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Speaker 1: Everybody. Chris Harry with you on the Friday edition of

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Speaker 1: the Chargers Training Camp Podcast. Today, I sit down with

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Speaker 1: the Chargers Senior Director of Player Engagement, Arthur high Tower,

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Speaker 1: to learn more about how he's preparing players for life

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Speaker 1: after football. But first I caught up with the host

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Speaker 1: of the Sunday Ticket Red Zone Channel and NFL Networks

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Speaker 1: Andrew Siciliano, who was at Friday's joint practice in Costa Mesa.

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Speaker 1: Please be joined by Andrew Siciliano on the Chargers Training

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Speaker 1: Camp Podcast. Andrew, how are you, buddy? We're doing well?

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Speaker 1: How are you doing good? I get some joint practice action.

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Speaker 1: You were at Jags Pats join practice, right, I was.

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Speaker 1: I've lost track of training camp time. I believe those

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Speaker 1: two weeks ago. How camp you've been too. Let's see

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Speaker 1: started Vikings, Eagles, Steelers, Patriots twice, once with them and

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Speaker 1: then once with the Jags, Jets, Giants. I've got the

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Speaker 1: Cowboys before that, Rams a couple times. Obviously, this one

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Speaker 1: Charger Saints did. I did not go to practice, but

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Speaker 1: went to but saw Texans, Panthers and Charlotte before they

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Speaker 1: kicked off. So I don't know. Maybe half the teams

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Speaker 1: these joint practices is what do you think the biggest

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Speaker 1: benefit is for these teams. I guess it just hit

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Speaker 1: another guy, right. I think, especially this Laton camp, that

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Speaker 1: that's huge to quote unquote hit another guy. I think

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Speaker 1: it's also huge because you you're coaching staff gets will

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Speaker 1: evaluate against other teams, other players you're gonna see. Obviously,

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Speaker 1: when these two teams play at the stubb a StubHub Center,

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Speaker 1: you gonna see them on the field together. But this

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Speaker 1: this is different, and it's not just for the coaches,

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Speaker 1: but it's for the scouting staff as well, for your

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Speaker 1: pro personnel side, especially because heck, some of these Saints

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Speaker 1: are gonna get cut, some of these Chargers are gonna

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Speaker 1: get cut, so you're you're always going to churn the

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Speaker 1: bottom fifth yer roster. You know, cuts are never final.

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Speaker 1: When you say a team guy makes the fifty three,

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Speaker 1: not necessarily wait till Wednesday, if you could please. So,

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Speaker 1: whether it's for future trades or for future free agency pickups,

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Speaker 1: whatever it is, it's always good to see another team

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Speaker 1: just to file that stuff away because you're going to

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Speaker 1: use it eventually. Yeah, that's a great point. Let's say

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Speaker 1: a fringe guy on the Chargers, who ends up getting released,

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Speaker 1: who had an unbelievable two days here against the Saints,

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Speaker 1: caught somebody's eye. Let's say, yeah, you maybe get a

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Speaker 1: phone call. Absolutely, because especially you know we always say

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Speaker 1: that for that bottom fifth of the roster, or for

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Speaker 1: the guys who are going to be playing in the

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Speaker 1: third and fourth preseason games, who probably know they're going

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Speaker 1: to get cut. You're not only auditioning for the Chargers

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Speaker 1: or for the Saints, but you're auditioning for the other

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Speaker 1: thirty especially when all these games are on NFL Network,

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Speaker 1: when all these games are on game Pass, you know,

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Speaker 1: the networks on in every single building, all thirty two

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Speaker 1: buildings all day, every day. You're going to catch somebody's eyes.

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Speaker 1: And they're scouts in the stands every day. What did

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Speaker 1: you see out here today? I think I mentioned to

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Speaker 1: you if they went pretty long day one, and I

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Speaker 1: think they're easing it back a little bit today just

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Speaker 1: to get ready for Sunday. Yeah, I mean I saw

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Speaker 1: a couple of things. At least I'll start on the

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Speaker 1: Saint side. I know that's that's not exactly what we're doing.

