’s two and a half to three okay right just make sure you know that yeah um it for Justin Lots has been done to improve and turn a weakness some would argue into a strength specifically looking at the offensive line and just this week Jim Harbaugh seems to have told us that the starting five is basically set except he did kind of have like an aster I forget exactly ex the word he used when we talk about Trey pipkins probably yeah yeah there a term he used ahead of it that he kind of gave himself an out just in case but right I think it’s right now right now Trey pipkins is one of the starting five but we know the starting five Jake I’ll go and go to you first on this what are your expectations of of the offensive line if that is a starting five like are you expecting them to be this a dominant offensive line out of the gate like where do you see maybe strengths and weaknesses of this offensive line I mean this should be the starting five that we expected ever since Joe all was the fifth fifth selection of the NFL draft but I do think that there are going to still be some growing paints however when you look at how bad the offensive line has been for Justin Herbert over the last two years the bar hasn’t necessarily been set astronomically high so the Improvement that you should see should still be considerable you know Joe Al will probably go through a little bit of growing paints considering that he’s moving from the left to the right side Trey pipkins moving into a different position while I feel like that will be advantageous for him having joal to his right and Bradley Boseman to his left there’s still going to be some Growing Pains there but in general as a whole you would hope from a cohesiveness standpoint and Jim Harbaugh having this message of finding the best five to put out there seemingly we’ve heard that same message going all the way back to Mike McCoy I remember him saying the exact same thing and it feels like we’ve been just retooling this line for the better part of a decade now but from what you have now as a staple of rwn Slater Zion Johnson going into his third season Bradley Boseman obviously who’s a season veteran with the Chargers definitely you lost that when Cory Lindley went down last year you saw what effects took place when he was out of the game Trey pipkins moving over to a new position and a big time for him because he’s a year two of another contract extension and it is not necessarily guaranteed for him beyond that and then Joe Al coming into it at his size and what he could possibly do on the edge considering his success that he had in the left side of Notre Dame so you have to have nice expectations for it it can’t get much worse but at the same time let’s still be real there are still going to be some hiccups every now and then but from the standpoint of keeping Justin Herbert upright and relying a lot on this run game everything should move better David I think I’ll ask you this and maybe asked differently like what is the bar of expectations for you like what is at minimum what this offensive line to be this year well I mean I I guess if we’re quantifying it uh I would like to be somewhere in you know the 10 to 15 range I think would be something that I would like to see I do feel like it is going to be much improved because they’re going to be running the football a lot more and a lot more effectively which in turn is going to help them pass blocking as well because I feel like every offensive line wants to come downhill they want to go straight forward they want to be moving forward and that’s what Greg Roman is going to be doing you know he’s going going to be running the football he’s going to be establishing that and so when he does establish that running game that’s going to open up when they do pass you know have to pass block and they have to do go play action they’re going to be in much better situations to be able to do that because the defense just can’t key in on what they were doing the the balance was so lacking the last couple of years and that hurt the offensive line and they’re blocking as well so I feel like the the play calling um and and the blocking schemes um and the way that they’re running the football is going to improve the entire unit So Daniel I’ll ask you this then the run the Run blocking was horrendous this past year and for years now and that could be offensive line as well as scheme as well as the tight ends that also were attributing to that do you see I know Greg Roman is like this running game savant right do you see this team turning that glaring weakness into a strength this soon yeah I think so I mean I think because that’s all I’ve ever seen uh you know from Greg Roman’s offense like like no matter what situation he’s ever been in he has had a top rushing offense like that just it’s it’s almost automatic with him so it does scare me to to have that kind of faith in something we haven’t seen yet I do think that there is for to what Jake was saying like there are some reasonable questions you know there are definitely questions about how much can some of these guys improve did you get enough legitimate competition for a Zion Johnson who struggled right did you get enough competition for Trey pipkins like you know are you giving Jamari saw enough of a chance there before he’s even getting pads on to say that Trey pipkins has separated himself but I do think the running game is going to be much better I do think that that when you see Greg Roman in the teams that he’s had whether it’s Buffalo or the 49ers or the Ravens like all of those teams have been in top 10 rushing units so I do think it’s going to be much improved I think the commitment is going to be a lot greater there and I think that’s going to help and I also think that you went out and got someone like a will disle for a reason right you went out and got guys like Brendan rice and Cornelius Johnson and bigger bodies in that position room for a reason and that is one of the biggest things as far as run blocking and just how well your running game works is there’s so many different parts to it like it is the the offensive line and they’re always going to take the biggest share of the blame probably rightfully so right I mean that is the tip of the spear for the most part but the tight ends were atrocious like I mean you know like it it was really really bad from that unit the wide receivers you weren’t getting nearly enough from those guys so even the the good decent runs never had a chance to turn into great runs because the blocking down the field wasn’t right the scheme didn’t feel like it ever was full F understood any of the last three seasons in the brain daily era so I am bullish on the fact that hey Greg Roman’s here now we heard the running game was going to be a lot better under Kell Moore never happened but I do think under Greg Roman we will see this team turn into at least a top 15 rushing attack but if it’s anything like what Greg Roman’s been able to do in the past it feels like it’ll be a let down if it’s not top 10 Jake returned with light incredible let there be light let there be light like you were just talking about with the Chargers offens line that has gone through technical difficulties for 10 years sometimes it happens with me so we’re back I mean I honestly I was so I was watching myself on the camera so I didn’t even realize that Jake was gone but I think that when you’re talking about this offensive line we can’t forget where we came from right when Justin Herbert started you’re talking about at Center Dan feny next to him Forest lamp next to him right we’re talking about guys like storm Norton right like it’s come a long ways now you’re talking about an offensive line that has three first round picks on it Joe joal a top five pick you have ran Slater a top 13 pick and Zion Johnson a top 17 pick to go along with a third rounder and Trey pipkins and a guy in Bradley Boseman who’s already well outplayed where he was drafted so I don’t want to take that for granted at all the Chargers it looks a lot different from Justin Herbert than when he started I was worried Jake that you didn’t pay the bills so let’s make sure that we do pay the bills your lights were off for a bit so let’s pay the bills let’s talk our friends before we get into most improved position group want to remind everybody that bet online remains your number one source for all your summer Sports this season from baseball golf NBA and the adhl playoffs all the latest stats news and scores available for you to follow for all your favorite teams get on in on the latest odds and lines including the latest team matchups player props and odds on 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 going over to bet online and use the promo code Unleashed that’s bet online where the game starts so so much has been changed in one offseason players gone players in free agency brought in in the draft coaching staff revamped so many position groups to choose from here so we can’t use the same one so we have four options here okay we’ll go quick quick rapid fight here for a bit most improved position group Daniel start with you oh should I go with a more obscure one to make it easier on you guys I mean most most improved is a tougher one I mean I know me and David have covered this on the show as well I mean we were going through like man like there’s not a lot where you know for sure right I’ll go with one maybe a little bit more obscure just because I know they lost a good player there and that’s the tight end room I’m very keen and bullish on the tight end room from from where it was last year and and I love Gerald Everett trust me I mean I was a big Gerald Advocate but like I do think that if if Hayden Hurst right or even the combination of Hayden Hurst and maybe Donal baram whatever that room ends up looking like there as far as who they think the receiving options are if Hayden hurse can be 80% of Gerald Everett but then you also get will dley who’s clearly one of the best blocking tight ends in the National Football League that’s a huge Improvement to me like right you also have Ben Mason who’s floating around there like a very like I know Hayden Hurst ever wants to bring up the Run blocking grades and stuff like that like Hayden Hurst in most of his career has been a better run blocking tight end than most of the Chargers tight ends have over the last three years I promise you so don’t get too caught up in that one terrible Carolina Panthers year you know we’re just going to have to throw out the 2023 Carolina Panthers season we’re talking about these new Chargers players did they get more Carolina Panthers than I wanted yes of course you know it’s a two and5 team we’re talking about but quarterback which makes a lot of things look different exactly yeah no 100% but like if Hayden who I think can right I mean he would have to have a substantial balance back from the seasons he’s having healthwise and production wise if he can be 80% of the receiver that Gerald