Jesse Minter On Defense’s Preseason Performance | LA Chargers

what have you uh thought of the defense I guess wrapping up the preseason how have you thought they looked uh you know I think we've done a lot I think we've um tried to get our identity our culture um what we think is important to playing good defense you know try to try to coach that and teach that and and get that ingrained uh I feel like we've come a long way in that regard um you know was exciting to see uh some of the things that we' work on you know come to come to light um and so now it's you know now it's for real you know so now it'll be exciting to uh you know get a get a get a real game plan you know dialed in ironed out uh get our guys out there and and see how we look and see if all the work you know see if it's see if it's paid off so did Tony did that surprise you at all like the way he what he was doing out there I mean I I think the I think like the the the stat line maybe was surprising I don't think it surprised me that he could still play um I think he had shown it in glimpses uh but I also think you know when you when you get a little bit older and you don't do it for a year that it's not like and we didn't sign him until you know right at right after um mini camp so you know I I didn't expect them to show up the first day of training camp and and look like the Tony that I remember from 2017 um so I think he's worked his way into football shape um and he still is a very instinctive tough physical safety that's got some playmaking skills and uh he put that on display certainly in that game obviously the the entire game like did you I mean coming into that game did you did you have an idea like we I want I wanted to stay around here or did he kind of I mean I think we've we've wanted him around um and so you know I I think he maybe felt like hey you know he missed the middle game uh with with dealing with something and um you know maybe felt a little bit of like okay hey like I got to go I got to show that I can still do this and uh to his credit that's what he did without Joey khil and Derwin in you guys had some impressive go Line Stands during the three preseason games was that the most encouraging development of all throughout the preseason um I really just think that that a mentality trying to create a mentality um every play is really important the drive is never over um getting the ball you know which showed up a lot in that last game um so just some of the things that that you know talk about being important uh was good to see those things show up um a mentality of of you know you're not always going to play your best you're not always going to knock people out but can you be at your best when your best is needed and as a defense your best is needed the closer they get to the goal line your your best is needed at the end of the you know end of the game so you know uh closing out situations um and so that's something we talk about a lot and uh so to just see maybe glimpses and flashes of that uh was encouraging but at this point it's really irrelevant and uh you know it's got to show up for us once the regular season starts you got Joey back on the field after he was out for a while how's he looked last few days yeah Joey looks great um I'm excited about Joey and uh I know he's chomping at the bit to be out there that first game Jesse what what have you seen from Junior I know you got a late start um but has he changed it all from college to to now um you know he he's the same Junior that I remember uh I think maybe you know a in a weird way I think like adversity is an opportunity and adversity for him was okay I can't physically be out there doing it but a lot of times when you watch it and the game maybe slows down for you a little bit at this level um so I I think he he did everything he could to stay up where he needed to be to his credit uh just from film study from staying in the Playbook coming in and watching film all the time uh which which he always did in college too um you know so I think he's put himself in a really good position to um you know battle for playing time at the start of the year and uh I expect him if he's in there to play like the junior that I've always known earlier in the year that he that maybe some people out in the league maybe forgot about him a little bit he's been going through some injuries for you coming in as a new coach do you feel like it's uh it's part of your responsibility to put him in a position where he can kind of remind people that he's he's still that guy yeah I mean I I think I definitely think I feel that um I think my responsibility is to try to take advantage of the pieces that we have and put them in the best position to be successful and uh he's a big part of that he's a big piece of of uh our pass rush ability or run stopping ability um when he's out there he you know he plays really well and he's done that over the last couple years and um so I definitely think you know he's got a little bit of a prove it mentality uh which is always great most great ones do but sometimes it's it just it grows even more when when you go through your own adversity and uh so I'm I'm really just excited to to uh get him out there and uh allow him to do the things that he does really well and I think that'll positively impact our defense if we let him do the things that he does really well for you as a coordinator what's it like watching Joey and khil work together and just their impact on the group it's I mean I said this before it's like a a dream uh to have those two guys um just their talent um what they the the work that they put in their leadership just from how they operate how they go about their business um and so it's really enjoyable to watch them operate and it's a great lesson for guys of how you know as you become a pro and you have some success of how you still need to operate at a certain level to maintain and continue to build on that success and so um yeah those guys are are tremendous and uh just excited you know I talking about it is getting tiring so to speak and I'm just ready to get us out there and and not not talk about it as much but just see how see how we do your Vantage Point what uh makes Jim so effective at like connecting with with players quickly and people but like it seems like even when guys come up in here they're starting to like talk like him a little bit or say some of the stuff he says what I think uh he's number one everything every choice he makes is about putting the team to be successful or the player to be successful um he's got a very unique background that a lot of coaches don't have um and the fact that he was a high level player in college that was I think in the top five in the Heisman voting his last year in college he was a firstr draft pick that played 14 or 15 years played for a lot of different coaches played for a lot of different teams um and also grew up the son of a coach and at the time as he was playing was the brother of a coach and um you know so just a uh there's not a lot of you know Mike vel's another one that comes to mind of like really successful players that played for as long as they did that that choose that path