Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman, Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter, quarterback Easton Stick and safety Derwin James, Jr., took the podium at The Bolt on Day 10 of Chargers Training Camp.
Below are three takeaways from their media availability on Sunday:
Facing someone new
The Bolts got to see some new competition for the first time this offseason.
The team welcomed the Rams to El Segundo on Sunday afternoon for a nearly two-hour joint practice session.
After practicing against each other all offseason, it's safe to say it was refreshing for the Bolts to see some new competition.
"It's good to go against somebody else," safety Derwin James, Jr., said after practice Sunday. "You get tired of hitting your guys.
"It's good to go against somebody else, see different routes, see different concepts," James added. "Definitely good to go against an offense like [Rams Head Coach] Sean McVay and them."
Quarterback Easton Stick later added: "It was competitive and something different. You're at that point of training camp now where … the meat of it is in so [the benefit is] going against somebody else."
Hosting it at The Bolt for the first time? Even better.
"Protect your house," James said. "It felt good. Like I said, it felt good to just go out and compete today."
All three phases of the Chargers — offense, defense and special teams — went through a number of different situational drills against the Rams during the physical practice.
Not only did they line up against different players for the first time, they also got to see a different scheme than they have up to this point of camp.
"This was a very good one, a very productive one," Roman said. "Hats off to the Rams, their staff, their organization. Got a lot of good work in today against a different opponent, a bit different style, that was really valuable for us.
"The new facility accommodated everything, kind of shows what an amazing place this is," Roman added. "Hats off to everybody responsible for that."
Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter added: "To get a chance to go against Coach McVay and that staff, that scheme, that offense … great opportunity for us to get a little bit better."
There's always something beneficial the group can take during and after the joint practices that can help the overall improvement of the team, even without it being full contact or tackling to the ground.
"The theater of the mind has to take over at some point because if it's not full speed, live, you have to connect the dots in your own head on how this is going to look when it is," Roman said. "You got to be able to visualize that and I think that's just experience of over the years, seeing it and seeing it and seeing it. You can kind of project where things are going to go.
"Seeing is believing, too. It's never really truly live game action until it's the game anyway," Roman continued. "So you have to come as a professional, really, really good at practicing at a very slow tempo, walk-through type of tempo and really focusing on your technique.
"We call it stealing reps," Roman added. "We might be walking through something so we're not having collisions and whatnot, but we're trying to get a lot done mentally and technique-wise."
Stick with the starters
Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier in the week it is "full steam ahead" for the Bolts and the offense with Justin Herbert missing time.
And it continued to be true Sunday.
Stick took all the snaps for the first-team offense and even jumped in with the second unit at times.
As the Chargers backup quarterback has assumed the starter role for the time being, his goal continues to be centered on helping the offense progress as they normally would even without No. 10 under center.
"No. 1, because it's a new offense and there's a lot of new guys, just continuing to push forward and make sure we're getting through the install," Stick said. "That's first and foremost."
Having worked with the second team offense for all of training camp up until Friday, Stick continued to work on building the rhythm with his receivers throughout Sunday afternoon.
These reps with the starters are crucial for the backup quarterback, as time with 1's hold a ton of value and are different than what he would see during a preseason game.
"It's big time, that's really big. Right now, Easton is the starting quarterback today and he's working with the first unit," Roman said. "You got the first-string O-Line out there. That's a good place to be. It is different than second half of preseason games for sure."
Stick later added: "Nothing beats reps … I'm grateful to be getting those right now. My job is to continue to make sure the offense is moving forward and we're getting ready for the season."
Herbert remains in the mix even while being out, however.
According to Stick, the Bolts starting quarterback is active in the meeting and film rooms, working closely with the team even without being on the field.
Stick joked that while he might not be able to copy Herbert's on-field play, he can communicate similarly in a way that could help the offense once the starter returns.
"Maybe how Justin would communicate a certain cadence or something along those lines. Once the ball is snapped, I can't play like Justin can," Stick said with a laugh. "There are very few people in the world who can do what Justin Herbert does.
"After the ball is snapped, we're just playing," Stick added. "But trying to make sure I'm communicating the way Justin would so that everyone is on the same page."
Roman later added: "As we get familiar to the offense, more familiar with it as we're installing it, I think that will come into focus. We're always pushing the bar, always pushing the envelope and he's doing a great job."
Taylor improving in the slot
The secondary has been as impactful as they could be at this point of camp.
It was on full display against the Rams in joint practice as the back end forced multiple turnovers, including two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
And while he didn't haul in one of the interceptions Sunday afternoon, Ja'Sir Taylor continues to be one of the players that have impressed thus far.
The third-year defensive back has taken almost all of his snaps from the slot cornerback position, meaning he had to take on the matchup of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua at times during the joint practice.
Taylor more than held his own.
"Just a really good sense of how to play the slot, which is not always easy," Minter said about Taylor. "Guys think you just take your smallest corner and put him at nickel. But it's really its own position now and he has a really good sense in there of seeing run and pass, reading his keys and understanding route concepts that work over the middle of the field.
"Smart, tough, disruptive. Runs well, good feet," Minter added. "Happy with how he's played so far."
James echoed Minter's praise of Taylor, describing why his attributes make him as effective as he is.
"I feel like he's fast. He can run with anybody and he's a great tackler," James said. "In zone, he does a great job setting up on the quarterback. I feel like all those intangibles, he's able to be a great player."
Taylor has seen action on the defense in his first two years but entered this camp with an opportunity to fight for one of the starting spots in the slot.
He'll have more opportunities to continue his level of play, but even up to this point James has been able to tell Taylor has grown in a lot of different areas in Year 3.
"Confidence. He's very confident," James said. "He's moving around, he's confident, he's telling me plays sometimes and it's been amazing.
"Just seeing him take that next step. Ja was more [in] a shell guy coming in, but now he's energy, energetic, he's making calls," James added. "It's very exciting to see."
