1
00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,559
Speaker 1: What's up, guys. Welcome it to the Final Drive, presented

2
00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,680
Speaker 1: by Microsoft Surface alongside Haley l. Wood. I'm Chris Harry.

3
00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:21,000
Speaker 1: Chargers win Week one in DC against the Washington Football

4
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,599
Speaker 1: Team twenty to sixteen. A great way to kick off

5
00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:28,160
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty one NFL season, Haley, Such a great

6
00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,480
Speaker 1: way to kick that season off. And I know we've

7
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,120
Speaker 1: made a lot of jokes about final drives and having

8
00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:34,919
Speaker 1: to talk about final drives in the past, but this

9
00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:36,640
Speaker 1: was a really good one. The final drive that the

10
00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:39,440
Speaker 1: Chargers had in this game literally sealed the win for them.

11
00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,640
Speaker 1: So a lot of really bright spots, especially for a

12
00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,440
Speaker 1: team whose starters didn't necessarily play in the preseason all

13
00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:48,559
Speaker 1: together at all, to kind of come out and assemble

14
00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,320
Speaker 1: what they did. Of course, it wasn't one hundred percent clean,

15
00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,159
Speaker 1: but that's to be expected in week one, but to

16
00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,400
Speaker 1: come out and eke out a win like that really

17
00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,080
Speaker 1: solid for these guys. And we'll get to that final

18
00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,680
Speaker 1: drive because it was the most important in the game.

19
00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,639
Speaker 1: Even though they didn't score, they held the ball, they

20
00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,720
Speaker 1: iced the game in the fourth quarter. But let's start

21
00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:12,200
Speaker 1: with the first drive, Haley. It was nearly perfect. They

22
00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,319
Speaker 1: scripted it to a t. Justin Herbert on his game

23
00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,360
Speaker 1: from the beginning. Austin Eckler punches it in. It's exactly

24
00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,440
Speaker 1: what you wanted to see from Justin Herbert in this

25
00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,080
Speaker 1: Joe Lombardi office. You alluded to it. We didn't see

26
00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,880
Speaker 1: any of these starters. We frankly didn't know what to expect.

27
00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,840
Speaker 1: Pretty perfect at the beginning. Yeah, six for six, forty yards,

28
00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,440
Speaker 1: just marched down the field ten place seventy five yards,

29
00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,120
Speaker 1: capped it off with that Eckler touchdown. There was no

30
00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:42,280
Speaker 1: pressure on that drive on Justin Herbert. He barely honestly

31
00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,119
Speaker 1: faced pressure at all throughout the game. And I'm sure

32
00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:46,520
Speaker 1: we'll talk about that too, especially with this you know,

33
00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:50,320
Speaker 1: vaunted Washington defensive front. But it really was what you

34
00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,880
Speaker 1: wanted to see. And I think it was really important

35
00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,040
Speaker 1: as well to have everyone come out and just be

36
00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,720
Speaker 1: really comfortable with the script that they felt really really

37
00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,120
Speaker 1: comfortable with. And then you know, obviously you make adjustments

38
00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,280
Speaker 1: after that, but everyone just looked it really like you said,

39
00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,720
Speaker 1: put Herbert in the best position possible. He was just

40
00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,720
Speaker 1: dropping dimes, nailing it down the field, and to cap

41
00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:12,560
Speaker 1: it off with that Eckler touchdown, a guy who you know,

42
00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:14,200
Speaker 1: we didn't know if he was going to play this week.

43
00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,280
Speaker 1: He didn't practice two days last week, but he got

44
00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,400
Speaker 1: in there. It was really what you wanted to see

45
00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:21,720
Speaker 1: because we also talk a lot about starting hot and

46
00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,000
Speaker 1: starting fast, and this team did that. They set the tone.

47
00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,240
Speaker 1: They really held on to a lead up until that

48
00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,440
Speaker 1: third quarter, but then they gained it back in the fourth.

49
00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,800
Speaker 1: But to come out and start seven nothing awesome, really

50
00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,880
Speaker 1: really great. Yeah. It also had hit fifteen carries fifty

51
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,200
Speaker 1: seven yards, and that's kind of where you want him,

52
00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,800
Speaker 1: especially when you have Larry Rowtree, a Justin Jackson, and

53
00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:45,840
Speaker 1: josh Ma Kelly who didn't play in this game. But

54
00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,440
Speaker 1: to have that stable and running backs. Austin said it himself,

55
00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,880
Speaker 1: he wants to keep himself fresh and maximize the touches.