Everett was and will dley can be 150 to 200% of the blocker that Gerald Everett was like I think that is a huge Improvement and I think it’s a much more well balanced room David what’s your answer both improved yeah I think for me it’s the linebacker position I think the linebacker position is a lot better this year you know so subtract K of Murray who got the contract of the century um for the play that he was a able to provideos to his agent um and obviously Eric Hendricks who I mean I think played a little bit better towards the back end of the season but you know you eject them you bring back Denzel Perman who we all know is a heat seeking missile against the Run you’re able to you know bring in Troy Dy which I think will play a little bit on defense as well as you know adding to special teams getting Deon Henley more of a platform to be on defense to actually play uh I’m very very excited about that I really love his game I feel like he has a very well-rounded game he can cover he can tackle he can shed shed blocks I feel like he is in in for a breakout type of year and of course bringing in junior Coulson who is absolutely perfect for this situation I mean I don’t know how many players out there offense or defense that gets to take their same defensive scheme or offensive scheme from college and pretty much the entire coaching staff and bring it to the NFL level um with his intimate knowledge of the defense and you know being able to have his coaching staff here at the NFL level I don’t think anybody else is in a better position to succeed right away than Junior Coulson so I’m going to go the linebacker position heer what’s yours no linebacker being able to be used or tight end what’s see you you still might even think that I’m going for lwh hanging fruit here but I’m going to go with the running back position and I think this is by huge I mean they were terrible last year so hug committee is this going to be a lot better obviously you finally move on from Austin Eckler who gave you two really good years over the two out of the last three we’re really good from a fantasy perspective of him but we know how badly this Chargers Run game has suffered and for the longest time that we were always asking who’s going to be the second guy behind Austin Eckler that’s going to step up to give this running back room some help and we never found anybody nobody was up to the task in doing so so now you go out and you bring in uh you bring in Gus Edwards JK Dobbins guys who are very familiar with Greg Roman system and what they could do in that running back room Isaiah Spiller who Dan and I have talked about is possibly even I don’t know where you would slot him in terms of the roster as it stands right now because you may have to keep six wide receivers you may all of a sudden be at a position where you can’t keep four but I think his running style is perfect for this scheme and then you go out and you get Kam vll Dan we just heard Greg Roman at the stand today talking about the differences that they’re going be hitting defenses with when they run the ball because not only are you going to run the ball a lot but you’re going to hit them with a different flavor every time that you do it and all of this of course is going to help Justin Herbert in the in the long run so the combination between coach and revamp Personnel for the Run game you have to be excited for what they’re going to do from a running back by committee standpoint I’m gonna I’m gonna change the the the game here for a second and so instead of being most improved position group I’m going to go with the position group who I think has the most to prove that’s so convenient that when the the biggest ones get taken that Dan doesn’t now want to answer the question I’m not let’s go ahead and move this show along a little bit I thought Edge rusher was the easiest answer honestly that was what I was gonna go with but I thought it was just too easy yeah yeah no but Dan it’s fine if you don’t have an answer that’s okay it’s your sh I I can go a few different ways and the answer that I have I think honestly can be both so you know what I’m gonna be able to I’m just dragging this along Dan trying to move things no no no um offensive line honestly uh I think we know how impactful the Joe alt selection was and bringing Bradley Boseman in now he’s not Corey Lindley but Cory Lindley didn’t play much last year so I’m comparing him to play last year pair that with the GRE Roman coaching staff and a Jim Harbaugh style of offense pair that with a running scheme and an identity that we know this team is going to try to become and you know God willing I don’t see how this offensive line will not be better and much better and more effective is probably the better way of putting it so I think that is a group that should be should be the most improved because that’s what everyone has told us from the en entire coaching staff is most important most Paramount is protecting Justin Herbert keeping him un upright establish a balanced offense and run the ball that requires an offensive line to do all of those things and that’s why they went out and got Joe all and Bradley bosan that’s why Trey pipkins is making n million as a quote unquote backup tackle or starting guard because they want this offensive line to be dominant but then also means they have to prove it like there’s a lot at stake for this offensive line and if the offensive line crumbles the entire thing crumbles that’s the thing that has plagued this team has been the offensive line the ability to protect Justin Herbert in key situations establish a running game block for their running backs all of that has to be Pro proven to be successful this year or charges are going to look silly period so offensive line would be my answer for both most improved who I believe and the one who has the most approved Jake Master Class position group most approve who has the most approve I would have to say that this is the cornerback group even though what you have even though what you have with a Sant Samuel Jr this is going into his contract year and obviously there is still been some things that has been missing from his game that we have seen since he was drafted and now with virtually all the revamp that you’ve had in the secondary with drafting Four Corners over the last two years between jir Taylor Dean Leonard now with tarib still and cam Hart and you add Christian Folton into that mix that’s this is a lot of Youth there’s some one-year Pro it free agents that you’re now having that hopefully you can find a Reclamation project in Christian Folton but there’s still a lot of question marks now what I do like about this is you go back to Steve clink scale when he was talking about the secondary and what he wants from these guys to be more versatile he wants them to play both the outside and the slot which I love in terms of creating competition because who’s going to come in to say who’s gonna win this is the Battle of slot G to be between t still Jer Taylor and then what are you going to do with theant Samuel Jr because we all know that he can play both of those type of positions so it’s just breeding more competition but at the end of the day I think that’s also going to weed out some of your weak links of that group but there’s still a lot of question marks as it relates to this secondary and I know that we all share the opinion that they may not be done adding to this group before the season starts so keep an eye out when it comes to the end of preseason for every team because the Chargers could still add to another quarterback before the season begins well since Jake stole my answer U I’m gonna go and switch to the offensive side instead of the uh you know the guys that are trying to prevent you from catching the football it’s to the guys that have to catch the football and that’s the why receiver position I think there is also a ton of uncertainty in that group there’s a lot of bodies in that room a lot of guys that are trying to fight for their spot on this roster can Quinton Johnston you know take off in his sophomore season can you know DJ CH establish himself as you know one of the top receivers what is Joshua Palmer going to look like how are they going to utilize lad makoni I mean I mean who’s going to make the back end of of that wide receiver group is it going to be Brendan rice is it going to be Cornelius Johnson there is a lot of names there and I feel like that’s going to be one of the mo most fierce position group battles in all of training camp for the Chargers before it’s all said and done I I like both those answers I mean I think as far as the cornerbacks go you are really hoping for a bounce back with Christian Folton right and I think the other thing just big picture-wise who do you have in that room in 2025 and Beyond look at it I mean Asante Sam Jr’s going into his last season Christian Folton one-year deal like like you know next year you’re going to be looking at a room that’s filled with Cam Hart tarhe still we have no idea what they’re going to be yet Dean Leonard and Jer Taylor those are the guys you have they’re under contract right now so I think big picture-wise there’s a lot of questions there and the Chargers are showing a ton of faith in a bounce back from Christian Fon and also that deante Samuel Jr can kind of even things out a little bit right I mean the dude’s brightest moment is a three interception playoff game and he’s never even really like had more than that in a full season of regular season games so seeing that evolve like him like I think you’d be a lot better with the cornerback room withand s Jr like the give and take of hey if you can be an elite ball producer right I’m okay that you’re not going to be able to do certain things and you’re going to have some liabilities in the running game and and things like that right because Jesse Mentor Corners tackle right that that’s a big thing Sant Samuel Jr the tackling is an issue the run defense and just being where he’s supposed to be is as much of an issue I know everyone wants to focus on the tackling it it’s filling the right hole I mean fourth and one Jacksonville Jaguars Travis ATN end of story like he wasn’t where he needed to be right that’s but like people underestimate like just they think it’s just the tackling it’s not it’s being in the right place run defense has more to do with you know turning guys back to the rest of your defense having the right leverage doing all those things so the cornerback room I agree with the wide receiver room for sure and I think a lot of it has to do with the shoes that you’re filling right no one’s going to be keen and all one no one’s going to be able to be Mike Williams and I think Mike Williams goes in the Cory Lindley pile of hey you can’t really hold that receiver room up against this receiver room because it was really 13 games of Keenan Allen you know Josh Palmer missing six seven games and then everyone else behind it so to like say oh well you lost Mike Williams