Ficken, Dicker & Davis On Training Camp | LA Chargers

good evening it's been a great start so far to Camp um really excited for uh this team and uh you know the progress we made so far a lot of work still to be uh to be had but we're excited for this opportunity against you know the Rams on Sunday to get a little in Squad scrimmage and then uh moving on to game week uh next week but um with that I'll go ahead and open up with questions coach just you know what With The Changes that's going on with you know uh the kickoff return does it change the athlete that you place on the field absolutely I mean everything's going change I mean everything's open uh so um you know itre increases value for all the players you know which is great and that's what they want and that's what the league wants and uh makes it exciting play you know for the league and and for the players but absolutely where where are you add in terms of installing what you want to install building out the schemes that you guys want to have in in the kickoff kick return like how far along are you guys how much work is there still to be done in that area yeah there's always going to be work to be done in in all areas but right now we're in a you know we're feeling good in terms of the technique laying that Foundation uh continuing to work the fundamentals uh the timing of everything so um you know we're laying that Foundation keeping it simple so then uh we can go out and execute at our highest level and just allow them for their athleticism to go ahead and take over as opposed to having to think what the rules are what the technique and all that we just want to make sure it's natural form how is how is Cam adjusting to the kicks themselves because obviously it's is way different than you know what the kickoff used to be how is how is he doing I think he's doing great I mean he's got a bag of tricks that I never seen I mean he can do all types of kicks whatever you want to go ahead and have him do but uh you know he can be a weapon it's not just you know in that situation but um we're just excited as a whole and as a unit you know in terms of you know the creativity or the things that we can go ahead and do but um again we still got to continue with this Foundation making sure we're you know we're solid and everything and making sure we're uncovering every stone want to make sure there's no issues and we can go ahead and continue to ascend Dar mentioned you guys you know watch the live from the Hall of Fame game yesterday the kickoff just how important is it to see it like in in live action oh I I thought it was I mean it was a lot faster you know seeing it you know uh you know with the NFL speed and everything so uh it was uh it was good to see to finally see like all right you know everything we've been working on and and just seeing two different teams you know go at it and and kind of see what they've been kind of you know working on and uh what works what doesn't work and kind of assess it and then see how we can apply it to us how how close to full speed are the kickoff rep's going to be against the Rams on on Sunday no we're going to we're going to get working we want to make sure we're out there working and uh whatever rep we do work even if it's against you know the Chargers or against the Rams or whoever it may be we want to make sure we're getting you know good work in and it's you know full speed and make making sure we're smart we're taking care of each other but we want to make sure we're working our technique and all that so because otherwise we won't get a good feel you know the timing and all that coach when you watch a ton of XF XFL film you see a lot of ve pin pull Concepts and pin pull Concepts in a return game uh how have the the line and running back coaches influenced uh how you approach uh developing your scheme you know I mean it is a lot like that I mean talk about you know offensive play you know look like Gap schemes you know doubles traps all that single blocks you know Duos and all that stuff so it is kind of like that uh there is a little bit of that Essence in terms of you know carryover from previous you know kickoff return but um you know watching the XFL I mean they did a you know they had a really exciting play when they had it it is a little bit different in terms of the ball was closer than it is for us you know they were at the 30 and the 35 yd line we're at the 3540 and that five yards difference on each side is is a big deal uh so that changes the spacing a little bit but um you know we're still working through all that and uh the players the greatest thing they they've embraced it all and they've excited about it and uh they give great feedback and um so it's something we're just continue to build on and how does Coach Harbaugh encourage you to be more creative and imaginative in and thinking outside the box oh he's been great with that I mean a huge resource um you know he's saying hey whatever we need to do to help this team win and we're going to take that approach and everything we do not just matter if it's kickoff kickoff return pump p return F fle but it doesn't matter we need to find a way to go and help this team win football games and he's all hands- on deck on that and how how has Coach Harbaugh influenced you as a coach just in terms of I mean the whole game I mean he's got a great football mind you know he just sees it you know it's amazing to watch and just be a part of in terms of that and uh the preparation the situational stuff just the way he you know he kind of plans out the practices you know it's been great for me and uh I enjoy being you know around it and learning from them and and excited for what the season holds what percentage of Cam's time last year was on field goals versus kickoffs and then how do you think that ratio's changed for this season I mean the ratio has changed a little bit more obviously with kickoff um you know adding that the kicks and everything like that but even you know last previous years too we still had a huge emphasis on kickoff because uh we weren't trying to just say we're just going to go ahead and always just kick the Touchback we want to make sure any situation if we can take advantage of situation we were prepared and so it's not that we're taking more you know applying more time to it it's just we're practicing and preparing a different way uh but with a huge emphasis in terms of obviously it's a new play we got to go and put our guys in different situations uh different movements different spacing so we can go ahead and uh get a good look at it before we open it up for next week what's the change in the relationship between the concept of hang time for your entire career till now versus now this season I mean it depends on it depends on what some team's philosophy is you know uh some teams might try and go ahead and hit those you know obviously hang time is not as important