Tag: Tom Telesco Press Conference

GM Tom Telesco assesses Chargers’ defensive struggles

The lack of defensive talent and depth hurt the Chargers down the stretch this past season.

After turning the Rams into the NFL’s best defense in just one season, there were expectations that Brandon Staley would have similar results with the Chargers. However, that ended up not being the case.

Los Angeles ended up having one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The team finished 29th in points allowed (27.0), last on third-down (49.54%), 30th against the run (138.9 YPG), and 26th in the red zone (64.18%).

“It just didn’t come along as quickly enough, on defense, as I thought it would,” Tom Telesco said. “We had a lot of stretches this year that the players that are out there did some pretty good things, but we weren’t consistent enough by any means.”

Last offseason’s primary focus was to bring in pieces to put around Justin Herbert. That paid off as the Chargers possessed a top-5 offense. However, neglecting the defensive side of the ball with the exception of Asante Samuel Jr. and Kyler Fackrell ended up hurting them.

Despite having cornerstone pieces with Derwin James, Joey Bosa and Kyzir White, the starters weren’t consistent and the team was forced to rely on its depth down the stretch due to COVID-19 and injuries, which ended up being exploited in games that should have been gimmes, like against the Texans.

The Chargers enter this offseason with five defensive starters set to hit the free agency market – White, Uchenna Nwosu, Chris Harris Jr., Linval Joseph and Justin Jones.

With Telesco’s philosophy being drafting, developing and signing their own, White, Nwosu and Jones all earned the right to be brought back. Only time will tell if the coaches and front office view it that way.

One thing is certain and that’s Telesco and company must use a good chunk of their salary cap space and draft picks to bring in instant contributors along the defensive line, a starting cornerback, and depth at the second and third levels to turn things around next season.

“Some of it is alignment, assignment, and technique. Some of it is personnel, and some of it is just being in the first year of the defense.”

Chargers GM Tom Telesco evaluates Brandon Staley’s first season as head coach

What Tom Telesco had to say about the Chargers with Brandon Staley at the helm in his first season.

In Brandon Staley’s first season as head coach, the Chargers finished with a 9-8 record and came up just short of making the playoffs.

Despite not achieving the ultimate goal of playing beyond the regular season, general manager Tom Telesco felt that it was still a success with Staley at the helm.

“I think he handled things very well this year,” Telesco said. You guys can tell that he has a great connection with our team and our players. And he has definitely brought an identity to this football team. So I think the future is bright with where we are, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

There’s one thing we learned about Staley in his first season as the man in charge: he is an aggressive decision-maker.

Not afraid to go for it on fourth down, Staley favored the analytics and quarterback Justin Herbert to get the job done in those situations. Of the 34 the Chargers attempted, 22 of them were successful.

While some of his decisions paid off, like in wins over the Chiefs (Week 3), Raiders (Week 4), Browns (Week 5), Eagles (Week 9), and Bengals (Week 13), some of them resulted in failures, like against Kansas City in Week 15 and Las Vegas in the season finale.

“I love the identity we play with,” Telesco said when asked about Staley’s aggression on fourth down. “I support him 100%. I’m a big believer in using data to make decisions, as is he… I know on the outside everyone may not agree but it’s who we are and how we are going to play moving forward.”

“All of these decisions, even though they’re made in real-time, there’s research involved in it prior to the game.”

Takeaways from Chargers press conference with GM Tom Telesco

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco had what would have been his pre-NFL Scouting Combine press conference on Thursday.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco spoke to the media about a variety of topics on Thursday, specifically about the NFL draft and free agency.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways:

What are the “needs” this offseason?

Telesco was asked where the team needs to improve this offseason and rather than naming specific position groups, he mentioned they need to be better on offense at running the football and in red zone. Defensively, pressure and takeaways are the priorities. On special teams, field position must improve. In addition on special teams, they didn’t have good enough play at the “gunner”, saying they didn’t “fit that right.”

Offensive line

Building the offensive line should be the focal point this offseason, but Telesco isn’t relegated to only fulfilling that. “We are trying to build a balanced football team. I don’t know if we are an offensive line away from a championship. We want to build a talented football team. There is a lot of avenues there,” Telesco said.

The plan with Hunter Henry

Henry headlines the team’s pending free agents and all options are on the table. Telesco mentions that their philosophy has always been draft, develop and re-sign. He added that it can’t apply to everyone but he did seem to imply that they want him back. Telesco didn’t rule out franchise tagging Henry again this year but did add the declining cap situation makes that decision tougher.

….Mike Williams

Williams is due $15.7 million in 2021, but the team could elect to rescind the fifth-year option or trade him this offseason. Telesco said they are going to keep all options open, adding that he is a “very talented player in this league.”

Free agency vs. NFL draft

Telesco’s philosophy when it comes to the draft and free agency is that the team prefers to draft and develop their own, then subsidize to team through free agency to get better. Telesco believes it’s a good draft this year. When signing free agents, the team will have to factor in the duration of the contract from a financial standpoint. “For a one year deal, teams get hit with a full cap hit. With a multiple year deal, you are able to prorate that contract for the length of the deal.”

Scouting approach

Despite some players opting out or having a shortened season in 2020 due to COVID-19, Telesco credited his college scouts, saying he feels comfortable about where we are in the process, adding that they still have pro days but he is happy with the work everyone has done. The difference between this year and any other year is that scouts were unable to go on campuses, they had to watched more tape than usual, limited contact with the players and had to learn about them through Zoom.

