Eric D. Williams, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Tom Telesco: Chargers to get clarity on Joey Bosa's medical status Friday

SAN DIEGO -- Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said in this interview with Nick Hardwick and Judson Richards of XTRA 1360 Fox Sports Radio the same things I thought when first seeing Joey Bosa in pads this week.

At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, that’s a big dude.

“You forget how big he looks in shoulder pads and helmet,” Telesco said. “So that was nice to see. It went fine. He got a good amount of work in [Wednesday]. We’ll get little more volume in [Thursday] and will have a better idea of his game status on Friday.

“But it was nice to get him back out on the field, working with the defense and his teammates.”

Telesco said whether or not Bosa plays will be up to the team’s medical staff.

“We just need to see more of him on the field and see him work,” Telesco said. “But the medical staff will get together, and in this particular situation, obviously, the coaches as well, because he has not played yet for us. That decision will come down the line.”

Telesco also talked about the reason the Chargers signed Dexter McCluster over other available running backs on the market.

“Signing Dexter McCluster is not a plug-and-play replacement for Danny Woodhead,” Telesco said. “Danny means so much to this football team. He’s a heart-and-soul player for us -- a true running back and a big-time playmaker for us.

“In the last couple weeks, we’ve lost Keenan Allen, we lose Danny, and we’ve lost Branden Oliver and Stevie Johnson, so we needed to find some players that we think can create and manufacture some yards for us. We think Dexter can do that for us, both in the run game, the passing game and a potential punt and kickoff returner.”

My take: Interesting that Telesco talked about bringing in players who can create yards after the catch, including McCluster and receiver Griff Whalen.

In this ESPN Insider piece, Matt Bowen does a nice job breaking down creative schemes teams can use to take away a team’s top receiver.

My take: Bowen provides an inside look at how defenses erase the most talented receiver lined up in the slot and on the perimeter by using bracket coverage, or rolling coverage to the top receiver’s side of the formation. It’s a good read.

In this ESPN Insider piece, Mike Clay examines which of the top corners shadow receivers all over the field. Clay writes that San Diego corner Jason Verrett will travel with the opposing team’s best receiver, but mostly on the perimeter.

My take: That’s accurate. However, Verrett can play inside as a slot defender and has covered a team’s best receiver inside in the past, including against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown last year.

Ricky Henne of Chargers.com offers five keys for San Diego in facing the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

My take: No. 4 on Henne’s list might be overlooked by some: stopping running back Frank Gore. But even at 33 years old, the University of Miami product remains respected by players around the league for his hard-charging running style.

Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram is now represented by RocNation.

My take: 2016 is an important year for Melvin, who becomes an unrestricted free agent next year.

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