56
00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,840
Speaker 1: So you saw that in week one. What can you

57
00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,480
Speaker 1: say about the combination of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams Haley.

58
00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,800
Speaker 1: I mean, Justin he spread the ball around eight different receivers,

59
00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,400
Speaker 1: called a ball, but you just combine Keenan and Mike's

60
00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,280
Speaker 1: numbers twenty five targets, seventeen catches, one hundred and eighty

61
00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,200
Speaker 1: two yards and a touchdown. I think really one of

62
00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:15,600
Speaker 1: the craziest things when I looked at the stat sheet,

63
00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,440
Speaker 1: and I'm looking at it right now, is there were

64
00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:22,520
Speaker 1: six receiving targets where their longest catch went for double

65
00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,280
Speaker 1: digits and it went really over fifth. Everyone was over

66
00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,480
Speaker 1: fifteen yards. So you talk about chunk plays in this game,

67
00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,520
Speaker 1: these guys were just getting yardage just down the field,

68
00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,400
Speaker 1: these chunk plays. I mean Keenan his longest was seventeen

69
00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,680
Speaker 1: that came in the fourth Mike also for that twenty

70
00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,080
Speaker 1: yard I believe third down conversion that he had. But

71
00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:43,920
Speaker 1: you know, a guy like Jalen Giton, I mean three

72
00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,400
Speaker 1: receptions for forty nine yards, his longest was twenty two

73
00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:49,720
Speaker 1: and kJ Hill too. I was also really impressed with

74
00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,800
Speaker 1: those two young guys, especially someone like kJ who didn't

75
00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:54,840
Speaker 1: have a preseason last year. It was kind of, you know,

76
00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:57,520
Speaker 1: figuring things out on the fly. He makes this roster.

77
00:03:57,640 --> 00:03:59,400
Speaker 1: We heard a lot because of what he can do

78
00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,200
Speaker 1: on special teams, but he was actually he was a

79
00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,640
Speaker 1: factor yesterday. And so you talk about Keenan and Mike

80
00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,520
Speaker 1: and you expect those guys to be what they are.

81
00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,840
Speaker 1: Mike Williams, I think was just extremely impressive overall because

82
00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,920
Speaker 1: we're so used to seeing him be the jump ball guy,

83
00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,159
Speaker 1: be the fifty fifty guy. Twenty five is, I believe

84
00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,440
Speaker 1: Justin Herbert said. But to actually get involved in the

85
00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:24,680
Speaker 1: offensive game plan and end up with eight receptions for

86
00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,880
Speaker 1: eighty two yards awesome. But also to see some of

87
00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,839
Speaker 1: those younger guys get involved really really huge, and I

88
00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,080
Speaker 1: think they'll only come along. We're only in week one.

89
00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,760
Speaker 1: We got what sixteen more of these left, and so

90
00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,560
Speaker 1: to have all those weapons on offense is really really

91
00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,680
Speaker 1: big for this team. Hey, if week one was any

92
00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,479
Speaker 1: indication Joe Lobardi wasn't live in this offseason when he

93
00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,239
Speaker 1: said Mike Williams was going to get a heavy load

94
00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,200
Speaker 1: at that ex receiver position. Mike with twelve targets, a

95
00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:55,320
Speaker 1: career high eight catches eighty two yards, and that touchdown

96
00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:00,400
Speaker 1: in the fourth quarter, Hailey, that was the momentum changing sequence.

97
00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,600
Speaker 1: I think in this game, Justin Herbert throws an interception,

98
00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:06,920
Speaker 1: Kaiser White gets the ball right back, forces a fumble.

99
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,160
Speaker 1: Kenneth Murray recovers a few plays later. Justin to Mike.

100
00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,320
Speaker 1: We didn't see much of Mike. We didn't see much

101
00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:15,920
Speaker 1: of any of these guys. But but really, when we

102
00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,960
Speaker 1: talk about Mike Williams, he was out for a good

103
00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,200
Speaker 1: portion of camp, just resting in trying to recover from

104
00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,640
Speaker 1: that injury. So we really didn't know exactly what to

105
00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,760
Speaker 1: expect from Mike. And to come out this way and

106
00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,599
Speaker 1: to have that touchdown on the fourth quarter, it's got

107
00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,599
Speaker 1: to have. I guess charges fans, I'll say this, they'll have.