and Keenan Allen a little disingenuous at least as far as the 2023 group versus the 2024 group because you didn’t have Mike Williams last year but there’s are still giant shoes to fill for me I’m going interior defensive line and and this is just a position for me where it’s I guess it’s kind of a lot to prove but it’s really just like I don’t know what to expect from those dudes and they’re going to have to prove to me that they did enough there to have a competent unit because I think you look at that and I love Morgan Fox but Morgan Fox is what Morgan fox is right he’s a really good pass rushing interior defensive lineman I don’t know if you have a full-time above average player in that room right now we we’ll see what happens with Justin a boy be but everywhere else on the roster you can point to it and I can say hey that guy should be average to above average full time starter there who is that right now in the interior defensive line I don’t know who it is it’s a lot of guys Daniel do you think cuz the coaching staff Jim Harbaugh a few people have like really hyped up into your defensive line as like a strength of that team are you buying that or is that just like him hyping up his guys in your opinion it’s somewhere in the middle like I I I think he probably was really afraid of what he had in that room and then maybe he saw some things there that he liked so it’s like oh my god well maybe it won’t be the worst group in the league but like I literally on the last show we did for walk on it was like Jim Harbaugh saying this is a really really good group and then it was like an ftn post about La football network posting about how the Chargers interior defensive line was ranked 32nd out of 32 teams in the NFL so I I think there’s a lot of Disconnect between what Jim Harbaugh saying and where that group actually is I think it can be better than 30 second in the league but I think that’s another position group where it’s like the big additions Puna Ford free agency wise the biggest addition in the draft is Justin Abby who I love and wasn’t on my radar before the draft right but like a dude who I never saw go backwards in college right like the dude is as sturdy as it gets but still like you’re hoping for a huge jump from Scott Matlock and Tito abona and for Justin AB boy to play meaningful snaps for you for Morgan Fox to be an allaround player that you don’t need to be in every down defensive lineman and for Puna Ford who played 150 snaps last year to be a meaningful part of that room it’s tough it’s tough but I think having an edge group that is as deep as it is I think will make that interior defensive line life easier but you still got to get to those situations Dan that that’s my biggest thing right because it’s like how are you going to use your your four horsemen or whatever the name is because everyone wants to name this group of four Edge rushers how do you use those guys if other teams are in third and one right if other teams are are even not even getting to third down because they’re ripping off off seven yards a carry so I that’s that’s where I’m thinking is can the defensive line be good enough so you can get the full use of those crazy crazy Edge rushers to me the best group in the league and that is fair and I think the part that this staff is probably banking on and I think Chargers fan should be very grateful for is the fact that at least three of the four and you can argue that budet fre and there too are all very good two-way players on defense they can play against the run and the pass from The Edge group specifically and bu Dei like a dirty work type of guy bring a lunch P make no questions about the EDG group The Edge group all can defend the run the edge group can all rush the passer it’s it’s all about the interior and I think the the thing that gives me some Solace is like who did you lose right like you had Sebastian Joseph day and Austin Johnson getting huge snaps the dudes weren’t good for the Chargers straight up they weren’t good so it’s not like you lost a bunch there yeah I mean it’s I’m not going to say that I’m not going to say anyone you know just got money and you know rested on their Laurels if David wants to say that and you know call out the character that’s fine I’m not calling out their character at all just think they didn’t play well like they whether it’s scheme whether brand stealey didn’t put him in the best positions whatever it is they were just bad so like you didn’t lose very much in that you know in that position group so you will get more snaps for maybe some guys who should have gotten more snaps last year you get Justin de boy being Puna forward in that room I like some of those guys and I think I’m higher on some of those guys than others but I still think that like the Chargers are B ining on a whole lot from that room that are total unknowns at this point in the offseason and and that’s fair and that’s fair and I think what I’m kind of gleaning with his conversation is like we’re looking at both sides of the football right and we’re seeing so many new moving improved hopes for offense and defense and so maybe Jake I’ll start with you on this which side of the ball do you trust more at this point like do you trust well D David left so now he was done with that question he had he wanted nothing to do with I will not record again until someone moves me back into my rightful spot okay he’s back he’s back David made it back he came back for it yeah sorry about that he I’m not the only one with technical difficulties on this show so thank you for that appreciate it but but what I was asking was the which side of the ball do you trust more right now knowing what we know now going into the season fast forward to week one which side of the ball do you trust to deliver I mean You’ you’d have to just say on the service level because you’ve seen the results from Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman working together previously so you have to give them the advantage in that circumstance while everybody is excited about Jesse Minter and what they’re going to do with this defense and trust me I’m one of them a thousand perc you’d have to go with the offense because that’s the proven results and to Daniel’s Point there’s still a lot of question marks as it relates to this defense so while we all expect Jesse Minter to come and give us a much better defensive product than we had had under the Brandon Staley era there’s still G to be some things that are have to going to be ironed out but I here’s what I’ll tell you I will trust Dan from the defensive side of the ball I will trust Jesse Minter to adapt and I will trust Jesse Minter to call better situational plays for this defense we’ve heard that from Mike ston and one of the biggest issues for the Chargers over the last two years defense L was being able to adapt to what another team does whether we’re just talking about it from a half to half basis quarter to quarter basis they just were never ready for the opposing team’s counter punch and they can never adapt to that and hence why you’ve seen why Justin Herbert has had a terrible defense essentially since he’s been in the league statistically so that facet I will trust from Jesse Minter but you got to give it to the offense right now okay so David then what would you say which side of the ball has improved more offense or defense I mean I I like I see improvements on both sides of the ball to be quite honest with you I feel obviously which one’s which one you got you gotta put your you gotta put your yeah offense I mean I’m definitely on on with the offense I feel like the running back room is much much better the schemes are going to be much better the offensive line I think is improved with better resources and better depth there with Jamari saer kind of being that swing tackle swing guard you know a guy that can play kind of multiple positions on that offensive line and then yeah there’s a lot of differences in the w receiver room but I feel like there are guys there that can definitely provide some some quality snaps and then the tight end room is vastly improved you know with the the the blocking capacity and I feel like there are capable pass catchers in that room as well so I feel like the offense to me is is a little bit of a step up there’s just less questions like you know Jake said on the offense for me um as opposed to the defense where I feel like there’s a couple of things that we need to see before we can really believe see and Daniel that scared me that scares me because as much as we want to complain about the offense the offensive line and the struggles they had last year that is not why this team lost as many games they did like the defense was atrocious and gave up so many things and if the defense has not improved more than the offense whether by Personnel or by coaching this team’s in trouble do you agree like I yeah I I mean I I think there’s an argument to be made that coaching wise the defense got better than the offense did I mean Greg Roman is an absolute Master at what he’s done he’s been also fired as an offensive coordinator three times in the NFL right Jesse Mentor guess how many times he’s been fired as defensive coordinator zero times no you know I can make an argument for the defense this is the thing I think for Chargers fans especially for all of us who’ve been covering the team through the entire Ste era and into the Anthony Lynn area and whenever that be you know you started it’s hard to buy back in again right like Brandon Staley was supposed to fix all the problems Brandon Staley was was the defensive Mastermind and I know you guys get the comments into the YouTube as much as we do where it’s like people are hesitant to buy in on someone like Jesse Minter getting much more from his players without actually getting the topend talent that he might need to turn it around because I mean let’s be honest where did the Chargers spend their first two picks they took an offensive lineman with the fifth overall pick and they traded up for a wide receiver they didn’t address the defense until the third round and as much as I like Junior Coulson right they didn’t put a bunch there you have a a small contract to Christian Folton a smaller contract to Puna Ford you bring in bud dpri you have you get a lot of pieces but what’s the big addition to the defensive side like most of it I think you you’re arguing you know in the draft you got Junior Coulson Justin AB Boye you have tar still and camart that’s a lot to put on rookies as far as like hoping that’s where your biggest improvements are going to come from like that is really a lot to ask I do agree with Jake though as far as there is a difference between Brandon Staley and Jesse mentor and the biggest thing that I’ve tried to tell people the entire offseason is his people came with him which is a huge huge huge boost Brandon Staley came in and brought Derrik Ansley from Tennessee and Ronaldo Hill from Denver like and none of those guys came