Eric Smith | Los Angeles Chargers Insider

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That's BetterHelp H-E-L-P dot com slash positive. We are so pleased to welcome Eric Smith, senior writer for the Chargers as they get set to open training camp. This is the big news. So Eric, what's your reaction to today's contract for the one who Brandis Daley calls his gangster quarterback? Yeah, it's a big day for the Chargers. I think a day that we all knew was probably going to happen soon, you know, with training camp here pretty much. I mean, first practices on Wednesday morning.

This was probably it. This was probably the time where the deal was going to get done. I don't think the team or Justin wanted this to linger into camp. You know, Justin is hyper focused on football.

He doesn't like to do a lot of media stuff, and the thought of him getting up there and having to answer more contract questions after he's already kind of done it for the last couple months, probably not high on his list. And the team, you know, they want to focus to be on football, too. You know, camp is here. The season's around the corner.

So all football all the time. It's a very well-deserved deal for Justin. I'll say that he is beloved in the locker room, a great guy, a stellar quarterback, obviously.

So just a great day for the Chargers. What do you think is the significance of the Chargers paying him now? That's one aspect of it, right? Like, Justin would rather get this done sooner rather than later from that aspect of the media standpoint.

But also, too, you know, there's like the financial aspect of it as well. And I think it's no secret that the price is only going up with quarterbacks. And we saw that, you know, we've seen it this offseason, right? I mean, Justin's the third quarterback to sign a big deal this offseason and each one has gotten bigger than the next.

And, you know, Joe Burrow is probably on tap and his is probably going to exceed Justin's. And that's just how the game is played right now. But like I said, everyone's just happy to get it done now and kind of turn the page and focus on football. So then heading into camp, what's the attitude, the atmosphere that you anticipate around the Chargers as they kick off 23? The first day of camp is always fun, right?

A lot of a lot of buzz, a lot of energy. And tomorrow morning or Wednesday morning, like I expect like a packed house for Chargers fans. And when Justin Herbert walked onto the field, like it's going to be a madhouse. Fans are going to go nuts. And that's just going to be cool to see because fans love him. He's earned his contract with his play on the field.

It's just the right move all the way around. And like I said, he can really just focus on football now. And that's important because, you know, Kellen Moore is here as the offensive coordinator and it's like, OK, let's just dive into this offense, be as good as we can be and try to take the Chargers further than they went last year. Well, I'm glad you brought up Kellen.

Definitely want to talk about what could be a metamorphosis in this year number four. Where have you seen the greatest growth in Justin's game since he became the starter for the Chargers? It's a good question. Like on the field, he's always been talented, right? Like he put up numbers. You know, he obviously won Rookie of the Year.

So he's been putting up numbers for three years now. I think maybe his national profile is like lessened a little bit from last year. It's just because the people I don't think people realize how how hurt he was like. He got hurt in week two and really had to like play with like fractured rib cartilage for a couple of months.

And I mean, it was bad and it was really bad. And then he, you know, we find out later he had a shoulder injury at the end of the year. It was a pretty, pretty gnarly season for him. But even still, like he still put up plenty of good numbers and played pretty well. Going into this year, like expectations are pretty high. And I think he can have his best year yet. One could be healthy, one because Kellen is here and everything is just kind of lining up, you know, contract, new OC. He looked healthy and good in the spring.

So it's just all good vibes. What does Kellen Moore bring to the table then? Yeah, based on what we saw in OTAs and minicamp, a pretty explosive offense, and that should appease Chargers fans because, you know, they've been clamoring for like a more vertical passing game pretty much all of last year. I mean, we can all probably agree that the Chargers offense, while good, probably left a little bit to be desired in terms of being a little bit more potent in throwing the ball down the field. And like I said, based on what we saw in the spring, like Herbert was chucking it down the field to everyone. You know, obviously Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are here.

The Chargers just drafted a first round receiver and Quentin Johnson. So there are plenty of weapons for him to throw to. And he did that like in the spring. It looked it looked great.