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Speaker 1: But Adrian Peterson looks, wow, great, Um, it's It's interesting

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Speaker 1: to see him come in on third downs and mark

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Speaker 1: Ingram on first and second downs. It's just great to

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Speaker 1: see two great quarterbacks out here as well, whether it's

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Speaker 1: Drew or or Philip Rivers. Um. I wish we'd see

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Speaker 1: Melvin Ingram out here a little bit more today or

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Speaker 1: Perriman out here. Obviously they're not out, they're they're they're

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Speaker 1: both injured. UM. I thought that on the Chargers side,

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Speaker 1: Cardell has a cannon. I've never seen Cardale in person.

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Speaker 1: We talked to talk about this before practice today. How many,

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Speaker 1: oh how State guys there are? So Cardelle used to

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Speaker 1: throw bombs to Mike Thomas. You have Joey Bosa, Youavon Bell,

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Speaker 1: Marshawn Lattimore, Joshua Perry. It's almost like a Buckey reunion

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Speaker 1: here from these from the last two years, and these

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Speaker 1: guys getting drafted high. I saw Gus Bradley yelt the

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Speaker 1: defense on the far field earlier and that defense stepped up.

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Speaker 1: He was kind of angry. I can't repeat everything, and

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Speaker 1: the defense stepped up and with three big plays, Adrian

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Speaker 1: Peterson failed to pick up a blitz. This was in

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Speaker 1: the early session slot corner Blitz. He didn't slide in time,

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Speaker 1: and Drew would have been sacked. On the next play,

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Speaker 1: they had a sack. On the next play, they had

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Speaker 1: an incompletion to the boundary. So you know, this defense

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Speaker 1: certainly has the corners, certainly I think has the pass rush,

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Speaker 1: but they need more. I this defense, I'm bullish on it. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I talked to Albert Freer yesterday about Gus Bradley's system

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Speaker 1: and how he needs those pass rushers to make it go.

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Speaker 1: And you certainly have it with Ingram and Bosa and

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Speaker 1: even the guys on the inside, with Legit and Mebane.

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Speaker 1: I talked to Bari Legi yesterday and he mentioned how

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Speaker 1: these young guys like Bosa and Ingram say, hey, go

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Speaker 1: get the football. And you know, Brandon Mebe knows the

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Speaker 1: system from his time in Seattle, especially when you have

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Speaker 1: corners like this that can go get the ball. When

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Speaker 1: you go after the quarterback, you know, every quarterback will

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Speaker 1: tell you wherever I'm sorry every day lineman will tell

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Speaker 1: you that if he doesn't get to the ball, if

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Speaker 1: he doesn't get to the quarterback, if you could force

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Speaker 1: that throw early, everyone gets everyone eats, you know, and

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Speaker 1: vice versa. So as Warren Sap used to say, and

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Speaker 1: he says repeatedly, and all of us are the night work.

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Speaker 1: Always repeat him. The front end of the back end,

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Speaker 1: gotta be working together and one day are it's it's magic.

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Speaker 1: There's no doubt. And this I don't know if he

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Speaker 1: had a chance to get eyes on Desmond King, this rookie.

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Speaker 1: He had an interception yesterday's practice, he had an interception

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Speaker 1: on Sunday. He's a ball hawk, and I think putting

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Speaker 1: him in the nickel with Casey Hayward, who led the

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Speaker 1: NFL and interceptions last year, Gus is one of He

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Speaker 1: wants to turn the ball over and I think they

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Speaker 1: have the guys in the back end, to your point

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Speaker 1: that can make that happen. Absolutely and listen. It didn't

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Speaker 1: work for Gus obviously in Jacksonville, but his players love

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Speaker 1: him and I think you're seeing that already here with

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Speaker 1: the Chargers too. This is like a red zone channel dream,

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Speaker 1: these two teams, right, the Chargers and Saints. Do you guys,

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Speaker 1: do you guys like log the minutes of like what

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Speaker 1: team is on the red zone channel? The most you know,

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Speaker 1: I'm sure some fan at home has, by the way,

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Speaker 1: trying to get angry that their team is not on enough.

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Speaker 1: By the way, Dexter mccoil something else that's stuck out

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Speaker 1: to me. He just picked off a past He's massive. Yeah, anyway,

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Speaker 1: moving on like he's sixty four, he looks six nine.