with him from the Los Angeles Rams when he became the Chargers head coach the other thing is is Jesse Minter isn’t worried about not melting down at the post game press conference right like he is defense he’s the defensive coordinator and that’s it he’s not going to worri about why you know they team called the timeout and overtime against the Raiders that’s not Jesse M’s job he has a singularly focused mindset of how he’s going to attack this defense without having to worry there there’s good coordinators all the time being a head coach is very different trying to be a defensive play calling head coach is incredibly hard Jesse Minter is not worried about that he’s just worried about his defense and the other thing is is one thing that we continually saw over Staley as many times as we heard put the roof over the defense or whatever terminology you wanted to use there were broken plays left and right and Brandon Staley just as every defensive guy who comes in the room said was we’re going to adjust to our best players they didn’t they didn’t they they just so much so that they said let’s go bring in players I actually know play well in this because I’m not going to be able to build it around what you have here and there wasn’t a ton of talent outside of the big names to begin with and that’s you know fair or unfair but Jesse Minter has his people and what that means is everyone is on the same page there’s no trickle down process where you’re playing you know telephone where Brandon steale is saying this to Ronaldo Hill Ronaldo Hill is saying this to Derrick Ansley and Derrick Ansley saying this to Asante Samuel Jr these guys are all on the same page because they’ve been running this defense for multiple years there are some new coaches the majority of this staff is Jesse Minter staff and I just think the importance of that in hoping that you’re going to get more out of these players if you want to make the argument for it I would start right there not to not to make your ego any larger than it may already be Daniel but Joey Bosa just today was saying that exact thing about how start from the top things trickle down there’s no loss in Translation it’s all coming straight I don’t have to record lock on Chargers till the Friday show so I haven’t seen those yet but no yeah I mean yeah I I think it’s huge I I I saw some things going around from Joey Bose and you know I I couldn’t agree more like and the thing about Brandon ste’s defense was this too like he wanted it to be perfect he wanted it to be perfect and perfect is just unattainable at the NFL level every once in a while you’ll get a game like the Miami Dolphins in 2022 where he absolutely undressed to a tonga vioa on National Television right every once in a while you’ll get that game but every other time you’re talking about a defense that’s looking for Perfection and if one player’s playing the wrong leverage On Any Given play you have a busted play that goes for 40 plus yards and to go to Jake’s point every single time you got into an end of game situation with closers on your defense like Derwin James and Joey Bosa and khil Mack and all these dudes everyone had the answer it was the easiest thing to ever decipher in the world because every time a defense needed points and now Justin Herbert’s taking slander because every offense in the league knew what to do against Brandon Staley’s defense when it was a late game situation and the pass rushers couldn’t get home and offenses knew exactly where to go go look at half of the games from last season you’ll see the same thing Thing Justin Herbert keeps it tight Justin Herbert puts you ahead for the defense to immediately collapse in almost record-breaking time like we we’ve seen it happen time and time again so I think the game day play calling to Jake’s Point huge huge difference because when it got to late game situations against Brandon stealey and you try to think back about how many times his defense made a stand without a miraculous Nick nean interception in the end zone or a miraculous alohi Gilman against jacobe brassette interception in the end zone like you needed guys to make miraculous ways because teams were driving down the field easily go look at that Lions game go look at that Packers game right that was the start of the Jordan love era right there like week one the Dolphins over and over again we saw it there was no team that ever had a problem moving the ball against the Chargers defense late in games and late in those in those late game situations and you have to hope that is better under Jesse Minter and from everyone’s words it should be if this was around the horn right now we should have hit the Fire graphic for about oh yeah don’t get him going I wish there was a point system why isn’t there a point space system once he gets started man it’s hard to stop idea first of all I have a light that’s a point right there I didn’t leave the call that’s a point right there I’m at least at one on one from David and he’s got a redheaded beard so that’s another Point automa me retract my statement well okay so David then like what is your bar set for the defense then like what are your expectations what’s the Baseline that it has to be at least it could be metrics it could just be ey tests but like what are you expecting can can I can I just say competent like like like I just want it to be competent like just be middle of the pack like just be average like just to see a bottom five defense of the last five years has been just nauseating and it it’s been so annoying to see like you know what Dan said every single time they’ve been put in this situation to to close the game out they have not been able to do it at all whether that’s the players on the field or the coaching staff and the play calling all of that has not married up I just want them to be competent don’t play those off coverages when it’s third third and nine third and 10 don’t play the fense defense third yeah maybe not seven yards of cushions on Third and one please I mean I have a two-month-old like I see poop every day that defense was poop David I think asking for average is very very fair that’s all I want like just beow know what you’re doing like and be able to make adjustments I think that’s one of the biggest things for me is noticing when you need to make the adjustments and doing it quick enough to make a difference in that particular game that’s when we did not see that enough under Brandon Staley that has to change under Jesse Minter you have to be able to make competent adjustments in game because that’s the difference between wins and losses in the National Football League so be able to stop the run be able to limit the explosive plays for crying out loud God please be able to have somebody on the back end that is a competent last line of defense type of Defender and be able to accentuate your strengths just like Dan said if you can’t stop the run on first and second down you can’t utilize the biggest strength of your defense which is the best Edge rushers in the NFL period be able to accentuate your strengths and put yourself in a position to utilize them just be confident that’s all I’m asking for and I guarantee you you will see much better results from Justin Herbert who has put this team in position to win way more games than he has actually won because of that defense yeah we’ve reached the point of the episode where emotions are starting to run high and because we want to see this team succeed and we’ve seen this team fail so many different in miraculous fashion in ways that it shouldn’t like some of this is very basic stuff that we’re hoping this team can figure out and it seems as though they have a staff that is competent enough and has enough Brain Trust collectively to bring out the best in themselves as coaches and the players a couple more for you I know we’re going a little long here but hashtag y’all worth it um I think it’s it’s interesting to me because there’s so much hype around this team both nationally and locally like everyone’s talking anytime Jim Harbaugh breathes it’s like national news at this point and rightly so like this team has a lot of Buzz because of all the changes and uh successes that have come to this franchise but I think that there’s still concerns like valid concerns and valid holes that this team has Jake start with you biggest concern we can’t reuse ones so biggest concern headed into whether that’s training camp or whether that is week one what say you biggest concern I feel like I’d almost be just retorting back what what Daniel was talking about with the interior defensive line but in general you know it’s it’s I’ll say it like this Dan almost kind of reverse UNO card here you’re worried you you may be worried just from the standpoint that that that this coaching staff was literally ripped down to its foundations and rebuilt up and now you have all of these new faces and new places even though a lot of them come from the same uh College in Michigan so a lot of them are very familiar with one another I.E Greg Roman Jim Harbaugh from their days in San Francisco and now with the the retooled roster damn we even had uh Haley Elwood on the show when she said I have never had to look at a roster so much before to see which number corresponded with which player I’ve never had a season like that and that just shows the turnover in this R in a single season so while I have all the faith in the world that Jim Harbaugh is going to create a winner for this Chargers team I think you just have to temper the expectations a little bit there’s still going to be some hiccups whether that’s from a coaching standpoint or a player standpoint there’s going to be those heartbreaking losses it’s going to happen we’re going to see that happen but but this is a coaching staff that I think as far as the message that Jim Harbaugh has put in this his introductory press conference to the things that you’re seeing now with Ben Herbert coming talking about the intention to detail the getting ready in game uniform tucking your jersey into your pants these new drills that we’re seeing during mini camp and OTAs with the tarp and on the spot having people talk about something as from a leadership standpoint it’s creating a mindset so even with all that I believe that that is going to turn this team around and into a winner but I think it’s for for those who think that the Chargers are just going to hit the ground running and we’re GNA see a you know 15 and three season or whatever the hell it is I think we should just temper the expectations a little bit yeah I think it’s hard to do that sometimes though when you have a head coach that went to three straight NFC championship games right I think it’s just those expectations come from what he’s been able to produce but yeah I I think that that’s fair as far as for me the biggest remaining concerns more positionally for me backup safety I think that third safety position is definitely a concern for me the slot Corner position I want