The Chargers are a week into training camp, and the intensity will increase as Monday marks the first day with pads on.
There is about to be more contact than the first week when the players only had their helmets on as protection, but Jim Harbaugh wants to keep everything clean so the team stays healthy ahead of the regular season.
“I think what we really got to convince our team is we just want to get better each day, better today than yesterday, better tomorrow than we were today,” Harbaugh said. “When the pads come on, that’s not some kind of magical thing that’s going to determine Day 1 of the pads.
“I want our guys to continue to play the same tempo, same rules of engagement that we had so we could get better at football and we could keep this team healthy,” Harbaugh added. “I get excited about pads because it protects guys, it protects them better.
With the pads on, this will be the most accurate form of player evaluation as it shows their conditioning levels, ability to play through contact, among other things. This especially applies to offensive and defensive linemen.
Even though the physicality is about to ramp up as players look to prove their worth to the coaching staff to secure a spot on the roster, safety is the top priority.
“I’m not looking for guys to have the pads on and now all of a sudden start using those as weapons against our own team, but we use those to protect ourselves,” Harbaugh continued.