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Speaker 1: I'm sure fans do track it because usually I get

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Speaker 1: on Twitter, why isn't my bleeping team on the screen,

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Speaker 1: and it should be well be because they're not in

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Speaker 1: the red zone enough. But with these two teams, with

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Speaker 1: Philip Withdrew, they can score from wherever. So these are

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Speaker 1: the two teams that actually frustrate us the most because

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Speaker 1: you have to go back and update exactly. I'd always

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Speaker 1: rather show it live. I can't predict fifty yard touchdowns

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Speaker 1: and these two put them up all the time. What

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Speaker 1: do you think about this Chargers offense? Obviously Mike Williams

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Speaker 1: is not out there, but the fact that Keenan Allen's

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Speaker 1: back just makes a world a difference because listen, Travis

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Speaker 1: Benjamin has the speed. He was hurt last year. Tyrell

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Speaker 1: Williams kind of was thrust into that role when Keenan

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Speaker 1: Allen went down. So I love their wide receivers. They've

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Speaker 1: all had great camps and then you have Gates and

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Speaker 1: Henry Gordon coming out of the backfield, Brandon Oliver back.

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Speaker 1: What do you see when you look at this charges

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Speaker 1: offense in twenty seventeen, Oh, I would say this, I

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Speaker 1: am I'm huge, I'm a huge Hunter Henry Fran first

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Speaker 1: of all. Um. But Antonio can still play, obviously, and

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Speaker 1: he still has that post up ability in the end zone.

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Speaker 1: As for the wide receivers, I was at the game

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Speaker 1: Sunday at StubHub Center to see Travis Benjamin take off. Um,

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Speaker 1: no one's ever caught him. And you're talking to a

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Speaker 1: guy who grew up a Browns fan, So I was

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Speaker 1: always I was upset when he left Cleveland. So they

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Speaker 1: got a guy that can stretch the field. They have

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Speaker 1: the big body and Gates, they have Hunter Henry who

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Speaker 1: could work the seam as well as any young tight end.

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Speaker 1: It's it's great, and Philip can still deliver the football.

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Speaker 1: Um at this point, it's almost like anything you get

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Speaker 1: from Keenan as a bonus. But it's good to see

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Speaker 1: him back and healthy and hope he can stay healthy

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Speaker 1: because obviously that's been an issue. Um, Mike Williams, I'm

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Speaker 1: not your doctors. But I'd be legitimately concerned. Um. I

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Speaker 1: know Ian Rappaport said that that they're targeting October, right,

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Speaker 1: and I know Anthony Lynn says let's wait and see.

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Speaker 1: Obviously that's the prudent thing to say any coach any injury.

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Speaker 1: But as a guy that's that's dealt. And I'm not

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Speaker 1: trying to pretend that I'm Mike Williams nor an athlete,

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Speaker 1: but for a guy that's dealt anyone that's dealt with

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Speaker 1: back issues like that, disc issues, man, it's like playing

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Speaker 1: whack a mole, right, every time you think you've got it,

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Speaker 1: it pops up somewhere else. So I'm just hoping for Mike, second,

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Speaker 1: for the Charger's sake, that that he can get over

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Speaker 1: it because it's tough and it's a potent offense as

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Speaker 1: is I think bringing him into that wide receiver mix

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Speaker 1: is going to be something else. Get you at here

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Speaker 1: in this, Andrew. The AFC West, I don't know, it's

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Speaker 1: probably the toughest division of football. You know, you can

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Speaker 1: maybe argue the NFC East, maybe maybe another division, But

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Speaker 1: where do you see the Chargers when it's all said

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Speaker 1: and done. I know the Chiefs and Raiders have high expectations.

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Speaker 1: The Broncos still pack that defense, but I think this

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Speaker 1: team has a lot of talents on both sides of

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Speaker 1: the football. No, they do have a lot of talent

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Speaker 1: as well. And listen, I'm going to see the Raiders

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Speaker 1: tomorrow night in person. The Raiders are still the class

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Speaker 1: of this division, hands down. I don't charge your fans

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Speaker 1: had to hear that. But they still did win twelve

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Speaker 1: games and would have won I think in Houston in

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Speaker 1: the postseason if Derek Carr had been healthy. They have

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Speaker 1: the pieces in place. The Raiders are going to have

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Speaker 1: to deal with success. How do they coming off a

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Speaker 1: twelve win season react their second year round. I think

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Speaker 1: that's the big issue. I think the big issue in