Takeaways from Chargers GM Tom Telesco’s pre-draft press conference

Tom Telesco spoke to the media via Zoom on Friday.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco met with the media in a Zoom pre-draft press conference call to discuss multiple topics. It was the first time Telesco has met with the media since the NFL Scouting Combine.

Here are a few things we learned from Telesco during his press conference with the media:

Quarterback class is deep

While many have projected the Chargers to select a quarterback early, Telesco isn’t just locked into the top signal-callers. He believes the class offers talent and value in every round.

“It’s pretty strong,” Telesco said. “I think that people tend to look at only the top of the draft at these different positions, but a lot of them there’s players as you move on, in second, third and fourth rounds that I think are going to be very good players in this league… it’s a good class of quarterbacks.”

Injuries are being taken seriously?

When players are selected next week, expect the ones that the Chargers pick to be as durable as a rock.

“We value the durability of players very high. It doesn’t matter how good they are on the field if they can’t even get on to it.”

Or at least that’s what he wants us to believe, for now.

Telesco’s statement has had fans believing that former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won’t be in consideration with the No. 6 overall pick because of his lengthy injury history during college.

However, with less than a week to go until the draft, everything that is said must be taken with a grain of salt because general managers and front office personnel want teams to believe everything they’re saying so that way they don’t show their bluff.

Forrest Lamp in the mix at left tackle

The left tackle position still remains a mystery after the departure of Russell Okung. I mentioned how it wouldn’t be surprising if they bank on Trey Pipkins to serve as the starter, or elect to select one on Day 2 to create competition at the position.

But could there be a possibility of Forrest Lamp being in the mix for the job? Telesco said that Lamp could be an option. Lamp played left tackle in college, but kicked inside to guard when he got to the pros. Unfortunately, he has struggled to stay healthy due to various lower body injuries.

Telesco also said tackle Sam Tevi has “very good left tackle feet,” suggesting that he could have a shot for the job, too.

While these all might not seem like the most viable options for left tackle, new offensive line coach James Campen has done an excellent job at developing the most average offensive linemen into All-Pro selections.

Mike Pouncey is doing well

Pouncey suffered a severe neck injury in Week 5 of the 2019 regular season, leaving his career up in the air. Fast forward to now, Pouncey is “trending in the right direction” to play in 2020. “Everything looks good right now,” Telesco said.

Pouncey still is not cleared to play yet, though. Medical and travel limitations related to the COVID-19 pandemic have prevented him from a checkup on his neck, Telesco said. Pouncey has one more year remaining on his contract.

Other notes

  • There’s no solidified plan regarding Chris Harris’ role on the defense, but he can play multiple spots in the secondary. The same thing applies with Desmond King, who Telesco said can play “outside and inside.”
  • Telesco said the limits on offseason workouts and instruction caused by the coronavirus won’t push the team to push more polished prospects up the draft board over more talented but rawer ones.
  • Expectations for the second-year players are different because of the lack of a traditional offseason. He said those players will need motivate themselves to work and get better but believes they’ve picked guys who have that makeup.

Top takeaways from Tom Telesco’s press conference at NFL Combine

Tom Telesco held his annual press conference at the 2020 NFL Combine.

Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco held a press conference, where he discussed the NFL Scouting Combine, as well as several items about the Bolts’ offseason.

Here are some of the top takeaways from the session with reporters:

What is Telesco looking for in their next quarterback?

Telesco was asked what the team is looking for in their next quarterback after the departure of Philip Rivers. “Truthfully, a lot of attributes Philip Rivers had. You want that intangible part. It’s very important for the quarterback to be able to lead, to have work ethic, preparation skills, handle adversity. And then you want the physical skills, too. To be able to have a quick decision-maker on the field and arm strength,” Telesco said.

Confident in Tyrod Taylor

All attention has been shifted to how the Chargers will address the quarterback position this offseason, but Telesco is solely confident in Taylor, who has one more year left on his contract, saying that he could enter the year as the starting quarterback. “Right now we have Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback. We’re confident we can win with Tyrod. We’ll look at all the other options that are out there. It’s still early in the process,” Telesco said.

No comment on possibility of adding Tom Brady

Brady has been commonly linked to the Chargers this offseason, but Telesco, who stays tight-lipped with the team’s plans this early, isn’t giving out any information on any of the signal-callers that could draw interest. He said the Chargers are looking at everything from a wide-angle lens, not eliminating anything. “He’s a good player, but I don’t think it’ll be good for me to comment (about upcoming free agents),” Telesco said.

Not planning on adding a quarterbacks coach

The only positional coach that needs to be filled is for the quarterbacks, but it’s unlikely that the team will add one. Telesco said he does not expect to hire a quarterbacks coach. Senior assistant Rip Scherer will work closely with the quarterbacks.

Hunter Henry

Henry is a pending free agent, but Telesco is looking to retain the tight end. Telesco says the franchise tag is an option for him.

Mike Pouncey

Telesco said that Pouncey hasn’t been medically cleared yet. Pouncey suffered a neck injury in Week 5 which ended his season. The center said after the season that he hopes to continue playing.

Austin Ekeler

Ekeler is a restricted free agent, but it’s more than likely that he will have a tender placed on him. Telesco said he views Ekeler as a guy who can handle the touches over the course of an entire season, and hopes to see him have a large role moving forward.

James Campen

Campen was hired as the team’s new offensive line coach last month. Telesco says he will have a way in what kind of linemen the team tries to bring in but feels the current group fits the scheme as well. Campen has a proven track record at developing mid-late round players into Pro Bowlers.