you know you got effective hang time but sometimes people maybe they want that hang time because they can have a little bit more ACC on the kick so I think all that's something that we're going to continue to you know um you know Challenge and look at and investigate and see uh what's best for our team and for our Personnel uh who's going to be on that field so we can go ahead and be you know the most effective under the previous regime analytics played a huge part um in in how uh they approach special teams what role will analytics play uh with you all I mean I think it's always a resource that we use within you know the building um we want to make sure we open you know we have open arms for everything and U you know we take ideas we're not going to go ahead and um disc continue anything but we want to make sure we go ahead and um you know look at everything and whatever can help our team win games and give us the best Edge we always go ahead and be open to that obviously this time of year you're working with a lot of young guys and and new guys as you you know build out your teams here any rookies young guys that have jumped out to you here through the the first nine days of training camp I I mean yeah I would this is a I think been a really good rookie class and you know you could probably say oh they you know you say that every year but I'm really been you know pleased and actually very encouraged about these guys uh you know just the the desire to learn and the appetite that they have you know of being here being a charger uh trying to find a way to impact this this team in a you know positive way and obviously as you know that you know that's going to come for a lot of rookies on special teams and so uh just attention to detail and everything obviously the mistakes and everything but uh Cur but it's finding that like not being an air repeater making sure we can continue to ascend and continue to improve as we uh move forward but um yeah I've been impressed with a lot of them I mean I'm really pleased with this class so far but you know we still got a long way to go a lot of lot of things to work on a lot of things to build on and it's just the start and we're just you know scratching the surface as it is coach what are you seeing from Darius that do impress you during training camp uh I mean there's I mean I love that kid the way he approaches the game this guy working you know he works every day the way he I mean everyone would be you know leaving the field and he's still catching balls off the jugs I mean he just loves being on the field um you know and that I think that's contagious for everyone else because they like to be around that then they see that wow I mean this guy's putting in all this work we need to go ahead and you know really block hard for him but he he's willing to do anything and everything he wants to you know be on pun and be on kick out he wants to be on the field and impact this team in a positive way and um you know he just wants to continue to learn I mean he's been um you know special be around very uh you see him having a really big impact on the kickoff absolutely uh the kickoff turn I mean I have high expectations for him you know same with this team and and I think he does too as well and um you know I'll be lying forent but we also have you know other guys we're continuing to to work with and groom and and it starts with the guys you know blocking and and creating those teams not just for him but all of our returners and making sure that we can go ahead and you know be a positive life for this team on that phase so uh we saw you practicing some of the new kickoffs what's what's the transition been like for you sort of learning the ins and outs of the new the new kick yeah you know it's interesting you aren't hitting High deep balls anymore and hanging them up it's a lot more placement and so just getting balls in positions and letting the guys go cover and hopefully recover well can you relate the the kick to anything that you had done previously like even in from soccer days or anything like that shanking a kickoff yep that's that's almost the goal to where if you can like shank the kickoff and get it to land early and then a Turner can't get to it and hopefully it dribbles through but I mean just trying to hit low balls and kind of punching them out there so yeah is it like a squid like not not really more so just like that driven ball under three seconds just trying to drive it out there and hope for the best are there any techniques that you're experimenting with no just really getting myself more over the ball and just staying through it when I'm trying to like M hit it almost hitting it off the ankle for fun and seeing what happens but then you'll have the occasional ones where they're really low so trying to figure out how to avoid that you spending more time on kickoffs this season than the past I wouldn't say so I'd say it's pretty normal uh once twice a week and then hitting 10ish balls when I do and just rolling with it have you like had conversations with any other kickers in the league like amid this transition to the new rule has there been conversations at all among kickers of like like what what you guys are going to do when I've kicked with other guys yeah uh I mean you see a lot of those guys go to those field goal steps now and just popping him up and so it all depends on what really the head coach special teams coach wants some teams I think are going to be hanging him up and trying to land him at the goal line others are going to be hitting some lowline drives around the field and trying to mess with the Turners so we'll just kind of take it game by game and see several position groups you know on the offseason that come together and exchange you know trade ideas is there a kick or you there hasn't been I know they J we joked around about it with some guys I know a bunch of different guys get together and do some things and all with different training guys so there's there's groups that get together but not one set thing with just players who's who's part of your kicking group I go work with one-on-one or now is precision kicking with Brian Egan and so it's Brandon Aubrey the kicker in at the Cowboys and so he and I have I kicked with him his very first time kicking and so I've known him since like four years ago since he started so with him just kind of working through stuff two coaches in two years how has coach hard ball impacted your your approach towards special teams and kicking yeah he's been awesome I think he adds a fun energy around the building and everybody's been super excited to kind of just have this Lively atmosphere in here and so everybody's excited I think it just adds special teams getting that continuing the importance of that I think we did well last year and we just need to continue on that and keep building does coach hargh make you feel like you're