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Speaker 1: Denver's riding out with the quarterback is and right now,

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Speaker 1: I don't know that there is an answer. I think

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Speaker 1: they would love it to be Trevor Simeon. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they would love their first round pick from a year

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Speaker 1: ago to take the job, but he hasn't really done

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Speaker 1: it yet. It sounds like there's been not a lot

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Speaker 1: of separation. There has not been a lot of separation. Oh,

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Speaker 1: the goal post looks like they're about to fall Um,

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Speaker 1: they're not. And then let's not forget the Chiefs. They're

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Speaker 1: they're pretty good at football as well. So clearly the

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Speaker 1: Chargers have their work cut out for him. But I

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Speaker 1: have no doubt in my mind that they're going to

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Speaker 1: be a better team than a year ago. But there

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Speaker 1: this is a top heavy division, so they got their

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Speaker 1: work cut out for him. They do. It's gonna be

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Speaker 1: fun to watch. And you appreciate your time, buddy, What

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Speaker 1: do you What do we got going on here for

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Speaker 1: you over the next couple of weeks before the Red

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Speaker 1: Zone channel kicks off next this week tomorrow actually at

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Speaker 1: Rams Raiders, I got Rams Packers, and then doing some

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Speaker 1: spot work in the studio for NFL Network, and then

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Speaker 1: we are back week one, first Sunday with I think

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Speaker 1: eleven games on Direct TV and NFL Sunday Ticket. But

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Speaker 1: don't quote me. Appreciate you something by man. Yes, Okay.

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Speaker 1: We talked to so many players and executives here on

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Speaker 1: the Chargers Training Camp podcast, and there's so many other

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Speaker 1: people within this organization that play such a vital role

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Speaker 1: in the team's success, and one of them is Arthur

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Speaker 1: high Tower, Senior director of Player Engagement at the Chargers

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Speaker 1: entering his thirteenth season. Is that correct, Yeste season? How

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Speaker 1: you doing, I'm doing awesome. Tell me about what you

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Speaker 1: do at the Chargers. How to make it very simple?

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Speaker 1: Just trying to simplify because I do a lot um.

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Speaker 1: But my primary job is to help with the transition

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Speaker 1: of our players into their new profession obviously this is

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Speaker 1: a new job, new industry, and then while they're here,

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Speaker 1: helped them grow as people, helped them grow as professionals,

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Speaker 1: and then eventually help them transition out into the next

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Speaker 1: careers because I always say the next career is gonna

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Speaker 1: be longer than this career thirteen years. You go back

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Speaker 1: to what was that twenty twenty through two thousand and three.

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Speaker 1: Two thousand and five was asking my first season? Two

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Speaker 1: thousand and five was your first season? Yeah? What has

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Speaker 1: been the biggest change from two thousand and five to

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Speaker 1: two thou seventeen? So much has happened when you talk

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Speaker 1: about social media and just different opportunities there for not

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Speaker 1: just football players, but for all people. Yeah, you know,

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Speaker 1: like Facebook was still in the dorm room. You know,

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Speaker 1: existence a tweet was in the lexicon, Twitter, Snapchat, a

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Speaker 1: lot of those different things when it comes to social media,

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Speaker 1: where it was not in existence and now you have

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Speaker 1: that in existence, where before it's almost like stay away

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Speaker 1: from it, but now it's where you're trying to utilize

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Speaker 1: it and use it properly for someone to build your brand,

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Speaker 1: even that you're a brand marketing your personal brand and

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Speaker 1: something that's established now. From the player standpoint, a lot

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Speaker 1: has changed because of that, because when you're twenty two

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Speaker 1: year olds old now coming in twenty seventeen versus when

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Speaker 1: you're twenty two coming in two thousand and five, you

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Speaker 1: have to deal with a lot more as it relates

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Speaker 1: to social media. And a lot of these rookies come

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Speaker 1: from college, it's a whole different ball game. In the NFL.

