Tony Jefferson Joins to Talk Why He Picked the Chargers and Relationships with Minter and Hortiz

Intro we have a very special guest alert because on today's show we are bringing on newest charger safety Tony Jefferson San Diego native coming on the show to talk about why he picked the Chargers why he came out of retirement and why he loves the opportunity he has in front of him you are locked on Chargers your daily podcast on the Los Angeles Chargers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what is up and welcome into the lockon Chargers podcast I'm your host Daniel Wade joined as always by my co-host David drogy and this is our ninth season covering the Chargers but this is our seventh year as the host of the lockon Chargers podcast bringing you your team every day thank you to the every dayers out there for making us your first listen and if you want to make sure you don't miss big episodes like today with Tony Jefferson go subscribe or follow for free on the lockdown Chargers YouTube channel and listen wherever you get your podcast from and I'm so stoked such a good show we have for you guys today with Tony Jefferson who couldn't be more excited and ready for this opportunity to try to make the Chargers and hey he said he's not coming to take part he's coming to take over he doesn't see this just a one-year thing he's trying to get his career back on track and have that be with the Chargers but today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more as playoffs wind down the Sports Stop sporting like we want them to but this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long visit fel.com loock on to get started here he is Tony Jefferson all right guys here we Tony Jefferson are with our very special guest is San Diego native one of the Chargers newest signing someone we are very excited to see on the team now getting ready to try to make this 53 man roster we have safety Tony Jefferson on the show hey man thank you so much for your time we're super excited to have you on glad to be on appreciate it super excited bro to be able to put that bolt tet on bro y man I bet yeah man well you know let's start there you know you grew up in San go and played football at East Lake High School when the Chargers were still playing at Qualcomm so like how cool is that what is that like for you you know towards the end of your career to get a chance to play for the team you rooted for growing up it's it's it's still surreal it's honestly still surreal I got just so many like memories of me just like watching I mean back then like the charges were like rolling bro like yeah I I could just think of just like London Fletcher uh danan Tomlin like Darren sprs all these guys like even like David Boston like even players like people probably outside of s don't remember but they were like Legends to me Junior SE out like his restaurant down and like I us want I just wanted to go I just wanted to go down there because it was his you know and I remember for for my birthday um my parents got me the junior s Jersey and I like cried for like two hours because I was just so excited to be able to have his jersey that man so it's a real I'm super excited you know I'm trying to make the the M the the most out of this opportunity honestly no question about it I mean hey after a very successful career you retired last season and you we didn't see you at all in 2023 what was the moment over the last year when you decided you still had some gas left in the tank and you wanted to come out of retirement and play again yeah so honestly I was scouting obviously I think everybody knows that I took the year off and I was scouting and um you know going through training camp I was I'm watching I'm like okay maybe I'll be all right you know not playing seeing these guys out here in the heat like going crazy blah blah blah but then uh week one hit and you know I go down on the field pregame and I start sizing the guys up and stuff and like looking at them I'm like man like and just the atmosphere and the feeling like mentally like the guys getting ready for the game I just missed all that and then I mean going into scouting I I I had I had a plan I I wanted to see if I would be okay with not playing and that simply just wasn't the case like at all like I just was like let me see where I'm at at the end of it and I I couldn't wait like for the Scout to be over so I can get back to it and uh I got back to it and here we are and we're super excited to see you on the squad now and what you're trying to do honestly is pretty rare like you don't see players being able to come back after taking a year off and be able to find it but for us from the first moment we saw it we were just like this fuel is right right like this fu is like a different kind of situation especially with some of the connections that you have with the Chargers but like what about the Chargers specifically because I know you want to play for them you know you root for them all those things but for yourself you're trying to give yourself the best chance to latch on with the team and and make an impact right and be a consistent player and and find your way onto a 53 man roster so what was it about the charger situation that you saw and said that's the right for me that's where I can go and potentially make the team yeah so honest honestly I got a lot of familiarity with uh obviously a lot of people on the staff and in the front office with Joe Ortiz um but I did have other opportunities I I was before I went to uh committed to going to the mini camp I was I had a try out uh for another team that you know I was pretty much set on doing but once um you know me and Joe had a conversation um I felt like this was the best opportunity for me just because you know close to home it's the Chargers and you know I'm familiar with the scheme with Jesse Mentor once when I got to the Ravens Jesse was uh he's like our assistant DB coach so me and him already had that relationship um and that Rapport you know since I was in Baltimore um you know and it just felt right it just felt right that this was a good opportunity and you know I I I canceled my workout with the other team and I just I came here