to see what’s going to make of that who’s going to be able to take the bull by the horns there the interior defensive line is definitely a big question mark and then I’m going to throw this other one this one we haven’t talked about at all backup quarterback I think it’s something I I would like to see them bring in some more competition for eastn stick I feel like there’s there’s something that can be done there I think there’s a veteran that could be brought in to make you feel a little bit better in the event that anything happens obviously you know God forbid but you know you want somebody to be able to have you know some semblance of an ability to try to keep things afloat and I don’t know if East stick showed that to me in his playing time that he had last year so that’s I mean those are some positions I I think I’m a little bit concerned about t does Tony Jefferson fix that backup safety role for you let’s see what he has right I I mean like he’s he didn’t play any football at all last year he was a scout for the Baltimore Ravens and so like you haven’t seen him play you know quality football snaps in several seasons so he’s got to show that he’s company he’s got to show that he’s in shape and he’s got to earn a contract before anything else so I mean that that hasn’t happened he’s still in a tryy out situation here so we’ll see if he gets that contract let’s see if he impresses enough and we’ll see if he uh if he does if he does then he has a legitimate chance to grab that that backup safety spot for sure and Daniel I’ll ask you this I hear a lot of people David talked about it too like the thank you for the permission uh the slot Corner being a need which like I get I guess but in my opinion outside corner like what are we trusting right now you’re trusting Christian fton or Cam Hart as one of your outside corners like to me that’s the bigger one and if you bring in a veteran outside corner that then slots everybody down one and then then your slot Corner could then be Assante jazir Taylor and or [ __ ] he so let them battle it out I mean outside corner is a bigger one but what say you in terms of biggest concerns I I think that’s a great Point you’re bringing up about the cornerback position I think that’s all fair uh you know I think just looking at the grand scheme of things first of all you know hey go sign Stefan Gilmore and Justin Simmons you know we won’t have nearly as many questions this year you know that’d be nice that I have the answers those are the answers you go you do that we’ll be fine um mine is more General and overarching and I think maybe more to what Jake’s point was just about tempering expectations and you know as being super good friends with charger Super Fan AER like it’s hard to temper expectations with this fan base right now because they all want to see the playoffs and a deep playoff run in in year one and yes take yeah he you know well yeah and those projection is fine my thing about as far as what my biggest concern would be you’re you’re counting on so many dudes to bounce back and I’ve said it and I’ll say it again and I’ve said it over and over again like the Reclamation you can you can hope that and I think that you know Bradley Boseman will be much better this year than he was in the dumpster fire that was Carolina last year right I you can hope that Hayden her same thing and DJ CH and Christian for and Bud Dupri and like but like how many guys you know Denzel Perryman another one right like how many guys are you really banking on to be so much better in your scheme because they just played poorly in 2023 I think if you looked at the list of guys that they have listed as starters right now that played at a below average level in 2023 you’d be looking at a pretty long list of players right so I think when you’re I I am very bullish and I think it’s just great that so many players wanted to go to the Chargers to rehab their image right that trusted the Chargers to take a small deal so that they can get money on the backside of this because they think that this is the best place for them to show that they can play much better than they did last season but that’s a lot of dudes that you’re hoping can bounce back from pretty subpar 2023 years I mean you’re not wrong and the offseason hype always is at all-time high at this point going into training camp All That Jazz like this is when I think every team across the league their fans are expecting and hoping for Super Bowls like that’s that’s kind of comes with the territory let’s stay on the theme then offseason hype we’re g to steal a little L going to laddin style this is how you get Justin Simmons Stefan Gilmore we have one more wish for the genie lamp everybody the lamp put gen back in the Justin Simmons ston Gilmore you know we we have one more we have one more in the holer okay uh offseason hype by yourself which I think you guys do this what is it once a week right you have the second on your show buy or sell yeah we do a buy or sell show every week yes okay so I don’t know if you’ve done this if you have you could just repeat your answer here I’m not sure but I have a few ones here let’s go quickly we have two more questions this one one more okay buy or sell I had lad makoni on here but I think we all are gonna buy that we’re gonna buy that hype uh next one on here as Samuel Jr again blowing up camp ball production same as always are we buying that this one’s different a that’s a tough one that yeah I think oby on S Samuel Jr hype I I think that is for I mean there’s certain things like I think in reality he’s much closer to Marcus Peters than he is to a derell Rivas right as far as like his style of game where I think it’s always going to be some some give and take with him and I think that if he can become that five or six interception a year type of player you’re going to feel a lot better about the Miss tackles and the missed assignments in run defense and things like that which is fine but you got to get the good parts of it too and I do think that that is a guy that if you put him in man-to-man coverage he is going to win a lot of those matchups and has shown that he can do that in this league three years into it and I do think you can reasonably expect when he’s not thinking so much about where his leverages is and trying to be perfect that I think you could see a better version I would buy that on aant Samuel Jr I’m buying it as well um just because he has every reason to explode and break out because this is a contract year for him right I think you got to remember that you know if he goes out there and he proves that he can you can be the guy look at the contracts that quarterbacks are making like they’re making big big money so if he’s able to put it all together in his fourth season then he has every incentive to be able to go out there and do that and I feel like with this Edge group that they have with that pass rush I think they are going to unleash on the National Football League they are going to be able to get some more interceptions uh for Assante Samuel Jr I think that there’s going to work hand inand so I’m going to buy that breakout Jake buying I’m going to buy it as well Dan and again as as Daniel David were talking about you know you go back to last season Sante Jr started off great in training camp last year and it looked like last year was going to be the season and I know we like to talk about how many coordinators and coaches that Justin Herbert has rattled off since he’s been in the league but now you look at the secondary coaches it’s been just as big of a revolving door with what’s taking place it’s essentially the third secondary coach that asant Samuel Jr in this quarterback group has had over the last three years I feel like I trust the likes of Jesse Minter and Coach clink scale to get the best version out of a Sant SEL better why they’ve worked together they know exactly what it is that they want from their secondary and as they have said whether it’s the secondary or any other position they’re going to put their guys in the position where they know that they can cons can succeed you’re not going to come in here and ask Assante s Jud to come in and do anything that he can’t do now to dance point there are still some gaps from rante Senor Jr that need to improve namely the run defense namely the tackling that he needs to improve but overall from his game and his play standpoint and them putting him in the position where he needs to be I’ll buy that more from the coaching staff and how they can improve him for for this year okay so then next one on my list here fellas is Quinton Johnson and I’m gonna set this one up here I’m gonna give us kind of some wiggle room okay David expectations David how many yards would be a good year for Quinton Johnson I I I I have hope that they’re going to use Quinton Johnston more effectively because of what I heard from Greg Roman in his press conference he said hey we’re going to put him in more of those runand catch situations we also going to throw it deep to him more on occasion but I feel like he understands what Quinton Johnston is and what he brings to the table so with that being said I feel like a productive season for Quinton Johnston would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 650 to800 receiving yards I feel like that’s where my expectation is for him that’s where my hope I would say is for him um if he is used more effectively I can see him go over that but that’s what I’d like to see um in in this second season for Quinton all right so then we’ll use David’s window as a barometer here Jake Hefner buying or selling Quinton Johnston hype and we’ll set the bar 700 yards I’ll buy that 100% I’ll buy that and again we’re not have we don’t have to talk about the touchdown statistics or whatnot but like David said I think that the Chargers are going to utilize Quinton Johnston more than just a Mike Williams type of replacement Jim Harbaugh knows what Quinton Johnston did to him in the playoffs against Michigan just a couple years ago so he knows the best version that he can get out of Quin Johnson and no it’s not going to be some astronomical thousand yard season jump in year two but again I can’t get much worse than what it was in his rookie year so if you find somewhere right in the middle and in this type of an offensive scheme that as much as it’s going to benefit Justin Herbert I think it’s going to benefit these wide receivers as well Quinton Johnson will be the benefit of that so yeah I’ll buy it am I gonna have to be the bad guy there we go some someone has to be a bad guy guy I’ll sell it give it to him Raz I’m selling it I’m selling it I’m selling 700’s a tough number because that is I think you know if you’re if you’re looking at Las Vegas odds or something like that I think that’s a a good over under right um but I’m going to sell the hype to a certain extent because like to me we’re talking about an offense it’s going to be much more well balanced and I don’t think it’s going to take