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Speaker 1: You have done only the responsibilities on the field and

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Speaker 1: in the classroom, but everything that comes with representing an

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Speaker 1: NFL team and an organization, and to your point with

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Speaker 1: social media, you want to be able to use it

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Speaker 1: the right way. And how do you guys balance that

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Speaker 1: or how do you teach that to some of these

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Speaker 1: guys knowing that, hey, you're representing yourself, but you're also

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Speaker 1: representing the Los Angeles Chargers. Well, now, the education from

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Speaker 1: the colleges are a lot better. I would say maybe

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Speaker 1: about five six years ago, it wasn't as good now

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Speaker 1: because right now in colleges have their brand as well,

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Speaker 1: so the players they're are careful about what they tweak,

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Speaker 1: what they put out there, how much they put out there,

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Speaker 1: so they're a little bit wiser. I mean, there's still

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Speaker 1: something that need to be educated from that standpoint as

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Speaker 1: they come into the National Football League, But I think

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Speaker 1: now the colleges are doing better. So people understand, or

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Speaker 1: the players understand, you know, what it means to kind

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Speaker 1: of build your brand. So when a rookie comes in,

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Speaker 1: take me through what's going on right now for you

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Speaker 1: in training camp and how you're implementing these guys into

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Speaker 1: the NFL lifestyle. Well, a lot of the work that

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Speaker 1: I do has taken place before training camp. So when

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Speaker 1: we get the players after the draft, we get our

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Speaker 1: drafted players, we get our undrafted players, and they go

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Speaker 1: through a series of modules that we had twenty two

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Speaker 1: sessions that we met in the offseason. They go about

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Speaker 1: acclimating them to their new lifestyle, the new profession as professionals.

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Speaker 1: I mean a lot of times this is their first job.

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Speaker 1: I mean you're doing simple things like looking at the paycheck,

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Speaker 1: going through deductions because a lot of times this is

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Speaker 1: the first time they've actually gotten a paycheck for work.

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Speaker 1: And now it's different because you're playing a sport that

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Speaker 1: you love, that you did as a kid, but now

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Speaker 1: it becomes your job. I mean, when you think about

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Speaker 1: you and I, we probably had a job somewhere at

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Speaker 1: a you know, a restaurant or something. Also we're used

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Speaker 1: to seeing a paycheck, but it wasn't for something we love.

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Speaker 1: We just want to get maybe money for school clothes

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Speaker 1: or just extra curricular activities. But now they're getting a

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Speaker 1: paycheck for something that they love. And just understanding that

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Speaker 1: whole balance of Okay, now you're you're doing this as

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Speaker 1: your profession and with that comes money management comes with

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Speaker 1: a lot of responsibilities, I mean, dealing with family, dealing

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Speaker 1: with friends, Understanding the time responsibilities of it, what you

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Speaker 1: got to give to your job, what you have to

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Speaker 1: give to your your your your play, and just understanding,

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Speaker 1: like when it does come to family and it does

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Speaker 1: come to balancing your own budget, how do you do that?

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Speaker 1: And sometimes the biggest thing is telling your family no,

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Speaker 1: especially when you're an incoming rookie because a lot of

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Speaker 1: times you haven't made your money yet in respect, especially

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Speaker 1: for an undrafted guy, because you're just getting all season checked.

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Speaker 1: You might have a tiny signing bonus and now you're

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Speaker 1: making training camp checks. They don't equate to the quote

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Speaker 1: unquote salaries that people read about it in the paper.

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Speaker 1: The average NFL career is what three years, four years.

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Speaker 1: You's just around the three years and somewhere, and there's

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Speaker 1: always a two point or a three point somewhere in there,

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Speaker 1: but you can always say three years, three years. So

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Speaker 1: it's paramount that a player has a plan after football.

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Speaker 1: How does that plan get put into place when they

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Speaker 1: are within the charge's organization? Oh, that plan starts from

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Speaker 1: like day one. I mean we're talking about understand if

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Speaker 1: a guy has finished school from first off the bat,

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Speaker 1: you know, if you finish your degree, you know, what

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Speaker 1: are we doing in the off season? What are you

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Speaker 1: doing during the season to contacts? That's the field that

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Speaker 1: you want to go into a lot of times too,

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Speaker 1: you want to take adventure into some of the other

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Speaker 1: fields that you you just might want to dabble in

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Speaker 1: just to see what you do and don't like. For

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Speaker 1: the guys that have not finished school. It's paremont that

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Speaker 1: you finished school because most of them sometimes may lag

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Speaker 1: up and being able to transition because leaving this game

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Speaker 1: and not having your degree, it can be detrimental because