you're part of the team I know a lot of times people say kickers aren't people but how is coach hard you feel yeah no he's been awesome I think he and the rest of the guys I think is more important from the rest of the guys and so everybody treats you like you're part of the team and you do everything with everybody else so it's been great has it used the transition having like you know ficken still here JK Josh like there's been a transition obviously with the head coach but for you guys it feels like it's it's pretty much the same as last year of people I mean it it's very nice to still have your coordinator uh QC have everybody there and have Snapper and holder so it makes the transition very easy and I mean not too much we have to worry about Fi Fi controls a lot of special team stuff and so it's good to still have him around week two after you know week one you're going to go do your thing week two when you actually have seen what everyone's throwing around uh on the kickoff do you think we're going to see some weird stuff I don't know it's going to be interesting because I know rules are still up to be changed so if somebody finds something that kind of abuses the rules then you could see complete changes or just going back to normal so um I know we've been looking at yesterday everybody just popped the balls High I don't know if everybody's doing that in preseason what's going on but yeah it's going to be interesting once week one comes around to see the first person who tries something strange and if it doesn't work how all teams are going to be like oh no we aren't doing this anymore or what's going to happen just you know with you back there kickoff return team just how different is it so far you know working within the new rules um honestly I love it I mean as a returner you should love it cuz you get more opportunities but it's it's definitely different because because um everything happened much faster so uh the drop is the uh blockage they drop are um not as deep and um but I think it's good for the game so I like it D how helpful have the running backs been in in your ability to diagnose and read hes in in the return then oh yeah they've been real helpful cuz they know how to set up blocks they been they know how to get back there so so a lot of people ask me how how is it back it is back there for me honestly with the new rule I feel like it just like playing running back just being right there finding the gaps finding the seams how has uh coach fcking gone about teaching the new kickoff rule have you guys been watching oh XFL film like what How's he sort of gone about it oh yeah we watched xsf and the first thing we watched today was the Houston game last night so so he he very detailed on it and him and coach fck and Coach be what you think the role is of Hang Time now with the different roles uh they don't it it don't give much hang time now uh I feel like we're going to see a lot of kicks on the ground they not not as much in air and um but like I said I love it you play short Stu no I never play baseball ever what input are you able to have in returns to just the overall scheme and and how you guys go about uh the return game um say that question more time how are you able to to give input to the coaches about like some of the things that you see or or maybe you have some creative ideas about you know how you guys can return um yeah um like I said it's different um I won't know unless until we get that extra live look and so um right now it's everything's up in the air how you felt like things have gone offensively for you specifically over the first couple weeks here honestly honestly I love it because um now they like using me like on a lot of deep routes a lot of speed routes so I I like it honestly different than than last year yeah way different yeah I was I should say what there go off season like for you out the All Season great um coming in um me and Coach Sanjay I learned a lot from him he's a great great Ro receivers coach he helped me a lot with my technique and I feel like compared to last year I'm way ahead of being in Ro receiver what do you feel like youve grown as far as your game so far um as far as I say my rout running I say that's why I like grown the most like I say getting my technique getting in and out of cuts you feel like sanj has been the key part of that as far as improving route running or is that something that you really focused in on in the offseason that's something I focus on in offseason but also like I said sanre with the techniques just a little stuff like starting Stance Drive phase um teaching me how to get in and out my breaks uh the steps for certain routes when you work in that all off season how important is it when you get here to be able to align the route running with the timing like you know you have a quarterback like Max where you know like is it nice to be able to take the individual work you've been doing and then align it with within the larger offense with the timing and the Rhythm oh yeah um like in offseason um we got together in the summertime U me Max stick and Justin we all got together and um just worked on that time so like coming here being on the same page is is great with the timing so is it nice when you have the Reps here with the quarterbacks do you feel like every day like do you feel like the offense jelling a little bit with the Reps oh yes for sure um just going out there everybody like everybody as a unit just going out there just yelling with each other and um just getting the time it down you know we still only 10 days but I feel like as we go on the uh time is going to get even better so it's a lot of new faces there in that receiver room like who who's kind of stepped up to be the the vocal leader for you know the guys there I feel like DJ CH DJ CH and um Josh pman those guys cuz they they are the guys that's been in the league the longest and um they they're more of the worker leaders in that room was there any discussions so now that Justin's out was there any discussion with you guys about just coming out and just trying to get like mental reps and stuff but what do you how would you explain to people who maybe aren't watching football till like week one the importance of trying to get the training camp reps and adjustments with Justin missing some time um you know we um we all get r with stick so the time is still there um like I said we all get R to stick so the time is St there so it's really not that I mean it of course it's a big adjustment but but like like I said we all get reps through stick so the timing and everything is not really off how do you feel like your performance last year um just some P return how it built your confidence coming into this season oh it built my uh confidence tremendously but I feel like last year we left a lot of food on the table so this year um my goal is to need leave nothing on the table this year so