Like, you know, it was aggressive, explosive. We have to kind of see with the run game because, you know, you can't really judge that when there's no pads on. So we'll get a good look at that soon. But by all indications, that camp gets ready to go. You know, Kellen Moore has done a really good job. Chargers senior writer Eric Smith with us here after hours on CBS Sports Radio, highest paid player in NFL history, at least for now. That news dropping on Tuesday about Justin Herbert. And so full speed ahead into training camp. Other than the quarterback and his brand new contract.

What would you say are a couple of the top storylines about the team as they kick off this camp and coming off that brutal wildcard loss to the Jaguars? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I don't think any of us have forgotten that. I mean, you try to use that as motivation.

Right. Like each year is a new year, but you certainly can't just forget about how how last year ended in terms of top storylines. You know, the offensive line, it's mostly the same guys. It's just been a little bit of like reconfiguration.

Obviously, we're trying later coming back. So getting an all pro left tackle back is just great for Justin and the offense. You know, Austin Eckler, he scored 38 touchdowns in the last two years. So, you know, it's been a eventful off season for him and other running backs across the league. But, you know, he's here. He's committed. He's ready to go. And, you know, the Chargers will obviously lean heavy on him again this year defensively and really mostly for the whole team.

It's it's just trying to stay healthy. I mean, that's the Chargers were hit hard by injuries last year. You know, Joey Bosa missed most of the year.

I mentioned Rashawn that left tackle. It was just a rough year injury wise. And it just feels like the team has a lot of potential if they can just stay healthy. And you could probably have said that about the Chargers a couple of times in their in their recent history. And on paper, it looks good. But, you know, everyone from Brandon's daily on down will tell you that games aren't won on paper. You got to go win on the field.

So it's just about putting the work in right now, trying to get ready for week one and seeing how everything shakes out. Austin's been very outspoken about what's happening with running backs in the NFL's done interviews, reportedly organized the Zoom call with some of the highest profile and highest paid members of his position. He obviously had a huge year last year, not just on the ground with the 200 plus carries, but also in the air and the number of touchdowns that led the league. So where is he right now in terms of moving forward? Yeah, he's on the team. I mean, and I think all that contract stuff and all that is is on the back burner for for him and for the run for the Chargers right now.

You know, like that campus here, the focus is on the season. It's just kind of go time from that aspect. In terms of Austin, you know, he has every right to do go out and seek what he feels like he is worth. It's just tough for all running backs right now. It's not just Austin, like all running backs are kind of feeling the pinch of that situation. And it's nothing personal that Austin, I don't think, has against the team or anything like that. He just, you know, those guys want to get paid and they're productive players.

It's just sort of how that position has shaken out in recent years. One thing I can say about Austin, though, is that, you know, he's here at camp and he is he is committed like he is a team guy. And, you know, him having a good year sets the team up for success. But also, as often in the final year of his contract with the Chargers, you know, it would benefit him to play well, you know, as he enters free agency. And whether he comes back to the Chargers or not, you know, if he has a down year, that's not going to help him at all.

So he's motivated for himself, for the team. And like I said, he should be a focal point again of the Chargers offense. Eric Smith is with us getting set for Chargers camp with the Herbert contract. But we can, of course, look ahead to the Chargers in twenty three.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. How healthy is Joey Bosa or how healthy was he the last time that you saw him or were able to speak to him? Yeah, he it's funny because last year at this time, Joey said it was the best he'd felt in a long time. And then he goes out and unfortunately gets hurt in week three. And, you know, I had a pretty bad groin injury.

Missed three months, comes back late in the year and says, well, you know, when I said that it was kind of a tough situation because I had just felt bad for such a long time. So it wasn't even like he was at 100 percent last year. He had just kind of learned to manage the pain he was in and kind of deal with it. You know, he has, you know, the surgery and comes back from that, you know, comes back late in the year and then has really had all off season to get fully healthy. And so he said and I think it was mid-May or so that that this is now the healthiest he's felt in a long time. And he said, he's like, I know I said that last year, but really, like I'm telling you now, I do feel healthy. And if he is, you know, that's great for the Chargers because they really missed him last year on the field in the pass rush game.