the Steep Cliff of targets away from the receivers that some people think it will I mean I think if you’re looking historically at thousand yard wide receivers under Greg Roman offenses you’re going to find a pretty short list of like a year of Michael Crabtree a couple years Anquan Balden maybe you know a year where Hollywood Brown got close to it but didn’t make it then Mark Andrews had a year like there’s not a lot this is the other thing what wide receiver is Quinn Johnson do you guys have him as wide receiver one for this offense this year that’s rhy do you have him as wide receiver to for this offense this upcoming season because I could see a world in which Joshua Palmer’s wide receiver one and lad MC’s wide receiver two and you can swap those if you want to depending on who your higher on do I think wide receiver three in a Greg Roman offense is going to go for 700 yards they brought in DJ CH for a reason what is his role going to be in all this I don’t know I think it’s easy to sell the hype I I mean I’m not there with Quinton Johnson yet I I need to see it and I’m not going to be able to see it until we reach the regular season and I just don’t see this team getting put into a situation where they have to force feed Quinton Johnson targets I think he’ll be used much better I think he’s going to look a lot better than he did his rookie year do I think he’s gonna break out and be wide receiver one and you know 700 hey maybe he could get that I think that’s a good season for him do I think he’s gonna have a thousand yard season absolutely not I think he might be wide receiver three right now on the depth chart when things are all said and done I think it could be around there still yeah maybe you know maybe it is I think they’ll use him better but I think just tempering expectations is probably good with Quinn Johnson he had a lot of improvements he needed to make from year one to year two and I think you know people thinking he’s going to have a, season and he’s going to be a huge breakout star for the Chargers this year I think they could be mildly disappointed and I think they could be disappointed and he can still have a huge Improvement and there’s still some gray area in between those two things I I think sometimes and often times the NFL less is more and he I think I see this similarly to what we’re hoping to see with Justin Herbert where we’re not we’re hoping to not see him sling it 50 60 times a game right right right and sometimes less is more and you could be more effective in the role that you have without having to do it every single time I’m GNA sell this to and not because or not for any negative feelings towards my belief in Quinton Johnson but just the opportunities that are going to be there you mentioned like I would argue are we is the third receiver even going to be a receiver in this offense because historically it’s been a tight end and so a lot of mouths to feed right not many meals to had especially when we were including the tight ends plus Quinton Josh Palmer lad mki who everyone’s gushing over right now and djch who I in my opinion is a wide receiver one candidate asterisk went healthy you can make the case all four of those receivers could be wide receiver ones at least make the argument for it should they I don’t know any one of those four could end the season with the most receiving yards on the team you know you might think some have a better chance than others but I get what you’re saying there great romman also never had a Justin Herbert though and I’m not but I like do I think that Justin’s going to be throwing for 5,500 yards and 45 touchdowns this year like absolutely not I think but I also don’t think we’re going to see him throw for 2700 yards right so it’s like there’s going to be more yards to get than what we’ve seen in some of Greg Roman’s offense before but David where where’s quen Johnson I I can see you’re getting a little defensive you know I I get it and I’m you know I like Quinton Johnson to where is quinon Johnson slotted in your list of wide receivers right now in terms of targets maybe not watching One 124 but it’s probably third it’s probably third I mean it’s probably third for me so you have DJ CH fourth probably are you putting Josh Palmer La mcon you know in some Order ahead of him yeah right so that’s the thing is like when’s the last time the Chargers wide receiver three had 700 plus yards right in an offense that was throwing it much more I can tell you when it was it was Josh Palmer in 2021 but what I’m saying is is that was an offense that or 2022 I should say that was an offense that was throwing it a lot more you know what I mean so like having a wide receiver three in an offense that’s running the ball a lot more that’s going to be you know tough numbers to put up even if he has a better season yeah but I feel like he’s going to be put in better situations to succeed be because they see what he can do and what he can’t do and what he should be doing so I feel like the U two more is more than 700 yards you think the Chargers are going to have three 700 plus yard receivers this year I feel there’s a very good chance that they will have multiple receivers in that 7 to $800 range and none in the thousand plus range I’ve got the solution Justin Herbert is secretly edestus and he will be taking he will be taking two footballs off the hike and distributing them so everybody gets yeah but what what I was going to close with that part of Quinton Johnson was let’s say he goes 600 I don’t think that necessarily is going to mean it’s a bad season I think he could look great with 600 yards receiving like I think it’s about the opportunity that are there to be had and if him being able to take advantage of those opportunities the more time take takes advantage of them the more opportunities going to be given so just because I’m selling the 700 doesn’t mean I’m selling Quinton Johnson wildly improved yeah that’s it uh last last one for you guys uh hype buy or sell is this team going to the playoffs first year so hype Chargers going to playoffs 2024 Jake buy yourself we can go quick on this one I’m going to buy it and I think that there are some things advantageously that are working for the Chargers namely namely the schedule namely the schedule I know from a standpoint of jet travel and where they have to go on certain road trips they’re doing that the most out of any team in the league but you know with like I to said earlier there are going to be some hiccups every now and again throughout the season but I think they’re going to be good enough to go to the playoffs I think especially when you hear comments like Kalo ma said today I signed back with the team to be playing in January and Jim Harbaugh had a lot to do with that and Dan it’s it’s the mindset of things and as Daniel said earlier it’s hard to buy in to this team and we have not seen them take a single snap with this unit together after we have watched the last four years y with disappointment after disappointment after disappointment I understand why you may be hesitant to go that far in saying that but Trevor s said that Jim Harbaugh has won everywhere that he’s been and whatever it is that he wants to do it’s going to work and it already seems like in OTAs in mini camp and football in June that these little details that we keep hearing about are already starting to take root in these guys for what’s gonna happen during the regular season I’m buying it as well David Dan are you guys both buying it I I’m buying it for sure I I’ve said it already um I feel like the running game is going to be a a big reason in that they’re going to be able to grind teams out they’re going to be able to close out football games I feel like the defense is going to give away a lot less football games uh and overall I think they’re going to be much better coached under Jim Harbaugh and the schedule definitely lends itself to them making it to the playoffs so I’m buying it I’m selling it I think this is a six- win football team no I’m I’m just kidding not going to say that we haven’t done that I mean you know I’ve said Con consistently from the beginning like I would be shocked if the Chargers aren’t competing for a playoff spot obviously you know we’re going to assume in this conversation we’re talking about a very healthy season from Justin Herbert because I think to David’s point about East and stick the Chargers are going with the strategy of hey guess what we’re effed if Justin Herbert is now here regardless that’s just what it is he’s that good and you’re not going to be able to replace him with anyone behind him I yeah yeah I I’ll buy it I I’ll say this is a is a a playoff football team and I think that is really I don’t say that lightly because the AFC is a Total Blender you have teams like you know the Texans totally on the up and up to go against you know the Jaguars who have been there around the playoffs the last few years to go with an AFC North that has potentially you know four playoff borderline playoff type of teams in it with the Browns the Ravens the Steelers and the Bengals right with a healthy just or Joe burrow potentially I think the reason I’m buying it is cuz I do not believe in the Raiders or the Broncos at all I’m I I’m as big of a pessimist on those two teams as you’re going to find I think the Raiders are going to be a total mess whether it’s Garder muu or aen oconnell that they put out there and I think they’re going to Ru and wish that they went and made a huge pursuit of Jim Harbaugh instead of just roll with the Antonio Pierce because that’s what the players wanted to do I think the Broncos hey B knck maybe he’s a good fit for the Broncos sure you have messes everywhere all around that outside of the quarterback position so you’re one rookie quarterback that probably shouldn’t have been a first round pick as the Broncos main guy from week one potentially or maybe they go with you know Zack Wilson maybe it’s Zach Wilson I don’t know those teams maybe I’m naive do not scare me so I think that’s a boost obviously getting the NFC South to me is is a huge gain for the Chargers you never know how the schedule is going to play out I always get a little you know I I don’t like taking the easiest schedule argument too seriously right just because a couple years ago 2022 the hardest part of the charger schedule was at the end of the year and they had the Rams who were coming off the Super Bowl and the Colts who had Jonathan Taylor who were going to expose their bad run defense because the they had a one of the best running attacks in the league and they had the dolphins all these teams and then it came to the end of the season and they were going up against Nick Foles and the Colts right and then they were going up against like Baker Mayfield and the Rams right like so you just never know those things I do think it’s a a favorable schedule for them we’ll see how good these teams really end up being but it’s just to me it’s this if you have a losing season with