108
00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:39,480
Speaker 1: They have a smile on their face today, right, Yeah. Yeah,

109
00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:41,000
Speaker 1: I think it's big, and I think it's big for

110
00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,039
Speaker 1: him too. Like you said, he was injured a lot

111
00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,840
Speaker 1: during training camp. He was battling through and he really

112
00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:48,880
Speaker 1: wouldn't have played in the preseason the way that this

113
00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,680
Speaker 1: team decided to not play other guys, So it wasn't

114
00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,520
Speaker 1: like really we would have seen him, but he missed

115
00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:55,680
Speaker 1: out on some time. But everyone last week, you know,

116
00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,840
Speaker 1: rest assured Mike's got it, He's good. You go back

117
00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,800
Speaker 1: to Joe Lombardi's line in I believe it was just

118
00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:03,840
Speaker 1: over summer where he said, you know, if I were

119
00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,880
Speaker 1: a betting man, I would bet big numbers from him

120
00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:08,719
Speaker 1: on the stat sheet, that's for sure. And that is

121
00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,760
Speaker 1: what we saw yesterday. We really really saw his emergence.

122
00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:13,880
Speaker 1: I also love when you run through that fourth quarter

123
00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:15,479
Speaker 1: sequence because the way I wrote it down in my

124
00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,240
Speaker 1: notebook is like fourth Ero Herbert interception, oh if Ero

125
00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,120
Speaker 1: Gibson fumble and then Errow Mike Williams touchdown, because it

126
00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,720
Speaker 1: really was just a crazy sequence of events that ultimately

127
00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,760
Speaker 1: you felt like once the Chargers did score to that

128
00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,640
Speaker 1: point of the Justin Herbert Mike Williams touchdown, it felt

129
00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:34,680
Speaker 1: like they got the momentum back. This was a game

130
00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,360
Speaker 1: to me that flipped a lot, especially when Ryan Fitzpatrick

131
00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,279
Speaker 1: goes out Taylor Heineke comes in. But it really felt

132
00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:42,440
Speaker 1: like at that point the Chargers, once they got that

133
00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,880
Speaker 1: ball back eventually again, which they did, they weren't gonna

134
00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,960
Speaker 1: let it go. And that's really what happened. And we'll

135
00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,360
Speaker 1: talk about Justin now thirty one to forty seven, three

136
00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,280
Speaker 1: hundred thirty seven yards. He had to touchdown, he had

137
00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,640
Speaker 1: the interception, he had that flukey fumble out of the

138
00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,880
Speaker 1: end zone that I think everybody everybody would scratching their

139
00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:03,159
Speaker 1: head about that. But the way that Justin played, in

140
00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,880
Speaker 1: the way that this offense played on third down Haley

141
00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,200
Speaker 1: fourteen of nineteen, we hadn't seen that in a decade.

142
00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,040
Speaker 1: I think the last team to have fourteen third down

143
00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,600
Speaker 1: conversions the Mualtimore Ravens in twenty eleven. Justin was also

144
00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,080
Speaker 1: on third down last year. He's continuing that. And that

145
00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:24,280
Speaker 1: fourth quarter drive, that final drive they didn't score, it

146
00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:26,880
Speaker 1: was the most important because they went for it. They

147
00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,400
Speaker 1: were backed up in their own territory and they said,

148
00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:31,640
Speaker 1: you know what, we're not going to play concervative. We're

149
00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,280
Speaker 1: gonna try to win this football game and ice it.

150
00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:36,480
Speaker 1: And that's what they did. Yeah, I mean to go

151
00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,840
Speaker 1: back to the third down points, almost seventy four percent efficiency.

152
00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,920
Speaker 1: Come on, like, if you were hitting their numbers, it's crazy.