love that yeah yeah I mean and and I think like just where you come from matters and I think what the Chargers are trying to do here is is really interesting because one of the things we talk about all the time is like you can't just switch a fli flip a switch right and be a physical hard-nosed Blue Collar team like it doesn't work like that right I think it's a combination of coaching the type of players that you're bringing in and all of that stuff and I just think that where you came from with the Ravens where you spent the time right they're known for that and maybe that's because it's John Harbaugh but honestly probably even predates him to the early years of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and all those dudes who just went out there and did it on a daily basis but it feels similar to what the Chargers are trying to build with Jim Harbaugh like when you look at the teams that do that already in the NFL I think you would look at the Ravens and say that's kind of the model that's what you want to look like that's how you kind of be a team that other teams don't want to play on Sunday so do you think that your style of play kind of fits what the Chargers want to do in this new era yeah I think I think it does um um anybody who who has watched my tape knows that I'm a physical guy in Baltimore um before every game um coaches players would be like TJ set the tone because you know I really wasn't enforcer on the defense so I knew you know before the game and going into the game like yeah I like interceptions but at the same time I like hitting people coming across the middle CU you know after after that first time I I started to notice once I hit somebody hard a receiver come come across the middle there kind of It kind of changed the game form a little bit you know what I mean so uh that's kind of just yeah just it's just kind of my mentality um you know I I'm physical you know and I think that's kind of what we're building here you know yeah I look at linebackers you see Denzel pman I've watched this film a lot and uh you know he's a physical guy he likes to hit hard and and you know that's that's my style of play too and you know we we've already hit it off me and him are just we cool hanging out and stuff and everything so you know got the same mindset so that thing just kind of Click there too so uh I'm really excited about what they're building I'm just happy I can be part of it I want to like for me A lot of people are like so you think you're GNA make the 50 like for me I'm I'm going in it as I'm trying to have the best season of my career like I had a year off my body feels perfect like I don't I haven't felt this like fresh and like renewed so I since I can remember so I'm I'm going into it uh with a fresh mind and a fresh body and I'm trying to I don't I don't I'm not really focused on proving people wrong and whatnot I'm just trying to prove myself right and just go out there and I think for me being press I want to have the best season in my career that's that's my mindset so I love that I love that mindset that's fantastic part taking over yep and one of the benefits of of you having you know trying to make the team is your familiarity with the new def defensive coordinator Jesse M you talked about that a little bit who was one of your position coaches with your time um you know with the Ravens are you surprised at all how quickly he has been able to rise to the Rings and become an NFL defensive coordinator uh surprised no um Jesse has always been cerebral and smart even from the days where he was the assistant debut coach like you could ask him I would I would go ahead to him and ask all the questions honestly before I would even ask our actual DB coach you know we we were just on the same page and I and I loved how he was able to connect and explain things um to a player from that perspective and I just I felt like I got it easier you know when I when I spoke to him so um I'm really looking forward to that relationship even building even more and uh yeah we have more great stuff with Tony Jefferson coming up right after this including all the different things he got to see and how much tape he was watching on The Scouting side of things coming up and more on today's lockdown Chargers podcast first though I need to tell you guys FanDuel about FanDuel because I love sports I love them so much and I never want them to stop but as the playoffs wind down we get fewer games and the sports aren't sportsing like I want them to but FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all I have to do is open up the app and dream up bets anytime I'm in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long that's not just firsttime customers that's any customers get a boost or a bonus every single day but guess what playoffs aren't done yet and Dan is sweating because it is game seven tonight and I'm all in on my ice cats you can get the Panthers at minus one and a half at plus 230 but I'm looking at the captain Alexander barov of anytime goal scorer to get in on the action when his team needs him the most to really stay away from historic embarrassment Sasha barov Alexander barov at plus 300 to score tonight so head over to FanDuel / lockon and start making the most out of your summer FanDuel official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball that's a a great point you Communication bring up there just about how he explained everything and all of that because last couple of years under Brandon Staley it felt like something was getting lost from Brandon Staley to the position coaches and just there were so many broken coverages and things like that it just felt like there was something along the way that was getting broken up so like you can have the perfect scheme but if the guys don't know what they're doing in it right or that not everyone's on the same page on every snap it doesn't really matter that much right so like I think one thing you saw is like they were trying to be perfect so much and have the perfect coverages but the problem is is when you're trying to do that if one of those 11 dudes isn't exactly where they're supposed to be or playing the right leverage it doesn't matter