Justin Herbert as your quarterback it’s a failure 100 times out of a 100 if you have Justin Herbert Justin Herbert and the quarterbacks of Justin Herbert’s level make the playoffs every single season so the fact that we haven’t seen him in the playoffs in three of his four professional seasons is such a blight on this organization and such a shame on you type of a situation to me because that is crazy to me last year okay he was hurt you weren’t making the playoffs of Justin Herbert played the last four games last year so I count it right it’s a shame if you don’t make the playoffs with a quarterback that the level of Justin Herbert and we see him every game so we know how to appreciate him play every year with Jim Harbaugh so if you’re gonna tell me you have those two guys together and that’s not a playoff team that is unequivocally a disappointment I get it right the roster is not perfect perfect there’s big questions to be answered you have Justin Herbert and you have Jim Harbaugh and that’s enough for me to buy this on this buyer cell the day because if you don’t make the playoffs with those two dudes you’re telling me that Jim Harbaugh can make it to three straight NFC championship games with Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith but he can’t make the playoffs with Justin Herbert his quarterback get that out of there I I’m not buying that at all I think this is a playoff team in 2024 Wade is really pushing for the around the horn points right now yes there’s not even points still giving it to you I was just going to say you would emphatically be in the lead sir that’s all I’m telling you it’s I I’m I’m upset that we you know that we had so much hurt that it’s hard for us to buy in like it sucks that I can’t just full boore just be like yes cocky in your face this is a new team they’re going to prove everyone wrong the genie is out of the bottle and now the Chargers are going to make the playoffs and be as good as they’re supposed to be every season Brandon stealey blew a 20 7 to zero lead can we talk about it in the playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars no one wants to talk about it let’s talk about it is Jim Harbaugh going to blow that lead absolutely not Jesse M going to blow that lead absolutely not as Greg Roman going to run for negative2 yards in the second half absolutely not let’s talk about it this team in what they’ve done with Justin Herbert has been an injustice and an injustice it’s shameful shame on them for having Justin Herbert not have a playoff win to that point this point in his career sh this rag tag bunch of former Carolina Panthers along with Jim Harbaugh are going to take this team to the playoffs in 2024 bucket I Now understand what Dan used to see in me whenever I would get like triggered or upset through my pessimism and now we’ve got Daniel Wade over here and I can hear the Genie bottle you know being water bottle being flung over on the table and all the emotions coming out and I love it yeah yep look you said GT let talk for 30 minutes at a time unlocked on you know what I mean they don’t ever let me go past that this is we got the we got the straight jacket on him for good reason David’s been shot calling me this whole time I’m fighting through it okay let’s let’s GTFO on this one uh we basically after this week it’s kind of ghost town for the Chargers they have like six weeks where they can go for you guys on vacation they can go do whatever they want they probably should be still working out and training and stuff which most of them probably will uh we will still be here we will still be doing content but let’s kind of fast forward to trading Camp okay we’ll get out of here with this each one has to give a new one position battle that you’re most looking forward to and David start with you position battle I am most looking forward to is going to be the wide receiver group I already said it earlier I mean come on now I want to see what the back end end of that wide receiver group is going to look like I think it is going to be one of the fiercest in all of chargers training camp we don’t know who is going to make this room there’s 11 bodies that are in that group that are vying for maybe six spots right so I feel like they’ve done an excellent job of collecting the amount of talent that they have at that position and really seeing where or who is going to rise to the top and grab one of those six spots Daniel Wade what’s to you it’s a good question because like for a team who has as much turnover as the Chargers have this season there’s not as many especially you know if Jim Harbaugh is going to be out here saying hey the the offensive line starters are set before the pads even come on right like so that takes away a few of those potential training camp battles at least according to what he’s saying right on the surface I think that no need to apologize Dan it’s long it’s fine it’s okay I’m letting you behind breaking the fourth wall here Tak so long it’s this long because of me I have a baby now I’m a little crazy now you guys haven’t had me in a while if I’m looking at the position battles mostly it comes on the defensive side of things I I’ll go with the cornerback room I think tarib still versus jir Taylor a dude who you know jir Taylor got bench last year and you know obviously had showed some promise up until that point but that’s a a position that I think going into the OB you need say Hey you need competition there right yeah Derwin will get some snaps there all that stuff you probably should get some competition so you’re not just it’s jir Taylor and you have all your eggs in the jir Taylor basket so I think tar Heep still who I believe picked off Justin Herbert today had a couple more pass breakups love to see that I’m excited for that battle I also think the cornerback three spot and when I say cornerback three I mean the next outside corner up behind Christian fton and behind deante Samuel Jr is super interesting to me because I think it probably will be Dean Leonard who I think it showed some promise but there’s just no sort of sample signs that you could ever feel good about making the argument for him as a former seventh round pick going up against cam Hart Who by all accounts is a great player who dropped because of you know three shoulder surgeries in his career so I think who that next guy is whether they have to come in because of the poor play of either a sand Samuel Jr or Christian Fon on the other side or they have to be forced into action because of injuries that’s going to be an important position for me that whoever that next outside corner back up is going to get some snaps this year who wins that battle is going to be a very very interesting battle for me to see Jake thank you Daniel thanks Dan appreciate it other Dan uh I think Cameron Dicker should be looking over his shoulder he has a lot of competition that is right behind H spit my water out I was gonna say Justin Herbert but you s a Dicker Max dougan’s coming yes no I think it’s I think it’s the running back stable for me I mean I agree with both of the positions that David and Daniel were talking about but running backs I don’t know that you’re going to be able to keep four running backs again with this roster in this competition because I don’t see the Chargers keeping any less than six receivers on this roster and with the way that you know that the this team is investing in the blocking tight ends how many you gonna carry in that stable so is is not making the team is Isaiah Spiller gonna be the odd man out and right now it looks like it very well could be that way and it’s unfortunate not from the standpoint of him not playing well he just has gotten an unfair Shake because he hasn’t gotten the opportunity to see the the field I it’s it it may be one of those tough pills to swallow by the time that we get to the end of August especially if Isaiah Spiller just goes out there and just knocks it out of the park in the preseason but at the same time you’re gonna have to sacrifice one of these positions but I’m I’m hoping that at the end of the day what it’s going to do is it’s going to breed a hell of a lot of competition between Edwards Dobbins Vidal and Spiller I thought about going with the sexy one and going with a linebacker core to see like is is Junior Coulson going to start are we finally going to see the day on and Junior Coulson Duo like but I’m gonna go with the unsexy one I’m gonna go with a tight end room and I think this is one and I’m not necessarily worried about tight end one two but sure I don’t know how many tight ends are going to be on this team I don’t know who tight end 345 is we’ve heard glimpses of Zack Hines balling out we’re seeing Stone smart still doing his thing you’re not hearing anything about Donald Parham because he’s been out I think maybe injury I believe yeah something about that yesterday working through something yeah yes which by the way love what Jim Harbaugh does with that he’s given nothing but the tight end group you mentioned earlier Daniel has been atrocious especially in blocking but honestly in just production in general it hasn’t really been a strength to this team yeah I don’t know what this Ted end rou is going to look like aside from Will Le and Hayden Hurst yeah like like if Donald Parham doesn’t make the team wouldn’t shock me at all yeah no I mean first of all I think Zack Hines has as much maybe more of a chance of making this team than Stow smart does right and that’s a guy that was on the roster obviously last year and maybe we’re just all assuming is off the team at this point like this is the thing is like there’s going to be a Reckoning with this team when that Final Cut day happens you’re going to see a lot of dudes that were drafted by Tom Tesco on the outside looking in there’s no flip that you can switch to become a physical team and to change from the Finesse team that we’ve seen to the team that Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh and Joe hortiz want to be the team that other teams don’t want to play every Sunday right you can’t flip a switch it has to happen Personnel wise it has to happen in the philosophies and ideologies of whoever’s you know in this case Jim Harbaugh preaching the gospel Herbert it also is going to be moving on from guys that maybe Tom wco and that regime we too attached to I think it’s going to shock some people there’s the genie L I think it’s going to shock some people when they see some of the names that are going to be left off of the opening 53 man roster I think Chris R is gone Chris rump oh yeah unless they keep you know five Edge rushers I guess there’s not a ton of competition there Chris rum is gone right Isaiah Spiller potentially gone how many I think Ben Mason where does he where does he fit into this right is he considered a tight end if I mean if he’s a fullback then and they want to keep a fullback there’s no competition for him so he you know if they want to keep a fullback he’s making the way is sp stay