Sure. But they really missed him in the run game when he went out. I mean, the Chargers gave up a bunch of explosive runs, especially to the outside. And his presence was missed, especially because when you trade for Khalil Mack, you have this vision of him and Joey playing together.

And that's just never really materialized. So there's hope again for that, for that tandem to play well and kind of dominate opposing offenses. But, you know, with Joey, always health is the question and we'll see if he can stay healthy.

If he can, you know, he should be, you know, one of the elite edge rushers again. You point out that maybe there isn't as much buzz or even fewer expectations for the Chargers going into 23. They do return most of their starters. How much does that matter as they try to build on making the playoffs last year? Yeah, continuity has been a big thing and a big theme for the Chargers this year.

And they're actually OK with with not kind of having that buzz. That was kind of the storyline the last day or I think the last day or two of minicamp in June. A year ago, it was completely different. Like they were the team of the off season, like a bunch of splashy moves. And this year they were kind of quiet. You know, the only outside guy they brought in was Eric Hendricks, the linebacker who used to play for the Vikings.

So in that aspect, it was it was a much more like calm, like subdued off season. But all the players they signed last year are coming back essentially. And young guys are taking a step forward. So they're OK with maybe flying a little bit under the radar compared to what happened last year. The team is still talented. Like if you look at the roster, they have names and they have talent and they have the horses to make a deep run. It's just a matter of like putting it all together. And that starts in camp.

You know, you got to put the work in this week, you know, kind of have that high standard from day one and just kind of see where it takes you. Thinking about the AFC West, the Super Bowl champs there again, last year was supposed to be a lot more competitive. Didn't quite turn out that way with the Chiefs at the top.

So what's your interpretation going into this year? It wasn't competitive in the sense that the Chiefs like won the division again, but the Chargers were right there with the Chiefs in both games they played at Arrowhead and then at SoFi. Both games were only three point games.

And we talked about Herbert's injury earlier. That was in week two in Kansas City. And if he didn't get hurt, you know, maybe the Chargers pull that out late in the fourth quarter and then the rest of the season is maybe a different story. You know, obviously the Chiefs are still the team to beat both in the AFC West, you know, and in the AFC and even in the NFL. It's not only the Chargers who are trying to chase them down. You know, there's 31 other teams kind of going for that mantle, too. You know, they just got to do it, you know, like someone's got to do it because, you know, the Chiefs are the team that everyone's kind of gunning for right now, you know, rightfully so, with I think seven straight division titles and a couple of Super Bowls. And that's the standard.

And then that's what everyone's trying to match. I saw on your Twitter Chargers winning the best Twitter account in the NFL. What does that mean exactly, Eric? Yeah, we have a great like digital and social media team. Like I'm pretty fortunate to be a part of it.

You know, everyone from the top down has really put a lot of like emphasis on that and like invested heavy. And that I think it just means that like kind of we're at the point now where no matter what we do, it's just funny because that's just what like our brand is and what we're known for. And then you have other teams like copying that and they're like, oh, look at us. And it's like, well, well, yeah, because like we've we've already done that. But yeah, I mean, it's cool.

You know, it's a cool little accolade to have. You know, just like I said, just happy to be a part of it. Social media wars won by the Chargers are going to take that onto the field now as they get set for training camp in twenty three.

You can find Eric on Twitter at Eric underscore L underscore Smith Chargers senior writer. It's almost like Christmas Eve. It feels like it. Yeah. Today was like the first day of school.

All the players come back and then, you know, Justin's contract. It was it was a long day. I'm about ready for bed. Well, I appreciate a couple of minutes. Thank you so much. Good to talk to you. OK. Anytime, Amy. That's A.U.D. ACY Odyssey.