Tag: mandatory minicamp

Watch Chargers HC Brandon Staley mic’d up at mandatory minicamp practice

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley’s energy is contagious.

The preparation for the upcoming season for the Chargers is officially underway, with first-year head coach Brandon Staley the man in charge.

Since walking into the building, Staley has done a great job of setting the tone and building buy-in of those around him.

Only 38 years of age, Staley has a demeanor of veteran head coach and that presence was on full display at mandatory minicamp this past week, where he was mic’d up.

Check out how Staley interacts with the players in a way that he’s able to connect with them and how he’s established a fine-tuned culture.

The Chargers now have a little over a month off until they’re all gas, no breaks in training camp on July 27 in preparation for the upcoming season.

Chargers’ Joey Bosa getting adjusted to new defensive system

Chargers edge defender Joey Bosa will be an integral piece of head coach Brandon Staley’s defense.

Chargers edge defender Joey Bosa is heading into his sixth season with the same responsibilities of being as disruptive as possible in opposing backfields, but in a new defense under head coach Brandon Staley.

Bosa, who fielded questions from the media after Wednesday’s session at mandatory minicamp, talked about the adjustments that he’s having to make to get adapted to the system.

While he did mention that he will be tasked with dropping back into coverage more than he did in previous seasons, Bosa’s main priority is still to get after the quarterback.

“It’ll just take some time getting used to the play calls and understanding that aspect of it,” Bosa said. “Whatever my role is, I feel confident that they’re going to put me in a great position. They know what they’re doing.”

Bosa did not elaborate too much on his role, but he did say that Staley’s defense is going to put the best players in a good position and trying to get one-on-ones, adding that it’s about trying to exploit the offense.

Bosa will be an integral piece of the defense, where it’s expected that he will play on the edge of the line as an outside pass rusher, and a little bit closer to the ball as an interior defensive lineman because he has the length and strength to be able to anchor, too.

Bosa appeared in 12 games in 2020, recording 7.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 27 quarterback hits.

Highlights from Day 2 of Chargers mandatory minicamp

Take a look at the Los Angeles Chargers during the second day of minicamp practices.

The Los Angeles Chargers wrapped up their second day of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday.

To experience some of the action that went down at Hoag Performance Center, here are a few clips from the team’s official Twitter account and members of the media.

Highlights from Day 2 of Chargers mandatory minicamp

Take a look at the Los Angeles Chargers during the second day of minicamp practices.

The Los Angeles Chargers wrapped up their second day of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday.

To experience some of the action that went down at Hoag Performance Center, here are a few clips from the team’s official Twitter account and members of the media.

Chiefs injury, absence updates from second day of mandatory minicamp

An update on injuries and absences from Day 2 of mandatory minicamp.

The Kansas City Chiefs have completed Day 2 of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday.

For the most part, things were status quo with most of the team’s 90-man offseason roster in attendance. Three players remained absent from practice as they were on Tuesday, with Martinas Rankin, Armani Watts and Kyle Long all still missing. There hasn’t been confirmation from the team on Watts and Rankin, but their absences seem to be injury-related. I wouldn’t expect those players to be fined for their minicamp absences as an injury would be a sufficient excuse.

Both DE Malik Herring (ACL) and CB DeAndre Baker (Femur) remained present at practice but sidelined with their respective injuries. They didn’t participate in OTAs and aren’t expected to get back to work prior to training camp. I wouldn’t expect Herring to participate at all given he suffered his injury at the Senior Bowl.

One new player was absent, but only for a portion of practice. As noted by Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick and KC Star’s Sam McDowell, offensive lineman Austin Blythe sat out of team drills during Wednesday’s practice. Hopefully, this absence isn’t injury-related as the Chiefs already seem to have some attrition along the interior offensive line with an injury to Kyle Long. That’ll be something to monitor heading into the final mandatory minicamp practice tomorrow.

Players like Frank Clark, Charvarius Ward and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who were absent from voluntary OTA practices earlier this offseason, continued to ramp up their repetitions in their return to action. Look for Thursday’s practice to look a little more normal for each of the three returners.

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Observations from Tua Tagovailoa’s rough first day of Dolphins minicamp

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has begun mandatory minicamp with the Miami Dolphins, but it did not go as smooth as he’d hope …

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may have had a tough rookie season, but all signs point to him having a better a second year, especially after seeing the offensive weapons the Miami Dolphins added in the offseason.

Well, in today’s first practice from mandatory minicamp, Tagovailoa threw five interceptions during scrimmages – that’s how many he threw in the entire 2020 season.

Reports also claim that the conditions they were practicing in were far from ideal, with one reporter claiming it was a “torrential downpour.” There were also reports of balls that should have been caught, but were lost and tipped up leading to an interception.

Tagovailoa was quick to call out his poor performance today, but admits it’s good to get all of that out during practice.

Perhaps some of these aggressive play calls led to interceptions. After all, its about trial and error in practice so these mistakes aren’t made in the game.

The Rain isn’t an excuse, especially in South Florida. Tagovailoa is aware that in the AFC East, all sorts of weather conditions could be an obstacle.

It wasn’t all bad, as Safid Deen tweets about how the overall practice went for Tagovailoa.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

Chiefs injury, absence updates from first day of mandatory minicamp

An update on injuries and absences from Day 1 of mandatory minicamp.

The Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday with nearly full attendance from their 90-man offseason roster.

Returning to action for the first time were RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, CB Charvarius Ward and DE Frank Clark, who had all stayed away during voluntary OTA practices. Each of the three players hit the field for the first time and knocked off some of the rust from this offseason.

Three players were noticeably absent from practice according to numerous reporters in attendance. Those players were DB Armani Watts, OT Martinas Rankin and recently injured RG Kyle Long. Remember, players who are absent from mandatory minicamp can be fined for each practice they miss if those absences are not cleared by the team. Long, obviously, is injured and won’t be subject to any fines, but it’s not clear why Watts and Rankin are currently away from the team. You can find information on fines amounts here.

Two players were present but sidelined without helmets during practice in DE Malik Herring (ACL) and CB DeAndre Baker (Femur). Both players hadn’t been participating in OTAs because of their respective injuries. It doesn’t seem like the Chiefs will have Baker back until training camp at the earliest.

In terms of attendance, it doesn’t seem like the Chiefs have any contract-related holdouts going on this year. Everyone seems to be focused on getting better ahead of the break between mandatory minicamp and training camp.

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Everything you need to know about Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp

What does mandatory mean? How long is minicamp? Will there be tryout players? All your questions answered here.

The Kansas City Chiefs begin their three-day mandatory minicamp practices today.

These are the final practices the Chiefs will have in Phase 3 of the offseason program ahead of training camp which begins late July. Last year, Kansas City did not have a traditional mandatory minicamp due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ll get back to it this year with a more traditional minicamp.

Here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to know ahead of today’s start of mandatory minicamp:

4 things to watch for at Chargers mandatory minicamp

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez jots down with should be enticing at Los Angeles’ two-day mandatory minicamp.

The Chargers are set to enter their final week of offseason activity with mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

Los Angeles has had three weeks of organized team activities, which are voluntary workouts, in which they had nearly perfect attendance. After Wednesday, players will get a month off before returning near the end of July for training camp.

With this week’s workouts mandatory, anyone that does not show up will be fined. Here’s a few things to watch out for as the Bolts round up for the last set of workouts.

Offensive blueprint

With Joe Lombardi taking over as the offensive coordinator, the new system will have elements taken from the Saints and the 49ers coupled with new concepts to build around quarterback Justin Herbert.

In the words of wide receiver Keenan Allen, the new offense will allow them to “play more freely.”

Herbert is already becoming well-versed with the scheme, but seeing how the skill players around him are adapting is just as important. There are plenty of storylines that will be intriguing as they unfold.

How is Mike Williams enduring the “X” receiver role? Will rookie Josh Palmer be deployed outside and in the slot? Is Tre’ McKitty used more than just an in-line blocker? How is the competition for the backup running back spots?

Defensive deployment

After playing in Gus Bradley’s 4-3, Cover 3 and zone-heavy defense the past few seasons, the Chargers will move to a 3-4 base defense that’s hybrid and is constantly mixing up looks.

The presumed starters are:

Linval Joseph, Jerry Tillery

Joey Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu

Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill

Michael Davis, Chris Harris Jr., Asante Samuel Jr.

Derwin James, Nasir Adderley

But what I’m looking for is how these players are lined up because Staley’s defense requires versatility.

I will also have my attention shifted to rookies Chris Rumph II, Nick Niemann and Mark Webb, all of whom could play a role aside from just on special teams.

Kicker battle

Strengthening the special teams department is one of the biggest priorities for the Chargers ahead of the 2021 season after finishing as the league’s worst in 2020.

Los Angeles did a fine job of adding players to aide with the coverage units, but now the team must determine who will be their starting kicker.

L.A. has three kickers on the roster who will be fighting for the starting job: Michael Badgley, Tristan Vizcaino and Alex Kessman.

Offensive line chemistry

The Chargers knew they needed to get more and better protection for Justin Herbert, so they signed Corey Linsley, the NFL’s best center, as well as Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi in free agency. On top of that, they drafted left tackle Rashawn Slater in the first-round.

All four guys, who join Bryan Bulaga, will now have to gel with one another to make it all work. Talent on the offensive line is one thing, but making sure everyone is on the same page with the blocking schemes and play-calls is just as pivotal.

Two new Raiders set to hit practice field for first time this week

Two new Raiders set to hit practice field for first time this week

Welcome to mandatory minicamp week. OTAs are behind us, and therefore the voluntary portion of offseason practices is, as well. Tuesday, the offseason schedule will kick up a notch, and the entire 90-man offseason roster is expected to be in attendance.

Among them are newly added defensive linemen Yannick Ngakoue and Quinton Jefferson. The two were signed this offseason as free agents and opted to work out on their own during OTAs. This means when they hit the field this week, it will be the first time they’ve practiced with their new teammates.

Ngakoue teased his arrival last week, saying “See y’all soon.” He arrived in Las Vegas this weekend and even posted a pic on his Instagram account of his locker at the team’s Henderson facility.

Though there have been no public displays from Jefferson on his arrival in Las Vegas, he too is expected to take the field this week for the first time to practice with his new teammates.

The three-day minicamp is typically structured to mimic training camp practices in many ways. It’s the last practice the team will have before they take a nearly six-week break before reporting to training camp on July 27.

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