that’s case correct exactly unless they say he’s a tight end then you’re not going to have ston smart and Donald param on the team still I promise you that right so like yeah I think ston has a hard time anyway ston smart Chris rumph Isaiah Spiller like if there was any sort of competition JT Woods I think would be in this conversation as well like I think there’s going to be a reckoning day on this team and there’s going to be a lot of familiar places people familiar faces that are going to be finding new places to play because I think there are a lot of people that you know fans want to say hey this guy never got a chance those guys might not never get a chance right like we’ll see what happens but I think there’s going to be an exodus on this team and I think a lot of guys like an Isaiah Spiller fair or not are going to be on the outside looking in and I think and honestly that’s what I think is probably more box office for me is getting the popcorn ready for that day of reckoning at the end of training camp because we have seen training camps where there’s maybe one name that’s a surprise or there’s like the roster bubble where there’s a couple names in flux this one you could go half a dozen deep of guys that could easily not make the team that in previous years were locks and yeah that’s what’s going to make these training camp battles so heated not just to cover but for the players in it like they know if we’re talking about it you you don’t think that Chris RP and Isaiah Spiller and Donald Parham all these guys don’t realize the heat on their seat right now like it’s clear so who fits the scheme who’s going to win it it’s kind of a mono Mano kind of cutthroat but that’s what this is it’s a business I’m here for it let’s go Jim Harbaugh’s business is winning his business is booming and if you’re not winning you’re not gonna stay so I’m with you I think this training camp is going to be wild and there’s going to be so much drama that Chargers fans aren’t used to seeing in training camp like we we make up drama sometimes right we talk about remember like the the wide receiver drama that we saw we thought was someone make the roster I would never do that that is not the case anymore this is gonna be real I don’t make up drama I’m just dramatic right right put that on a t-shirt uh fellas I know we went crazy long here I apologize I asked too many questions that’s on me put in the comments blame Dan wienstein no I’m BL I’m BL I’m blaming Daniel Wade yeah I think we all know where the comments are going to go with this one but hey I’ll be so he got so if this was around the horn he got the mute button he was the one that had to just talking I won by points but I also got muted the most times the points were so high the mutes didn’t even matter someone’s got a f time while Jake gets his lights on someone’s got a f time when David X exits the you know stream on accident like somebody’s got to be the villain here somebody’s got to sell the Quinton Johnston hype and today that man was me and I’ll take it I’ll take whatever he everyone give all your praise to Dan wienstein and Jake Hefner and David DRM they were all lovely today it was me you don’t like and I’ll do it again too D way taking the vill yes uh fellas all right so six weeks of Darkness we’re obviously Char oh nice I love that uh what do you guys got cooking between now and training camp I know this is when content creators are really digging deep oh yeah what can folks what are you guys doing next week you know what I mean yeah we’ll we’re going down to three shows a week up until you know borderline training camp time so we got four more weeks after this one we’ll be down at three shows a week and that’s back up to five days a week but hey you know this is the time where where Chargers fans you know earn their keep around here a little bit we love getting the fans as much as we can involved with the show so it’s voicemails it’s buy or sell days getting the fans involved it’s fan mail Fridays it’s all that good stuff and you know we we’ll see what happens biggest training camp battles all those things it’s a long off season a lot to get to and getting great guests like potentially you guys back on the show again I mean that’s I think a lot of what’s going to be lined up these next you know six weeks as we enter the dark ages of Chargers football that’s ITW David are you guys are you coming out to training camp this year are we going to see you again I am not coming out to training camp this year I can’t make it I’m taking my One Vacation um early earlier in July um you know my my mom wants to take my son out to Disney Never Say Never okay then you have I mean we’ll see right Never Say Never yeah disy land is awfully close just say yeah but it’s it’s before it’s before training can start okay yeah yeah we’ll we’ll we’ll say we’ll say maybe but more than likely not look up the term extended stay and then come back to me and see what you think yeah or just Fork out 10 grand take your son to Disneyland for a month I’ll I will be a training camp with a baby strapped my chest like the guy from The Hangover little Daniel Wade and Dylan Wade binoculars baby on the chest baby straw pushing through you never know you’ll see me dad life I love it I love it fellas this has been so much fun it’s always a blast having you guys on uh never short of drama and emotions on this you guys are the best uh for the lock on Chargers fellas for David Dan Jake this has been so much fun thank you guys for tuning in we’ll talk to you next time on charers unleash we’ll talk to you guys soon everybody see you [Music]
40 Comments
Calm down it’s only June.😂
This is my personal avengers
Just bolted up so hard rn seeing this drop⚡️🫡
I'm from Oceanside and my Dad served 30 years in the Marine Corp. I hope the Chargers start doing this every year again. I've been a fan since they moved to San Diego and stayed a fan when they left. Love both your shows. Bolt up and FTR
I'm from S.D. if your still butt hurt over the move, you need to grow up. I root for the players on the field,not Spanos. It's like blaming a kid for his parents moving away.
Lmao giving Wolkenstein a hard time at 32:17 was hilarious. I love this 😂
LOVED THE CROSSOVER GUYS, absolutely great serious dialog….NOT sure if it was mentioned but MY HOPE AND QUESTION for the O-line and D-line, CAN YOU PUNCH for 4 quarters when the fatigue sets in, when the mental is cracking, and the bruises are piling on….DO YOU HAVE THAT ANIMAL DRIVE TO KEEP FIGHTING….THANK YOU GUYS, AND HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEK, BOLT UP AND GOD BLESS..!!!
Position battle for me will be unpopular…I AM A ELIJAH DODSON FAN, so does he have some exclusive tools that against all odds allows him to overtake Isaiah Spiller in the RB competition???
💀🔥🔥🔥
I kinda think half the team pretty much gave up by the time Easton Stick was put into the mix. IMHO
Great to see all you guys all together. Everybody loves crossovers.
If Justin get hurt. I’ll bet 10k that GRo resorts to the rookie Lamar Jackson playbook. We’ll be fine lol.
The point is , I think we all think Herbert will still cross the 4, 000 + yard mark, with health . So if we have NO 1, 000 + yarder on this team , there will HAVE to be a few 700 + yarders on this team, with NO RB getting over 400 + yards in this season ?
I think it's less about having all these guys bounce back and more so having a bunch of average guys that can contribute in a better scheme. Staley was all about stars carrying sides. We were close in a lot of games but now it seems we have more depth and team understanding.
Thank you for your service, David.
I think people like Daniel Wade need to remember how poor of a coach both Staley and Kellen Moore were… These players are GOOD, they just did not have a competent coaching staff. This team last year was an 11+ win team, except they did not have the proper staff. Under Harbaugh, and his staff, this team will look electric.
I think most improved for this season is going to the linebacker group, they are going to benefit from a stupid pass rush and the secondary is going to take enough pressure on them to allow for them to play fast and get to the ball wherever it is
Hurst is a better receiver than Everett was and a much better blocker. He is an upgrade over Everett.
Where did Michigans recruitment rank during Harbaugh and Minters tenure? That’s what Minter can do with less that 5 star talent
Also, I’m so tired of this “temper your expectations” talk… why??? Why should this fanbase do that??? The Chargers hired a coach that wins EVERYWHERE he goes. They hired a coach that knows how to WIN the right way. You think Jim Harbaugh is “tempering his expectations”???? You think Dean hired Jim to “temper his expectations”???? Do you genuinely think anybody on this team, both staff and player, is “tempering their expectations”???
No. This is a team that wants to win. This is a team that WILL win. This is a team that is not using 2024 as a throwaway season. Enough of this “tempering” bulljive. I’m not saying they’ll go 17-0, sweep the playoffs and become Super Bowl champions. They’ll be a great team, they’ll be in the wildcard, and they’ll surprise the league.
Love to see some of my favorite shows linked up!!!! Good shxt boys ⚡️⚡️⚡️
I’m buying QJ at 800 yds, 4 TDs, and 2 or less drops
I am completely here for D Wade's villian arc, funniest he's been
Easton Stick is our backup QB. Why? Cause Justin Herbert wants him there. Let's not start carrying 3 again ok? It is what it is
A DEFENSE that can tackle and not give offenses second chances with stupid penalties.
Dan and David getting really fired up.
Justin elevated this team making Staley and Telesco appear competent. Staley and Telesco weren’t good at all. If the Bolts missed out on Justin at pick 6 back in 2020, where would this team be? We would be another Carolina.
Ladd McConley 800+ yards. Between 60-70 receptions.
Parham is out. Heins is a sleeper. Rumph is gone too. JT Woods is a lame duck.
Trade TreyPipkins to the Raiders.
Very entertaining show.
Daniel Wade, but tell us how you really feel 😂
Daniel talks too much! Air hog 😂
Herbert said. Him and the receivers are going to continue to work together, over the next six weeks…… Herbert doesn't have to do that. He's going the extra mile, to help his teammates prepare….
Awesome!
I think the gold jersey for Herbert is about more than protecting him. Harbaugh I think, is psychologically reinforcing Herbert’s leadership role not just to the team but to him himself… or I’m reading too much into it lol
Daniel, you killed it on this one! Luv all you guys tho, the best collaboration in da business!!!
San Diego born and raised and still reside here. Charger fans are EVERYWHERE don't believe the BS.
D. Wade chose violence this episode. Felt like therapy.
Great content guys! Jake, we gotta get you a soft box my man
I don't really care about back up qb but having someone that you felt can win you a game is good to give herbert a wk of recovery aka rib/finger