153
00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,160
Speaker 1: You should be winning games. And then on that last drive,

154
00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:50,400
Speaker 1: I think, really what was one of the most I

155
00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,800
Speaker 1: don't know, I guess impressive things to me was the

156
00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,000
Speaker 1: aggression was the fact that it's not like you're just

157
00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,320
Speaker 1: kind of running the ball a couple of yards here

158
00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,560
Speaker 1: trying to chew up clock. They're throwing it. They literally

159
00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:02,520
Speaker 1: were throwing it. They had three third downs, I believe

160
00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,320
Speaker 1: or I'm sorry, they converted four third downs. Three of

161
00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,560
Speaker 1: them went for large games. Seventeen when you needed sixteen,

162
00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:10,360
Speaker 1: but then you had a third and three to went

163
00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,119
Speaker 1: for nineteen, and a third and seven which went for twenty,

164
00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,600
Speaker 1: which I believe was that Mike Williams catch. They're just

165
00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,200
Speaker 1: you know, they were acting on it, they were getting there,

166
00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,160
Speaker 1: and I think that's really one of the things that

167
00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:23,480
Speaker 1: also we hadn't seen from this Chargers team in a

168
00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,840
Speaker 1: really long time. And Staley talked about it yesterday that

169
00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:28,880
Speaker 1: he said they felt like they were a fourth quarter team,

170
00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:31,400
Speaker 1: that they've talked a lot about the team of teams

171
00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,040
Speaker 1: and that you know, if one side of the ball doesn't,

172
00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:35,520
Speaker 1: you know, maybe pick up their end of the weight,

173
00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:37,120
Speaker 1: the other one will kind of come in and help

174
00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:41,880
Speaker 1: them out. But they really really were able to solidify

175
00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,120
Speaker 1: that drive to hold onto the ball for almost seven

176
00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:47,600
Speaker 1: full minutes and never let go. And also again not

177
00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,080
Speaker 1: just run it, not just do you know, run place,

178
00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:52,360
Speaker 1: to kind of take up clock, to be aggressive and

179
00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:55,720
Speaker 1: throw on third down. That's big and I think to

180
00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,199
Speaker 1: justin they talked about this on the broadcast yesterday, and

181
00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,000
Speaker 1: we've heard a lot too, that this is a very

182
00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,480
Speaker 1: complex offense and they were throwing a lot at him.

183
00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:06,959
Speaker 1: But Joe Lombardi said his study habits and the way

184
00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,120
Speaker 1: that he sort of approaches that side of the game.

185
00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:11,600
Speaker 1: He felt like he could take it on and if

186
00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:13,320
Speaker 1: there was a mistake, he said, he wouldn't make the

187
00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:15,960
Speaker 1: same mistake twice. And I think you've seen that. I

188
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,720
Speaker 1: think obviously, I go back to last year with that

189
00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,120
Speaker 1: conversation I had with ESPN's Molly McGrath where she talked about, hey,

190
00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,400
Speaker 1: he's extremely smart in the classroom, but he's going to

191
00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,440
Speaker 1: apply those same techniques and those same study habits to

192
00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,200
Speaker 1: the football playbook and in his second season learning a

193
00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:35,200
Speaker 1: new offense and one that is relatively complex. Pretty safe

194
00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:38,160
Speaker 1: to say he's got it down after what we saw yesterday,

195
00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,760
Speaker 1: I would say so. And Haley, it's one thing to

196
00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:45,520
Speaker 1: learn a new offense with new personnel, but he knew

197
00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:49,680
Speaker 1: these guys. That rapport with Keenan, that rapport with Mike.

198
00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,040
Speaker 1: We saw more of it with Keenan last year, but

199
00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,559
Speaker 1: to see how he connected and clicked with Mike on

200
00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,680
Speaker 1: Sunday was very impressive. Guidon kJ Hill, all these guys

201
00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:01,959
Speaker 1: were there last year, So I think it helps the

202
00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:05,160
Speaker 1: learning curve when you have the same personnel and you

203
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:10,280
Speaker 1: have a guy who's as intelligent as Justin is defensively,

204
00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,120
Speaker 1: if we flip it to defense, Brandon Staley played this

205
00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,400
Speaker 1: Washington football team last year when he was the defensive

206
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,640
Speaker 1: coordinator of the Rams and shut them down pretty well.