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Speaker 1: when you are seeking an appointment, it's hard to be

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Speaker 1: able to get that position without your college degree. Sean

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Speaker 1: Merriman I spoke to him on Friday, and he came

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Speaker 1: down and spoke to the rookies this offseason. It sounded

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Speaker 1: like he had a great time doing it, and the

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Speaker 1: rookies asked him a lot of different questions about his

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Speaker 1: career and just I think time management was the thing

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Speaker 1: that he said he was asked the most about how

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Speaker 1: to manage their time as professionals. What was that experience

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Speaker 1: like for you to see a guy that you've know

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Speaker 1: him for a long time come in and kind of

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Speaker 1: share the knowledge that he's had throughout his centifal career. Well,

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Speaker 1: you know, Sean, I always invite Sean because if you

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Speaker 1: don't know, Sean's my very first record, So he took

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Speaker 1: that my first record. So that's that's a relationship. That's right,

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Speaker 1: that's a relationship that Sean and I have so understanding

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Speaker 1: that you know, we grew up to kind of together

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Speaker 1: as professionals, and at the time, Sean with the youngest

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Speaker 1: NFL player. I mean he got drafted he was twenty wow,

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Speaker 1: so he hadn't even turned twenty one. Yeah, he was twenty.

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Speaker 1: He was twenty years old. So when he got drafted,

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Speaker 1: you know, he couldn't really even go to nightclubs. You know,

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Speaker 1: he can do it, can do a lot of things

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Speaker 1: at twenty years old. So we kind of grew up together,

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Speaker 1: and so that's why we had a relationship we have

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Speaker 1: and he's always looking to get back in the shares

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Speaker 1: knowledge with a rookie class. What do rookies take from

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Speaker 1: that when they you know, you see a guy like

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Speaker 1: Maryman was all pro, he has a single season sack

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Speaker 1: record here with the Chargers. When they hear a guy

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Speaker 1: like that speak to them, um, what is that like

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Speaker 1: for those rookies. I think it gives them an opportunity

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Speaker 1: that really put that hand on somebody that seeing on

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Speaker 1: the walls and um at the whole performance center. You know,

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Speaker 1: it's just like being able to say, Wow, he's actually

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Speaker 1: here talking to us, he's actually here giving us his time,

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Speaker 1: and we can ask him anything that we want and

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Speaker 1: he's given us an answer. I mean it's pretty awesome

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Speaker 1: from that perspective, you know, just being able to take

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Speaker 1: a picture and we laugh about it now. I mean,

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Speaker 1: Sean's getting to a point where some of these kids

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Speaker 1: were wishing they were Sean Harriman, you know what I mean,

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Speaker 1: it's been that long, you know, yeah, right doing the

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Speaker 1: lights out dance, you know, just really seeing you know,

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Speaker 1: it's that tattoo on your form, you know, that type

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Speaker 1: of deal. But just trying to look at bringing in

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Speaker 1: uh former chargers with different stories that can relate. I mean, obviously,

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Speaker 1: Sean's a first round pick. He made a big splash.

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Speaker 1: But sometimes I bring in the undrafted guys that played

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Speaker 1: the long career. You know. I can think of from

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Speaker 1: my first rickey class, Greg kim Mario, who works at

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Speaker 1: the University of San Diego. Uh, he's he's an athletics

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Speaker 1: that he works in athletics department there with student athletes

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Speaker 1: being able to bring him over. I mean, he's a

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Speaker 1: guy that plays seven years in the NFL's undrafted rookie.

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Speaker 1: So so guys the undrafted can understand how you can

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Speaker 1: build a career. And mean, he made a career phone

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Speaker 1: himself out of that. And so everybody has a story,

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Speaker 1: and everybody comes from from a first round pick to

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Speaker 1: an undrafted free agent. There's so many different stories that

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Speaker 1: rookies can resonate with, right you know, coming up to

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Speaker 1: a new market, Arthur, how does that change your job

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Speaker 1: in what ways does that help? You know? Being that

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Speaker 1: Los Angeles is the second biggest market in the country,

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Speaker 1: the opportunity that some of these guys will have after

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Speaker 1: football and even during their career with the Chargers, it's

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Speaker 1: actually awesome. Just look at building the relationships with the

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Speaker 1: local community here because it helps give the rookies an opportunity,

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Speaker 1: and not even just the rickies, it's just all the players.