and you're giving up explosive plays either way so how important is that from a defensive coaching staff to be able to kind of relay that and be able to kind of tell you guys exactly what they need from you and also trying to find the balance of letting you kind of know the scheme and kind of freestyle a little bit and do what you want to do as far as making you know disguising coverages and things like that yeah I think that's huge um I I I can't speak really on last year with the Chargers but I could speak on basically uh what I've experience in this system it it allows you to to have the freedom and the tools to be able to make different adjustments as players on the field um you know based off of what you see based off of film study you know you have those tools available and um communication's key um in Baltimore we we go by the modotto communication breeds understanding and I think that process can't be lost in the in the whole grand scheme of things I think communication whether whether something bad happens on a player whether something good happens on a play I think communication's the key to most of that and you know long as guys are in the back end are relaying the calls and getting it to the front and and everything I think uh the mindset would be will be uh have the offense adjust to us and not us adjusting to the offense yeah so I mean Jesse Menor what you know we talked about was one of your position coaches um but wink marale was your defensive coordinator when you played with the Ravens how much uh different is this defense you're going to play in this year versus what you were doing with wink back in the day uh yeah so wink was awesome my defensive coordinator I play with the Giants in 22 so uh that was my most recent DC playing and um you know they got similarities I think obviously the scheme's the same a lot of the verbiage and and all that's the same but um I think what Mike McDonald and uh Jesse um has kind of tweaked and made uh adjustments to to make the defense even more scarier is just mixing up different coverages and mixing up different blitzes and really making it very hard for the offense to really understand where we're coming from and doing it in a way where it's calcul it's not just okay it's third and five okay we're we're Blitz and zero or like we're simulated blitzes and disguising and really making it tough for the offense to understand where we're coming from or or not creating a pattern so that they can pick up on it and that's that's when that's what I talk about when I say having them happen to adjust to us yeah and I think the great thing about that is like one of the things we've seen especially with the Chargers and and where they've kind of fallen short in p is just at the end of games you got to have those answers right and you can't be predictable and you can't have the other team know what's going to happen or it's going to end up like a lot of the Chargers close games have right where they've losing you know more one- score games in the last few seasons than anyone else in the league but it is very interesting because I think you have seen players take a year off but you don't see a lot of players jump straight into scouting and then come back and be like you know what actually I'm ready to play again and I just wonder like you know was Joe hortiz your boss and you're reporting at Joe Ortiz every day did you guys have a relationship in that front office and also just like did you were you able to pick up anything different from the game was there anything about the game that you realized getting to kind of see it from that side of things yeah so Joe was the director of college scouting on your pro side and I was on the pro side but towards the end of the towards the end of the year I shifted towards College because they were really impressed with my ability to basically pick up on the talent and and write reports and stuff so I got I got to take that next step pretty quicker than most people did so I got to get some colleges towards the end and yeah I mean me and Joe even when I was playing me and Joe had a good relationship and we were cool but um you know I had to send reports and write reports to him um on some on some players and it was cool because some of those players got drafted and I gave him some draft B grades on like the smaller school so I felt good about that so in my mind I'm like I know I could go back and do that but as I was as I was scouting um I I watch so much film bro and I picked up I picked up like so many like Tendencies and like because like once when you're watching film you start to realize like gez everybody's kind of running the same thing like on offense it's like it's just it's a copycat League that's what they say yeah and you just start to pick up on that stuff on third Downs third and short third and three third and four what are we getting if they're passing it's going to be mes routes because obviously you don't really want to play zone because you're going to have open up holes and give them a first down so guys are going to be manned up so everybody's going to run M so guys gonna be running running each other crossers and all that type of stuff and you just pick you just start picking up on Tendencies so I felt like seeing the game from the eagles's eye um and just watching it from that perspective I learned even more I felt like I I became greater as like a a film Watcher like now I just I just got off the iPad watching film like I'm like addicted to I to iPad like it's crazy like that's all I really do is like watch film so uh I felt like that's going to help me as a player just you know being smart I was talking to Wed and he's like hey bro when I signed with the Ravens I was 31 going on 32 and I signed a four-year deal so don't go in there thinking you know you're at the end of your career and doing all that like so that's really my mindset and that's really just how I'm moving forward and I'm so happy that I got to see it from the other side and come back because I think that's going to help me yeah do you think that knowledge of the game that you now have I mean obviously throughout your playing career and you know seeing it from The