I’m super excited to be a member of this team and involved in this great city. I’m truly looking forward to the journey that lies ahead.

It’s been an adjustment to say the least. It’s a different time zone, a different city with a different pace, and a different defense with new faces and a different system. All that said, I’m loving it.

Being in Southern California is electrifying. Warm weather and opportunity are surrounding me. Being able to come out here with Joey Bosa made it even cooler. It is a neat opportunity to be able to play with him for a few more years and continue to develop the bond we have, and also bring a little of that Ohio State swag out to San Diego.

My professional career started with rookie mini-camp last week. It was a ton of fun but crazy at the same time. Nobody really knew what they were doing, and it was an adjustment playing with new players and coaches. My takeaways were that we have a good group of rookies and that our coaches want players that will play hard and take care of the little things. After that, the big picture will come together.


1 / 30 Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, left, walks with quarterback Philip Rivers. (John Gastaldo) 2 / 30 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers watches the other squads practice while on the sidelines (John Gastaldo) 3 / 30 hargers quarterback Mike Bercovici throws during practice at Chargers Park. (John Gastaldo) 4 / 30 Fullback Derek Watt runs with a reception in practice. (John Gastaldo) 5 / 30 Chargers punter Casey Redfern warms up at Chargers Park. (John Gastaldo) 6 / 30 Offensive Linebacker Tourek Williams warms up at Chargers Park. (John Gastaldo) 7 / 30 Nose tackle Brandon Mebane works out at Chargers Park. (John Gastaldo) 8 / 30 Defensive tackle Corey Liuget walks off after practice. (John Gastaldo) 9 / 30 Defensive ends Darius Philon, left, and Joey Bosa go at it during practice. (John Gastaldo) 10 / 30 Linebackers coach Bob Babich goes over plays at Chargers Park practice. (John Gastaldo) 11 / 30 San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon works out during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 12 / 30 San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy looks on during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 13 / 30 The San Diego Chargers defense breaks during an OTA practice. (K.C. Alfred) 14 / 30 San Diego Chargers Tourek Williams (58) and Kyle Emanuel (51) stretch during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 15 / 30 San Diego Chargers D.J. Fluker runs during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 16 / 30 San Diego Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman stretches during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 17 / 30 San Diego Chargers tackle Corey Liuget warms up during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 18 / 30 San Diego Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward runs a drill during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 19 / 30 San Diego Chargers quarterback Zach Mettenberger drops back during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 20 / 30 San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon works out during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 21 / 30 San Diego Chargers full back Derek Watt works out during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 22 / 30 San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon works out during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 23 / 30 San Diego Chargers wide receiver Travis Benjamin works out during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 24 / 30 San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt instructs players during a practice. (K.C. Alfred) 25 / 30 San Diego Chargers Joey Bosa looks on during practice. (K.C. Alfred) 26 / 30 San Diego Chargers Joey Bosa works out during practice. (K.C. Alfred) 27 / 30 San Diego Chargers running back Danny Woodhead looks on during practice. (K.C. Alfred) 28 / 30 Rivers gets ready to throw (John Gastaldo) 29 / 30 Chargers long time quarterback Philip Rivers, ready to release. (John Gastaldo) 30 / 30 Chargers long time quarterback Philip Rivers throwing. (John Gastaldo)

As we got to know the vets, I realized my position, the linebackers, are a funny, welcoming group of guys. The vets are open and want us to learn because they know we have the tools to make improvement this year. Denzel Perryman and Manti Te’o have been really helpful to me in this transition in meetings and on the field.

Through meetings and study, I realized the playbook is THICK! There are a ton of defenses in there. The toughest thing for me is getting down the new terminology. This defense’s terminology is like speaking a new language compared to my old system. To learn it, I’m just grouping similar calls together and learning them group by group. As for being on the field in a new system, ball is ball. You just communicate and play, regardless of scheme.

Monday, we have OTA’s and that means the rookies will get thrown into practices with the vets. I’m excited about the opportunity and anticipate seeing how they practice and work so I can continue to improve my habits and level of play.


I’m looking forward to sharing more of my story as time goes on.