207
00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,360
Speaker 1: He did the same last or on Sunday. Rather and

208
00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,280
Speaker 1: when you held the team to three of ten on

209
00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:33,160
Speaker 1: third down, two hundred and fifty nine total yards and

210
00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:35,880
Speaker 1: just sixteen points. When you have an offense like the

211
00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,360
Speaker 1: Chargers have, you're gonna win more than you lose. Yeah,

212
00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:41,320
Speaker 1: it was definitely balanced. And then you look at someone

213
00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,559
Speaker 1: like Kenneth Murray who led the team in tackles, picking

214
00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,679
Speaker 1: up where he left off last years. He led the

215
00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:47,959
Speaker 1: team the entire season in tackles as a rookie, I

216
00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,439
Speaker 1: believe set that record breaking Derwin's record. Derwin second on

217
00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:54,040
Speaker 1: the team with seven combined tackles. Great to see him

218
00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:57,400
Speaker 1: out there again just because of what he brings not

219
00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:59,839
Speaker 1: only on the field, but also from a leadership perspective.

220
00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:02,959
Speaker 1: And then you know a guy like Asante Samuel Jr.

221
00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,319
Speaker 1: Five combined tackles. He did you know? He drawed that

222
00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:08,800
Speaker 1: he excuse me, he drew that one a penalty at

223
00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:11,160
Speaker 1: one point. But all of this is a learning process.

224
00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:13,040
Speaker 1: But he's out there. He was in that number two

225
00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:15,520
Speaker 1: role that he had earned from his performance in camp.

226
00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:17,880
Speaker 1: This is a unit that I think is obviously going

227
00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:20,400
Speaker 1: to kind of click and gel as the season moves

228
00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,080
Speaker 1: on again. I mean, Joey had talked about last week.

229
00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:25,520
Speaker 1: You know, we'll see kind of what the misdirection looks

230
00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:27,240
Speaker 1: like and how it all kind of works when you're

231
00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:29,800
Speaker 1: out on the field. Also, they were facing a quarterback

232
00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,760
Speaker 1: who they faced two in this game. You game plan

233
00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:34,960
Speaker 1: for Ryan Fitzpatrick. He goes out, then you have this

234
00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,120
Speaker 1: you know, Heineke kind of come in and take over

235
00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:41,080
Speaker 1: the rest of the game. But I think this is

236
00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:45,280
Speaker 1: you know, what you saw was definitely it. I don't

237
00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:47,080
Speaker 1: want to use the term impressive again, but it was

238
00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:48,960
Speaker 1: something that was actually it was really good for this

239
00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,960
Speaker 1: Chargers team to see them come together, to see them

240
00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:54,280
Speaker 1: again put you know, kind of assemble that team of

241
00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:59,200
Speaker 1: teams if you will. But hey, you know again to

242
00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:03,120
Speaker 1: hold them to sixteen total and then obviously have your

243
00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,000
Speaker 1: offense come back and win and put your defense back

244
00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,720
Speaker 1: out there and hold them in the fourth. Pretty good. Yeah,

245
00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,959
Speaker 1: And it wasn't perfect. You mentioned ste Samuel had the

246
00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:17,040
Speaker 1: defensive pass interference that led to a field goal. Joey

247
00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:21,160
Speaker 1: had a pair of fifteen yard penalties, very tough penalties,

248
00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:24,560
Speaker 1: and I think one of those led to points. So,

249
00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:30,160
Speaker 1: you know, it's week one, right, you see the unit

250
00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:32,319
Speaker 1: that they have. I agree with you. I think it's

251
00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,480
Speaker 1: only gonna get tighter and tighter as the season progresses

252
00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:37,840
Speaker 1: and some of these young guys start to step up

253
00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:42,920
Speaker 1: a little bit special teams. Just A Vascado made both

254
00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:45,800
Speaker 1: of his field goal attempts, both of his extra point attempts,

255
00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:50,360
Speaker 1: and Thai Long punted twice. Thank you. That's I mean,

256
00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:52,320
Speaker 1: that's what you want. I don't want to see I

257
00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:54,319
Speaker 1: love Thai Long. I don't want to see Thai Long

258
00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,520
Speaker 1: out there much. That was a That was the joke

259
00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,199
Speaker 1: that that Jerry Swinton made last week, right when when

260
00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:01,839
Speaker 1: Popa was trying to figure out who is going to

261
00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:07,880
Speaker 1: be back on you know, yeah exactly, and he's like, hey,

262
00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,520
Speaker 1: we prefer never to punt. He's like, love tie, we prefer,

263
00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,720
Speaker 1: you know, never to have to get in that situation

264
00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,080
Speaker 1: where our offense is just cruising down the field. So

265
00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,160
Speaker 1: twice in this game. Yeah, pretty pretty good, Pretty good there.

