Neil Reynolds' NFL diary: Day three

After a relatively laid-back training camp experience in Nashville on Friday, it became very clear on this sunny Saturday morning that the Los Angeles Chargers are intent on making a lot more noise in the City of Angels.

The Chargers' training camp in Costa Mesa came complete with booming music, a host of NFL experience stalls where fans could throw passes like Philip Rivers or run the 40-yard dash like Melvin Gordon. It also featured a live radio broadcast from the side of the field, cheerleader appearances, an official opening by Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson and generally a lot more noise and atmosphere.

That should come as no surprise when you consider the Chargers are fighting for the fans' attention in Los Angeles and the Rams have made a bunch of high-profile moves during this offseason. While the Rams have made considerable headlines, it should be noted that these Chargers are no mugs and are very much in contention to win their first AFC West crown since 2009.

Neil Reynolds' NFL diary: Day one

Day one of this training camp tour offered a chance to venture down Memory Lane...

Neil Reynolds' NFL diary: Day two

Day two of training with the Tennessee Titans was a picture-postcard type of day with glorious sunshine, writes Neil Reynolds.

Here are a few things I noticed on Saturday while in camp with the Chargers, who will return to London for the second time in October, having previously played back in 2008…

Five observations from Los Angeles Chargers training camp

• Philip Rivers' trademark sidearm throwing style is even more pronounced when you watch him practice. His shot-putt style of delivering his passes came from throwing footballs that were too big for him when he was growing up as a football coach's son. But his passes are on time, accurate and delivered with great velocity. Rivers told me during our interview today that the most important characteristics a quarterback needs to possess are not physical in any way - he believes a quarterback's biggest attributes should be football intelligence and leadership. This perennial Pro Bowler ticks those particular boxes in a big way and I'm backing him for another banner year.

• Chargers Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa is not only an outstanding pass rusher who can scare the living daylights out of quarterbacks, he also makes for an honest and fascinating interview. We talked about how vital it is for a defensive end to be relentless in the NFL. And Bosa's blue-collar, hard-working approach comes from watching his dad, Jon - a former first-round draft pick with the Miami Dolphins in 1987 - work his way up from nothing to be a pro football success. Joey Bosa freely admitted he was a "well off kid" who never wanted for anything - but he has been inspired by his father's work ethic and has carried that very successfully into his own career.

• Across the board, the Chargers are talking about two major things: 1) Ignoring the outside noise because many who barely gave them the time of day in 2017 are predicting pretty significant success in 2018 and 2) Getting off to a fast start. The 2017 Chargers opened 0-4 before finishing strong and just missing out on the playoffs. That slow start left LA racing to catch up and they fell just short. To avoid a similar slow start, the Chargers will need to successfully navigate through an opening month that features a home game against Kansas City in Week 1, road trips to Buffalo and the Rams in Weeks 2 and 3 before returning home against San Francisco in Week 4. That won't be easy.

• There is a very obvious hole at tight end (Antonio Gates anybody?) but I still believe these Chargers - with Rivers getting everyone lined up right and firing the strikes - have more than enough at receiver. Keenan Allen is coming off a 102-catch season and just looks so smooth when you watch him practice, Tyrell Williams catches the eye with an ability to stretch the field and also make tough receptions in traffic, while Travis Benjamin showed up big on Saturday with a leaping jump-ball catch from Rivers, who landed the ball over the out-stretched arms of two defenders. If rookie first-round pick from 2017, Mike Williams, can find his feet, this is a very promising group indeed. It would also be a big group - Allen is 6'2'', Tyrell Williams is 6'4'' and Mike Williams is also 6'4''.

• The loss of Jason Verrett is going to hurt LA's secondary, to a degree, but this appears to be a very talented and deep group. Casey Hayward caught the eye on Saturday with a pouncing, leaping interception of Geno Smith. And it is going to be fun to watch how rookie first-rounder Derwin James is used because he looks as if he could be used across the defensive backfield.

Quote of the Day I

I look forward to practices, meetings and, of course, the games. I still play the game like a 10-year-old in the back yard in North Alabama. We’re grown men playing a kid’s game. We’re very fortunate.

Quote of the Day II

"You stick to the words, Reynolds, and I'll take care of the pictures." - Cameraman Scott Drummond after I pointed out a lovely palm tree against the backdrop of a clear blue sky by the side of the road in Los Angeles on Saturday. Given that Scott is a former rugby player who is bigger than the said tree in question, I decided not to argue with him!

Quote of the Day III

"Rob Ryan is a highly intelligent man who was born into a football family and he knows the X's and O's. He is a little bit of a jokester - he scared the life out of my son by throwing a rubber snake into his office one day. My son came screaming out like a little girl. You need to be careful because he likes those pranks." - Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn after I told him Rob Ryan would be partnering me on Sky Sports for the first 12 weeks of the 2018 season.

Training camp finish that sentence

You know the travel weariness is starting to show when… the little mistakes are piling up! I left Chargers camp today without my notebook, which was filled with questions for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. That's Saturday night sorted when I arrive in San Francisco, at least! We also did wrong by our driver, Ed, today. The original plan was to interview some Chargers on the practice field and then to head back to the team hotel to knock out the remainder. But after getting head coach Anthony Lynn, quarterback Philip Rivers, wide receiver Keenan Allen, defensive end Joey Bosa and cornerback Casey Hayward, we were done and clear. So it was a simple trip back to the airport… except we forgot to tell our driver. Well, we told him eventually but not until he was pulling in front of the Chargers' team hotel.

The most hotly-sought-after luxury on this trip is… an airport power socket in order to be able to charge laptops and mobile phones between hotels, training camp sites and flights. Picture the scene… three grown men clear airport security and saunter (mainly because we tend to arrive at the airport about four hours before flying) very slowly towards our departure gate. As the gate comes into sight and unused and clearly-free power sockets are spotted, one of our group ever so subtly picks up the pace. Then the leader might be overtaken by a zealous competitor and we all end up quick-marching to the Promised Land. We've stopped short of a full three-man sprint, but there's still plenty of time for that on this trip!

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Final Thought

Houston, we have a problem! As I mentioned in day one's diary entry, producer Alex likes a cup of tea. In fact, he likes quite a lot of cups of tea and in true training camp spirit, he is currently conducting "three-a-days". But Alex is no fan of American tea and brought his own tea bags with him to America. The supply is running low. You will have seen many countdowns in operation ahead of the new season kick-off. Alex is now on teabag countdown. With Sunday in the Napa Valley, Monday in Seattle and Tuesday in Vancouver, Alex is down to seven tea bags. This is worrying breaking news at the end of another very productive and enjoyable day. Speak to you all tomorrow.