to go into coaching and um he just has that really unique sense of understanding what's good for the team but also he's been in their shoes they respect the fact that he's been in their shoes he respects that you know they're going through what he went through and so there's just a really cool uh deal there that that uh you know like I'm jealous that he has that like he's been in that situation um and so I think it's just all that tied together um with him also just being himself and um authentically himself and not not in a not in a a silly way but like there's people that worry about the perception of them or what other people think and there's people that uh they're confident in their own abilities and confident in how they operate and it's been successful and um I respect him the most just because he's he's who he is every single day every second of the day you know what you're going to get and uh it's just somebody that is that is Ultimate competitor uh you know trying to trying to win and also trying to build a team uh that can be successful so uh we're super fortunate that say with with that is is part of his kind of said he's himself he doesn't like it seems like part of it is like this hyperfocus on football hyper focus on players coaches not that coaches care about everything but it seems like he literally that's all he cares about right like is that part of what you you noed yeah I mean I I think uh you know some people have different hobbies and different things that that get their minds off things I think uh you know football's his job and his Hobby and you know team building is his job and his Hobby and uh so he just pours everything he has into that um he's a great dad outside of here great husband outside of here um and so it's really his family and football you know and um yeah so it's it's it's great to have somebody like that that doesn't really nothing else bothers him nothing else uh you know have to worry too much about and uh you know that he's always making the best decision for the player I think what the players see is every decision is best for them and the team and they're starting to really see like man that's normally true you know especially the way he explains things and does it so um yeah uh just back to the the Ed rusher group real quick um I know we talked a lot about traymon during Camp um he's obviously on practice squad what do you want to see from him and it continued growth yeah I mean I think it's uh it's everything you know it's just getting better every single day um getting better as a edge Setter getting better against the Run getting better as a rusher that can finish finish getting better to be able to help on special teams so I think anytime that you're um you know if you're here you're on the practice squad you're close to playing you know and that's what we've tried to uh you know like coach has talked about it's it's really a 71 72 number roster those guys are you know if something happens that you want that person to be the next person that's going to play and so just just having that mentality like hey I'm a I could be a week away you know I could be a play away so to speak and continuing to chase improvements uh learn from those guys that are in the room which he I mean there's nobody that has a better place than him that's on a practice squad in their position guys to learn from guys to see how they operate a mix of young and older guys a guy that had success as a rookie just last year and also Hall of Famers um so just just continuing to learn from those guys and get better every single day you've now worked with Jim two three years and you're both coaches kids or head coaches kids I should say was there stuff maybe you know a first or second year commonality in as far as traits or doing things like you could see some of you and him or vice versa uh I I hope so man I'd love to have some of the traits that he has as a coach and the success that he's had um I just think that you know we talk about it like we're fortunate to grow up coaches kids and so when you do that you know you you understand the importance of the team you understand what the locker room is like you understand that feeling after wins and and that feeling after losses and the opportunity to always get better from uh learning experiences or bad things that happen um and so yeah I think we both um really just try to attack football a certain way uh try to get a little bit better every day um not not really try to um you you know listen to to people saying this or that it's really just about head down one track mind kind of get a little bit better today than we were yesterday a little bit better tomorrow than we were today and uh if you do that over and over again and the players buy into that and believe in that then at the end of the day you know I think we'll like where we're at I know you were back there in April but will you have the game on Saturday night to kind of see how Chiron doesn't as davut yeah definitely definitely uh big fan of Chiron big fan of wink who was a mentor of mine who's now running the defense at Michigan and obviously all those players uh have have super strong feelings for so excited to see those guys Tee It Up on Saturday you mentioned the ramp up with the preseason done now what's kind of the main emphasis for the coaching staff with this week in between you know is there like full game prep kind of going through everything one more time what's kind of the emphasis yeah it's uh it's a great question it's it's a combination of obviously being really tight for our first game the game plan also while there's still a little bit of extra time you know you may look ahead a little bit so those first two three games don't don't sneak up on you um and so yeah it's just preparing what I would say for the first first run of the Season we got a bye-week after four weeks so you know as you have a little bit of extra time it's it's kind of like let's make sure we're getting ready for these four games um and then as we get to as the guys come back early next week obviously it's one track mind on the on the Raiders in terms of the Raiders with menu being the starting QB now how much besides his preseason film do you look at what he did in Indie last year previous stops yeah it's a it's an interesting uh I would say opponent study for us in a sense that coordinators coming from one place you know a lot of the players were there quarterbacks coming from a different place uh so there's a lot of different things that we're looking at um with a quarterback I definitely think it's you know you're looking at a lot of his stuff and um so we we're we're we're studying you know things that he's done well things that that maybe he's oh struggles with or so to speak so um just just trying to uh put our guys in the best position to be successful I got a lot of respect for him he is a um seems Seems I don't know him but seems as if he's really like that Elite competitor that kind of makes everybody around him better makes plays keeps plays alive has a little bit of a gunslinger mental ality uh so a lot of respect for him as a quarterback and and uh you know a challenge that we look forward to