266
00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:25,120
Speaker 1: Time of possession thirty six minutes. You hold the football too,

267
00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,520
Speaker 1: and you know it's just these little things, Haley. Yet

268
00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,920
Speaker 1: they didn't win the turnover battle. Usually when you lose

269
00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,640
Speaker 1: the turnover battle on the road, it doesn't bowe well

270
00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:35,720
Speaker 1: for you and you lose the game. But to hold

271
00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,560
Speaker 1: the ball for thirty six minutes, I said it. In

272
00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:42,200
Speaker 1: the first half. I think the the Chargers defense was

273
00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,679
Speaker 1: only on the field maybe seventeen eighteen nineteen plays in

274
00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,719
Speaker 1: that first half, which I think bowed well for them.

275
00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,800
Speaker 1: In the second half, especially in the DC heat Week one,

276
00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:57,480
Speaker 1: that Washington football team defense was out there for quite

277
00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:01,040
Speaker 1: a bit. And yeah, you know, we also have to

278
00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:05,960
Speaker 1: we have to recognize what Rashawn Slater did. They were

279
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,360
Speaker 1: on the field for eighty one place. He played eighty

280
00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,160
Speaker 1: one snaps. He hadn't played a game in two years.

281
00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:14,960
Speaker 1: I'm not counting the twenty snaps that he got against

282
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:19,400
Speaker 1: the Rams in that preseason. But to do what he

283
00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:25,560
Speaker 1: did against Mantes Sweat and Chase Young in Week one,

284
00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:30,720
Speaker 1: going eighty one plays, not having played in two years,

285
00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,400
Speaker 1: on the road, protecting the franchise quarterback at Justine Herbert,

286
00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,120
Speaker 1: I'd say that's pretty impressive. Yeah, and not to mention

287
00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,600
Speaker 1: he sort of battled through a little injury thing in

288
00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:42,840
Speaker 1: training camp two, and I know that. I think he

289
00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,160
Speaker 1: really wanted to go out during that Seattle game and

290
00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,680
Speaker 1: they held him off out of precaution, and a lot

291
00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:50,280
Speaker 1: was made. We talked about it, A lot was made

292
00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,800
Speaker 1: about the matchup with Chase Young and going up against

293
00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:55,280
Speaker 1: Chase Young and what they did in college or excuse me,

294
00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:57,200
Speaker 1: I guess I should say what Slater did against him

295
00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:59,400
Speaker 1: in college. But really, to go out there and have

296
00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,360
Speaker 1: the performance that he did, it was impressive. To use

297
00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,560
Speaker 1: that word again, I think I saw a tweet this morning.

298
00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:05,880
Speaker 1: I was trying to find it and I can't, but

299
00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,200
Speaker 1: I think it was I don't think he allowed a

300
00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:12,480
Speaker 1: pressure on Justin Herbert, and I think to have that

301
00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,840
Speaker 1: trust in your rookie left tackle so early in week one,

302
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,560
Speaker 1: this was a huge, huge, huge test. We've talked about

303
00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,480
Speaker 1: this Washington d line in their front all week long,

304
00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:24,120
Speaker 1: some of the best in the game. But I think

305
00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,280
Speaker 1: you're right in the sense of the time of possession

306
00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,160
Speaker 1: and how much that defense was out there. You do

307
00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:32,320
Speaker 1: get tired. I can't imagine what that feels like to

308
00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:34,720
Speaker 1: have to play in that heat and all of that

309
00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,960
Speaker 1: but I just think the offensive Law two as a

310
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,080
Speaker 1: whole when you look at Slater, but then all the

311
00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,280
Speaker 1: other guys, they were a unit that didn't they hadn't

312
00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:46,040
Speaker 1: played together, they never played together in the preseason. But

313
00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,480
Speaker 1: there was some talk during I remember those joint practices

314
00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:51,400
Speaker 1: with the forty nine ers that that really was a

315
00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:53,520
Speaker 1: good test for them. It really was to get out there,

316
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:56,400
Speaker 1: but this was really their first time in live action.