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Speaker 1: I mean, we're talking about the rookies now because it's

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Speaker 1: you know, they're citing that a young, fresh, new crop

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Speaker 1: of guys, But just for all our players being able

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Speaker 1: to look at what type of professional opportunities they can

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Speaker 1: have with the local businesses introducing them to different people.

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Speaker 1: So for me, it's getting here and establishing those relationships.

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Speaker 1: You bring up a good point that I wanted to

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Speaker 1: get to veterans that are, you know, maybe a year

405
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Speaker 1: or two away from retiring. How do you approach their

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Speaker 1: life after football, being that they know it's coming sooner

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Speaker 1: than later. I imagine it's a it's a plan that

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Speaker 1: is ongoing throughout their career, but this is probably the

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Speaker 1: time we really start to implement some of the things

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Speaker 1: that they know they're going to be doing after football.

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Speaker 1: A lot of times, it's like you said, it's already

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Speaker 1: been in place. It's been something they're looking to transition into.

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Speaker 1: So you're not just coming up to your last year

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Speaker 1: and saying, Okay, what do I do now? I mean,

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Speaker 1: I'm not saying that that that doesn't happen in some cases,

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Speaker 1: but just knowing what is it that I'm gonna do next?

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Speaker 1: What what is it that I enjoy while I was

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Speaker 1: being a player that I can transition into and a

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Speaker 1: lot of the times is being able to find that now.

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Speaker 1: The challenge is as a player in dealing with players now,

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Speaker 1: they always feel like they got it because this is

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Speaker 1: their chosen professor. And here I am telling you, Okay,

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Speaker 1: what are you gonna do next? And you're like, Arthur,

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Speaker 1: I want to focus on football. I want to I

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Speaker 1: want to be the best NFL player I could be

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Speaker 1: for the Chargers, And You're trying to ask me what

427
00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:12,280
Speaker 1: I'm gonna do next. No, I don't want to hear

428
00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,720
Speaker 1: that because that means I'm no longer a charger. So

429
00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:19,159
Speaker 1: it's a fine mix of being able to navigate those

430
00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,720
Speaker 1: seeds in the sense of saying, hey, you know, this

431
00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,960
Speaker 1: is something you may want to give a thought to,

432
00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:30,120
Speaker 1: and that's kind of helps. But as as competitors, it's

433
00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:32,280
Speaker 1: hard to tell them, hey, hey, what are you going

434
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:34,959
Speaker 1: to do next? When they're enjoying what they're doing now

435
00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,360
Speaker 1: or putting in all their working effort to what they're

436
00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:39,320
Speaker 1: doing right now. It's a career. Yeah, in the moment,

437
00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:42,560
Speaker 1: you don't realize how quickly that next career comes right,

438
00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:46,720
Speaker 1: you blink and it's done well, especially for them, because

439
00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:49,880
Speaker 1: you just never know. I mean, we're talking about Sean Merriman.

440
00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,680
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, if his knees don't go out,

441
00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:55,920
Speaker 1: I mean, what kind of career does he have? I mean,

442
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,240
Speaker 1: but there's a transition that each of them go through.

443
00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,960
Speaker 1: And with this sport, this is the highest. This is

444
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,040
Speaker 1: the pinnacle of playing football. I mean, when you look

445
00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:09,119
Speaker 1: at other sports, you may can go overseas, there's a

446
00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,680
Speaker 1: seniors tour or something like that, but this is this

447
00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:17,280
Speaker 1: is head. You know, this is absolutely it and being

448
00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,560
Speaker 1: able to transition for that sometimes can be a little challenging.

449
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,320
Speaker 1: But once they get into it, boom they're offering running Arthur,

450
00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:25,440
Speaker 1: I want to get you out of here on this.

451
00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,960
Speaker 1: What's your favorite part about this job? It sounds like

452
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,960
Speaker 1: it's it's such a rewarding position that you're in to

453
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:36,920
Speaker 1: really help players along and sustain their career after football,

454
00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:39,920
Speaker 1: and to be a part of it from start to finish.