Scouting side now that you get back on the field do you feel like that's going to allow you to play faster and not have to think as much because you've been able to see so much on film yeah 100% And as I was scouting I'm like man if I if I got back up on the field I feel like I could play even a little faster just CU anticipation anticipation especially as a DB anticipation is everything that's the difference between a ball game caught on you a pass breakup or interception and if you could be just a split second faster that's that's a game changing play and that's where I feel like where I'm where I think I could take the next step at right now yeah which is awesome I mean and and especially I think they want you to come in here to set the tone but maybe I mean from the way things were going with the Ravens you know maybe a three-year stin with the Chargers you step in under Joe hortiz in this front office start Scouting For The Chargers you know maybe we can set something like that up right we'll see I I got I got a lot of work to do obviously nothing set of stone I gotta go out there and prove myself I gota go on these preseason games and show everybody really what I got still and all that and I got to make the 53 roster because we still there's Talent back there and you know I'm I'm I'm like I said I'm trying to reinvent myself basically we have more great stuff with Tony Jefferson coming up after for this including his relationship with Derwin James and playing kind of a similar style of football and more on today's lock on Chargers podcast yeah and I mean there's some Playing with Derwin James young guys in that room too you're going to be going up against right and I'm sure that's kind of a delicate balance of you know you're thought of as this guy veteran guy that's seen a lot around the league and you're trying to make your own spot right and now these other guys are coming and asking you questions and stuff like that but I think it's also a fine balance you know when you're kind of looking at the the micro and like okay I need to make the team this year I need to make the most out of this upcoming practice and this upcoming preseason game but also looking at the macro and saying like but it doesn't have to be me coming back for just this one season right like this just has to be where I'm focused right now to have that be the launching point of me potentially getting that next contract after this upcoming season so I mean that must be a fascinating thing but one of the things that had to be great to hear kind of in your Camp was Derwin James getting up at his last press conference and advocating for you to be on the team you can just tell the rence he kind of had for you when he was speaking about you and he also specifically said that he wanted you to get time because it would help him move around more and give him the ability to be more versatile so how familiar were you with Derwin James's game of course you're watching all sorts of films so I'm sure very familiar how excited are you to have a chance to play alongside him oh man Derwin is is different he's he's he's a different guy you don't really come across players uh with his type of ability uh his type of Versatility you know I I got to watch Kyle Hamilton play last year and those two guys really share similar similar games because they could pretty much do everything you can line them up anywhere and they're so effective um but you know I've I've known Derwin through through the game of playing you know we played the Chargers in 2018 and after the game we showed our respect to each other um and you know follow each other on Instagram so you know like here like there like you know like that but uh just being similar games too like I mean at least as far as like both of you dudes love to lay the wood like that just is what it is I mean you both have an affinity for you know taking the big hit potentially over an interception or things along that line yeah no he's uh he's he's my type of guy I'll say that and uh I think I think we both kind of you know we talked a lot really about we talked about the scheme and then you know just other stuff about the game and stuff and like we just connected in that way just because we're we're both football guys and I got to watch him in practice and bro the way he practices you like there's a reason why he plays that ways on Sundays Runs run to the ball just 100 100 miles per hour each play like he's playing like it's his last play and I love that like being able to see that it like gives it gives me chills when I'm watching I'm like bro just being able to see this dude on the field right now is is amazing hey I mean he's been a leader since he pretty much stepped on the field for the Chargers so I mean it's it's no surprise you know hearing from you about Derwin James um you know Dern James is a guy that's always being talked about by coach harra So speaking of that Harbaugh name um you and you know a handful of other players have got a chance to play for Jim Harbaugh's brother John Harbaugh um and what were your favorite parts of playing for John Harbaugh while you were there with him uh I I love the fact that like he loves ball he cares about football and like when you have a coach who like you could tell he cares about football like I go on the way I I used to be the I I go in the weight rooms in the morning at 6:30 every morning um Harbaugh's there at 6:15 getting it in just pumping it out you know we've had great combos in the morning and like I just I just love that to see your head coach is as motivated like just getting it in um you know the meetings were always fun because he he he bleeds out his Passion of the game to us each day he'd have a story for us you know he brings his dad in which I love I love when his dad came in to tell a story about how him and his brother and all them when they were younger you know stuff like that just his dad's really intense oh yeah I love it though love it love it and uh you know it's it's it's great to to have like a coach who's like in love with the game and and he cares about his players too so um I the funny thing is um when when Harbaugh was at Stanford um Jim Harbaugh he he uh he