Recapping Chargers’ ‘Hard Knocks: Los Angeles’ season premiere

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez recaps the season premiere of HBO’s Hard Knocks.

The much-anticipated season of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Los Angeles featuring the Chargers and Rams debuted on Tuesday night.

A star-studded cast, headlined by coach Anthony Lynn, made for some eyebrow-raising moments.

Starting the episode with Lynn in a Zoom meeting stressing the importance of taking COVID-19 seriously after he was a victim of it. Lynn used his positive test as motivation for his players.

“Be patient, man. Be patient. Fellas, this year is not like any year we’ve had in the National Football League,” Lynn said. “There’s going to be chaos. It’s going to be change and it’s going to come every single day. The goals, the objectives, will not change.”

The bulk of the first episode took viewers behind the scenes of both team’s preparations for an unusual regular season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A handful of scenes included players having their temperatures screened, undergoing coronavirus testing and practicing social distancing.

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen and cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. each made their discomfort be known before their noses were swabbed for the active virus.

While COVID-19 protocols were the main focus of Tuesday’s episode, there were plenty of other notable moments in the season premiere.

As Los Angeles transitions into a new era with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, the 23-year old got plenty of camera time, most notably a throwing session which included a handful of beautiful passes.

His throws caught the attention of his coaches and teammates.

Defensive end Joey Bosa, who became the highest-paid defensive player after agreeing to a five-year extension worth $135 million, shared the emotional moment before telling his teammates he planned on buying a boat.

The name of his boat? “Double Swipe,” which is his go-to pass-rush move.

While the coronavirus pandemic has been sweeping the headlines, police brutality and systemic racism is still a thing. The cameras captured a Zoom call in which several of the team’s players talked about the social justice issues.

On the call, Chargers longsnapper Cole Mazza expressed his concerns about kneeling for the national anthem, citing his family’s military service. His teammates offered their understanding of Mazza’s perspective and supported him if he chooses to stand while others knelt.

“I think that’s the beauty of our country: someone being able to protest for someone, who’s also standing for what they believe in,” quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “At the end of the day, it’s about having respect for one another.”

It wouldn’t be an episode of “Hard Knocks” without some roster cuts. Lynn met with tight end Andrew Vollert in person to tell him the unfortunate new. Vollert’s response of “You’ve got to be f***ing kidding me,” had many people rolling.

Lynn followed it up by saying “I just like the fact that he was like ‘you got to be f***ing kidding me!’ I was like hold up now, you ain’t Antonio Gates.”

It also wouldn’t be an episode of “Hard Knocks” without capturing some of the arrivals to training camp. The most notable? Defensive end Melvin Ingram, who showed up in a 2020 Blue Steel Slingshot while playing one of his songs.

The next episode of “Hard Knocks” is set for next Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 7:00 p.m. PT.