455
00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:42,280
Speaker 1: I have to imagine there's a lot of pieces of

456
00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:45,280
Speaker 1: this job that are really rewarding. I would say the

457
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:49,400
Speaker 1: biggest thing that is very rewarding of my experience, it's

458
00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,119
Speaker 1: just a relationship and the people that you meet. I mean,

459
00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:55,760
Speaker 1: I'm thinking when my first season here, Philip Rivers wasn't

460
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,359
Speaker 1: even starting quarterback. Wid yeah, i mean Drew Brees was

461
00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,359
Speaker 1: a starting quart back and look what Drew has done.

462
00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,080
Speaker 1: LT was into I think it's fourth season, might have been.

463
00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,800
Speaker 1: Antonio Gates was in his third season, and now I'm

464
00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,400
Speaker 1: looking at Philip and Antonio the oldest guys on this team,

465
00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,119
Speaker 1: but like, yeah, and I'm still here with them in

466
00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,639
Speaker 1: a sense, but just growing up throughout the years and

467
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:22,040
Speaker 1: it's just a different people from the coaches and staff

468
00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,560
Speaker 1: members to the players that have gone on to do

469
00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:28,320
Speaker 1: special things, whether it's been when you Obviously when they came,

470
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,360
Speaker 1: they could have been single. Now that their families, their

471
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:34,720
Speaker 1: kids are getting older, they're going on to a sighting

472
00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:38,840
Speaker 1: careers of doing other things and then being able to

473
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,160
Speaker 1: reach out and tap into them and know that they're

474
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,040
Speaker 1: a phone call away and that they'll be able to

475
00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,480
Speaker 1: help and give back. I mean, it's awesome. So I

476
00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,439
Speaker 1: would definitely say just the relationships that you build throughout this,

477
00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,400
Speaker 1: throughout this journey, it's awesome. That's great. He's Arthur Hightower,

478
00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,840
Speaker 1: the senior director of player Engagement here at the LA Chargers. Arthur,

479
00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:57,560
Speaker 1: I appreciate your time, man. I hope to do this

480
00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,720
Speaker 1: with you throughout the season. Be great to connect again anytime,

481
00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,600
Speaker 1: especially when we get cranking out with those Rickies again.

482
00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,879
Speaker 1: We have our Rickie Transition program that continues throughout the

483
00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:11,040
Speaker 1: season because the issues that they dealt with just getting here,

484
00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,000
Speaker 1: they kind of magnified themselves throughout the season. So they're

485
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,240
Speaker 1: all always constantly going through workshops and stuff with me.

486
00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,439
Speaker 1: So how how many programs are there throughout the year.

487
00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:22,639
Speaker 1: Is it Is it like a monthly thing? Uh? No,

488
00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 1: so almost a week. We're doing a weekly thing week. Yeah,

489
00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:29,480
Speaker 1: we kinda tile Rickie Club. Every Monday's oh awesome, well

490
00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:33,000
Speaker 1: mondays throughout, but every Monday. Yeah cool. Well, we will

491
00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:35,200
Speaker 1: definitely get you back going and uh kind of get

492
00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:37,080
Speaker 1: some updates on how the season is going, how the

493
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:40,520
Speaker 1: Rooks are progressing, and appreciate Tom Buddy, all right, appreciate it, man,

494
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:43,280
Speaker 1: I thank you. That'll do it. For today's Chargers training

495
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:46,159
Speaker 1: camp podcast, We'll leave you with sound from Philip Rivers

496
00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:50,160
Speaker 1: and Drew Brees after Chargers quarterbacks coach Shane Steiken came

497
00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:56,000
Speaker 1: up big in today's post practice quarterback competition one Chargers

498
00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:58,920
Speaker 1: kind of make a point, a point, what what did

499
00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:02,560
Speaker 1: your coach do versus coach? But your coach got twelve

500
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,399
Speaker 1: day he carried the load, tars ze. Shane sty carried

501
00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,080
Speaker 1: the load. I didn't even have to throw today. Are

502
00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:11,560
Speaker 1: they invited tomorrow? No? You probably, we don't. We don't

503
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:14,440
Speaker 1: help help. We're gonna bring it back. Sean Payton needs

504
00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,000
Speaker 1: redemption tomorrow. Winner take all to morrow, to take all

505
00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:20,040
Speaker 1: being good, good host. Here see a Saturday. I see you.

506
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:20,280
Speaker 1: I mean