offered me um and which it was my very first offer out of high school and what happened was very first play I was playing running back I I had like a dive and like I just ran through I ran somebody over boom boom right after practice he's like hey you upstairs offer me right on the spot that's awesome yeah he's like he's like you're you're you're my type of guy type of player I I I want like around and blah blah blah so when I saw him when I had had the uh the mini camp TR out we we talked about that too how that happened so it it was really cool yeah I mean it feels like he remembers everything too like the most I mean as long as it's football related right if you truck someone back in 2011 like he remembers you truck sticking someone back in 2011 but I guess you're probably one of the the least kind of confused people when Jim Harbaugh is out there pulling a 300 lb sled or anything you're like yeah you know when John Harbaugh was beating me to the gym it doesn't surpr me too much see out here in cleat and stuff like that but I mean there is a certain kind of you know Ingenuity to Jim Harbaugh though because he's corny as hell like I mean the stuff he says is crazy sometimes right like where you're just like yeah I guess that makes sense like you're the only person in the world that would see it that way but like that does have to be endearing to the players though just because like you see a dude who's you know bleeds football like I mean you hear his former players talking about him like there was a day where Alex Smith was hurt and he was the quarterback at practice that day and didn't tell anyone right just like hey Jim Harbaugh can't be here for some reason like what does that mean to be able to play for someone like that and just know that your coach cares about the game and and every practice and everything you're doing as much as you do uh I think I think it's I think it holds the players accountable because especially him being a former player he knows what it looks like and he knows what is what it's supposed to be and that's why I feel like he's been successful really everywhere he's been like he he knows knows what it's supposed to look like he knows what good practices are I think I read something where he said his mood is predicated off of how practice went yeah like that's that's a guy who loves ball and has invested in the game and and he's been there and like to be to be honest I kind of feel the same way too my mood is predicated off of how my practice is my mood is predicated off of how my game is so um just to have that as as the leader I think that's that's going to go a long way like the players all right well you're a Cali guy so we'll get you out on this you're in back in California now you have to get in on this big dir Burger debate are you a waterburger guy or are you an In-N-Out guy bro come on bro you have to say it let them know oh no it's it's Inn out 100% I went in and out all the way perod I went I went to Oklahoma so waterburger they're like obsessed with waterb but water bers burgers are so salty and like I just I would like there was no end it out there so I had to compromise and I was make work right yeah so 20 2011 when I was in Oklahoma they created an In-N-Out they made an In-N-Out in Dallas which was like two hours from Norman Oklahoma yeah so me Kenny Stills brenon clay were off from San Diego we were in Oklahoma for whatever reason and we drove down to Dallas and the line was like wrapped it it was gon to take four hours to get burgers so like people can say they don't like In-N-Out but bro in-n-out's the best burgers bro there's really no competition and if you're saying that you're just delusional at this point I agree I want to say one of one of my high school football careers I think it was a Walter Payton football camp in San Diego because I went to lcap and graduated 2011 got matched up with Brenan Quay in a one-on-one linebacker versus running back and like covered him decently well and the quarterback just missed the throw and I was like did you guys see that and that was Bren clay right there he's going to Oklahoma like I just locked that right I didn't even get a second look you know I might got an offer from like na or something because of it so but Tony hey thank you so much man it's great to have a San Diego guy on the show where San Diego guys is through and through so happy that you get to play for the team you grew up watching man we are so excited and invested and you making this team we think you have I mean David's already come out and said it you're making this team so thank you so much for giving us your time man and we can't just wait to see how it all unfolds okay I appreciate it bro San Diego love baby yes sir appreciate you thank you all right bro a Outro very special thank you to Tony Jefferson for coming on the show today you guys can follow him at TL Jefferson 23 on Twitter you can follow him at Tony jefferson1 on Instagram as well definitely want to get him back if he can make the team that would be an awesome story for him to come back on the show because obviously we gave him a nice boost there but thank you again to Tony Jefferson thank you to David for continuing the book the best Chargers guest out there and we will continue to have that going for you guys all summer long until we get to training camp so make sure you guys keep following along by following and subscribing to the locked on Chargers YouTube channel and listening wherever you get your podcast from so you never miss a Big Time episode like the one we put out today and you can also find the show every day on our social media you can go follow us on Twitter at lockon Lac you can find us on Instagram at lockon Chargers and our lockon chargers Facebook page me and David also post the show every day to our social medias you can find me at Dan talk sports on Twitter and David drot talk SD and you're going to want to hit us up on all of those places because Wednesday show is Chargers buy or sell getting into the biggest story lines in over action so make sure you guys get those in so you can get them answered on the show but we'll back with you guys on Wednesday until then take it easy and go bolts