317
00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:59,240
Speaker 1: I know Brian Balaga went out, Storm Norton came in,

318
00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,080
Speaker 1: but he actually did a serviceable job. And this team,

319
00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:06,440
Speaker 1: that unit, excuse me, really really did essentially what they

320
00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:08,800
Speaker 1: were hired mostly to do what they came to the

321
00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:13,040
Speaker 1: charters to do. It was impressive because again, when when

322
00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,440
Speaker 1: you know that none of these guys have actually played

323
00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,720
Speaker 1: in a game before and had that be your first matchup,

324
00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:21,680
Speaker 1: and to play as well as they did. And I'm

325
00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,000
Speaker 1: sure there's stuff on tape, but they're they're gonna have

326
00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,600
Speaker 1: to clean up for Week two against the Cowboys. But

327
00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:31,680
Speaker 1: it's I mean too to be what Rashaw's Slater was

328
00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,240
Speaker 1: on Sunday. I mean, hats off to the guy. He's

329
00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,800
Speaker 1: done everything right, He's he's been awesome during training camp

330
00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,440
Speaker 1: going up against Joey Bose I think helps on a

331
00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,760
Speaker 1: daily basis when when you're preparing for teams like the

332
00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,320
Speaker 1: Washington football team. A couple of things to clean up.

333
00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:51,640
Speaker 1: They were I think two of six in the red zone.

334
00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,880
Speaker 1: That's got to be better before Haley, especially especially against

335
00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,840
Speaker 1: the Cowboys coming in here with a few days extra rest,

336
00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,000
Speaker 1: and they have an explosive offense, so you're gonna have

337
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,760
Speaker 1: to maximize your opportunities down there. Yeah. Also a Cowboys

338
00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:10,680
Speaker 1: team that's probably a little salty from what happened last Thursday.

339
00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:13,000
Speaker 1: They've had extra time to stew on it, and they

340
00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,440
Speaker 1: put up what twenty nine against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense,

341
00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:19,760
Speaker 1: which we heard all last year and saw and saw

342
00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:21,479
Speaker 1: on the Super Bowl what they did to the Chiefs.

343
00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:25,120
Speaker 1: I mean, that's no joke. So you know that you're gonna, yeah,

344
00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:27,000
Speaker 1: you need to clean that up to get ready for them,

345
00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,760
Speaker 1: because they definitely look like a high powered offense. Dak

346
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,480
Speaker 1: is back, if you will. I'm actually really excited though

347
00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,000
Speaker 1: for that game, just to see kind of the duel,

348
00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,680
Speaker 1: if you will, between Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert. I

349
00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,439
Speaker 1: wrote some notes down. I think it was Prescott had

350
00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,720
Speaker 1: fifty eight pass attempts last week, Herbert at forty seven.

351
00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,040
Speaker 1: So these guys are doing it through the air. I'm

352
00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:50,560
Speaker 1: really excited though, But yeah, you'll clean it up. I mean,

353
00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:52,120
Speaker 1: you go back and you look at the tape. There

354
00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:54,800
Speaker 1: is tape now on an opponent that you are going

355
00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,040
Speaker 1: to face. So the game planning from this point on

356
00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,040
Speaker 1: is going to be really interesting because you're not just

357
00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:03,199
Speaker 1: relying on piecing stuff together maybe from last year or

358
00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:05,520
Speaker 1: whatever it is. You have games, you get to look

359
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:07,760
Speaker 1: at it and we'll see what happens in that home

360
00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:12,159
Speaker 1: opener so FI Stadium this week. Get excited. Fans back,

361
00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,520
Speaker 1: fans back, get excited. A lot of star power on

362
00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:17,920
Speaker 1: the field too, especially when you look at those receivers

363
00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,240
Speaker 1: with Ceedee Lamb and Amari Cooper, Mike Williams, Keenan Allen,

364
00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:26,520
Speaker 1: Ezekiel Elliott. It's an early fun matchup against an NFC

365
00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,199
Speaker 1: East opponent's evening go two and oh early in the

366
00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:33,320
Speaker 1: season against the NFC East. Haley finally, I want to

367
00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,120
Speaker 1: end on this and recognized the head coach of the Chargers,

368
00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:40,600
Speaker 1: Brandon Staley, his first win. This has been a long

369
00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:43,639
Speaker 1: offseason talking about this team and what it's going to

370
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,400
Speaker 1: look like, and we finally got to see it, and

