I know before posting that Freak will hate this given that he thinks the writer is shit, but I’ll post it anyway. There’s other topics covered in the link.
____
OL vs. DL 1-on-1sWith pads coming on, the Chargers went through one-on-one drills for the first time this camp. There were two periods of one-on-ones. Receivers and tight ends faced defensive backs on routes. Running backs and fullbacks faced the inside linebackers on pass rush and routes. And the offensive linemen faced the interior defensive linemen and edge rushers in run blocking and pass rushing.
I focused on the OL vs. DL matchups for Monday’s practice.
The first period featured run blocking and run fits. The left side of the line worked in one group while the right side of the line worked in another group. Of note: Backup center Will Clapp was in the left-side group with starting left guard Matt Feiler and starting left tackle Rashawn Slater; starting center Corey Linsley was with the right-side group, blocking next to rookie guard Zion Johnson. Trey Pipkins III and Storm Norton rotated at right tackle.
The real action happened in the second period, which featured pass-rush one-on-ones. Seven offensive linemen rotated in with the first-team group: Clapp, Feiler, Slater, Pipkins, Norton, Johnson and rookie Jamaree Salyer. (Linsley did not participate and served as the quarterback in the formation.) Eight defensive linemen and edge rushers rotated in with the first-team group: Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, Jerry Tillery, Chris Rumph II, Morgan Fox and Breiden Fehoko. All other players were with the second-team group.
Let’s roll through some of the highlights.
• Zion Johnson was outstanding in his reps. Not to rev up the hype engine, but Johnson’s performance reminded me a lot of Slater’s first reps in pass protection one-on-ones last summer. You could tell right away that Slater belonged as an NFL left tackle. And I came away with the same feeling about Johnson. He is ready to play right now, and the polished technique and brute strength the Chargers have been raving about since they took Johnson in the first round of the NFL Draft in April showed up. Johnson lost his first rep to Austin Johnson on a bull rush, but after that, he adjusted to the speed and physicality of his opposition. Zion Johnson’s second rep came against Fox, and he won this rep handily. He stood up Fox’s bull rush and gave up less than a yard of ground. Two reps later, he did the same thing to Joseph-Day. Next came Johnson’s best rep of the day. He sustained Tillery’s initial push, then drove Tillery back and planted him to the left into the turf for a pancake. Joseph-Day earned some revenge on Johnson in their next matchup, winning with a second effort after an initial anchor from Johnson. And Fox got the best of Johnson on Johnson’s last rep of the period. Fox offered a changeup, stuttering at the line of scrimmage before bursting past Johnson’s outside shoulder. Overall, though, this was an impressive first period of one-on-ones for Johnson.
• The Slater vs. Mack matchup lived up to expectations. Two elite players going back and forth. It seemed like Mack, for this first period of pass pro one-on-ones, was really testing Slater’s anchor and gauging how stout the Chargers’ left tackle is. Slater showed him up on the first rep. Mack came screaming off the line and drove into Slater’s chest. Slater withstood the blow and anchored down for his best rep of the day. On their second matchup, Mack came with a little extra juice. Slater lost his balance and had to reset in the backfield. He recovered, but I gave this one to Mack. Justin Herbert probably would have needed to escape the pocket with Mack’s pressure. This was a fun battle. Slater also got one rep against Bosa, and Bosa beat him with a power rush.
• On to the right tackles. Norton got the first rep of the period and matched up with Bosa, who came on a bull rush. Norton stood him up. Pipkins went up against Bosa next. Bosa won with a changeup move, cutting quickly to the inside. Norton got the next rep against Bosa, who again came with a bull rush. This time, Norton got blown back. Bosa rarely loses two reps in a row against the same player. Rumph then rotated in at edge rusher and had one rep against Norton and one rep against Pipkins. Against Pipkins, Rumph tried to win with speed around the edge. Pipkins moved his feet smoothly and impeded Rumph’s path. Rumph tried a bull rush against Norton, and Norton stood him up.
• Two young guys stood out: Salyer at guard and Fehoko on the interior. Fehoko was working with the first-team group over Christian Covington. Salyer, meanwhile, was working with the first-team group over Brenden Jaimes. Fehoko had one of the best interior moves of the period, using quick hands to swipe away Clapp’s initial punch. He then surged past Clapp for what would have been a pressure and possibly a sack. Salyer, meanwhile, had three really competitive reps. He battled to gridlock in his first two reps — one against Fox and one against Austin Johnson. I called both of those ties. Johnson eventually got through on a second effort, but Salyer probably did enough to allow the quarterback time to get a throw off. Salyer’s best rep of the period came on the final snap, when he stood up Tillery on a bull rush. Tillery had one win in his four reps, which came against Clapp.
Linsley raved about Zion Johnson after practice: “Oh, man, he’s living up to the bill right now. It’s the first day in pads, but everything that we thought (is true). He’s a really good player. He’s got a ton of raw talent that you can see he has already put a lot together. Honestly, the sky is the limit, man. He’s very talented, and I’m excited to play next to him. … He’s a calm, collected individual. He’s smart as hell. There’s really not a whole lot that I’ve seen where I’m like, ‘Ehhh.’”
Staley spent the period watching the OL-DL one-on-ones, despite seven-on-seven happening on the other field. He liked what he saw, particularly from Johnson and Salyer, the two rookie guards.
“When you’ve got Joey and Khalil coming off the edge, that’s going to be must-see, especially those three tackles that you’re talking about. Such great work for them,” Staley said. “It’s great work for Joey and Khalil because Rashawn is one of the top tackles in all of football, and we think Trey and Storm are really quality tackles. So those guys are going to be making each other better. I thought the young guards showed today that they have what it takes. Matt Feiler is so steady, sometimes you forget what a good player he is. But those two young guards showed they have what it takes. They got the head on their shoulders, they are really strong inside — like really strong — and they work at it like crazy, and they’re going up against a lot of quality inside players when you’re talking about Sebastian and Austin, Jerry and Foxy. Those guys are good NFL players. So, good first day of competition.”
theathletic.com/3468693/2022/08/01/chargers-training-camp-zion-johnson/?source=user_shared_article