371
00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:50,160
Speaker 1: he acknowledged at the press conference it was his mom's birthday,

372
00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:52,960
Speaker 1: and I think it was just so neat for him

373
00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,520
Speaker 1: to get his first NFL win living out his dream

374
00:18:57,160 --> 00:18:59,600
Speaker 1: on his mom's birthday. That's what he said. I thought

375
00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,479
Speaker 1: that was really really sweet anecdote. And I think it's

376
00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:06,560
Speaker 1: a reminder too, when you go the entire offseason and

377
00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,080
Speaker 1: you watch someone like him in his position, you know,

378
00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,280
Speaker 1: at these press conferences and answering all sorts of questions,

379
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:15,199
Speaker 1: whether it be about football, whether it be about what

380
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:17,800
Speaker 1: happens on the field, philosophy off of it, whatever, But

381
00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:20,919
Speaker 1: to hear that kind of personal anecdote, it's sort of

382
00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:23,680
Speaker 1: just it made the whole moment just feel a little

383
00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,720
Speaker 1: different in that sense, and it was really sweet and

384
00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,640
Speaker 1: it was awesome for him to get that. And when

385
00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:31,440
Speaker 1: you watch him kind of, you know, in the locker

386
00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:33,360
Speaker 1: room after the game passing out the game balls which

387
00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:36,480
Speaker 1: we posted, you could just tell it it really really

388
00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:38,720
Speaker 1: did mean something. And the way that he also when

389
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:40,639
Speaker 1: he was talking about his mom, you could feel it.

390
00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:43,879
Speaker 1: You could definitely definitely definitely feel it and I think,

391
00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:46,440
Speaker 1: you know, hey, this team is one to know. We'll

392
00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,239
Speaker 1: see what happens from here as they go on. You know,

393
00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:51,600
Speaker 1: they do. We've we've talked about their next few games

394
00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:53,960
Speaker 1: and sort of the craziness and kind of toughness of

395
00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:56,639
Speaker 1: what's ahead. But this was a tough test too, and

396
00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:00,760
Speaker 1: they passed and you needed that. You start to slowly

397
00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:04,640
Speaker 1: see the culture being built. Right. They talked about our

398
00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,159
Speaker 1: way and all these things in the off season, but

399
00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,240
Speaker 1: you need to actually get on the grass and play

400
00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,439
Speaker 1: a game and win a game and bond with these guys,

401
00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,680
Speaker 1: and they did that. It's it's one of seventeen is

402
00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,720
Speaker 1: a long way to go. But it was really neat

403
00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:21,240
Speaker 1: to see the guys in the locker room because I

404
00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,000
Speaker 1: really truly think that they're starting to believe they got

405
00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,720
Speaker 1: something special here. Yep. And they've talked about it too,

406
00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,000
Speaker 1: But like you said, you can talk about it, but

407
00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:30,399
Speaker 1: then you have to go out and do it. And

408
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,040
Speaker 1: they did that yesterday. And we mentioned it wasn't a

409
00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,720
Speaker 1: totally clean operation, but rarely is it ever. If you

410
00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:38,840
Speaker 1: will and when you come out in the win column,

411
00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:41,080
Speaker 1: that's really what's most important at the end of the day.

412
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:45,600
Speaker 1: That's right, and we're back. It's so Fi Stadium Sunday

413
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,040
Speaker 1: against Dallas Cowboys. We're gonna do the Final Drive on

414
00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,639
Speaker 1: Monday mornings, every Monday morning. If we play on Monday night,

415
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:54,840
Speaker 1: it's gonna be on Tuesday morning, so the day after

416
00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:58,240
Speaker 1: every game. We'll also try to get beat Riders other

417
00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,239
Speaker 1: guests on throughout the season as well. But we uh,

418
00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,200
Speaker 1: we're happy to be back. I'll tell you that it's

419
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,200
Speaker 1: been a long off season and to get the Final

420
00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,080
Speaker 1: Drive back and for the Chargers to have their best

421
00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:15,320
Speaker 1: performance on the Final Drive against the Washington football team

422
00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:17,879
Speaker 1: only fitting. So that's gonna do it for us, for

423
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,320
Speaker 1: Haley Elwood, I'm Chris Harry. This has been the Final

424
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,680
Speaker 1: Drive presented by Microsoft Surface