Training Camp Day 8: Gardner Minshew makes a statement in team scrimmage

Players' perspective

Alexander Mattison, Andre James, Isaiah Pola-Mao, and Tommy Eichenberg spoke with the mediabriefly after Saturday's scrimmage.

Mattison praised the defense's performance so far in camp and said it can only help the offense get better, which is what every offensive player has said in interviews so far. He also mentioned that nobody got hurt today and that it was for everyone to participate in a full scrimmage with realistic hits and pressure.

James gave Wilkins the ultimate compliment: a comparison to Crosby. He said basically that Wilkins was the interior version of Crosby, which is so promising for this defense. Pola-Mao also praised his teammates, calling Marcus Epps "the ultimate pro" and going on about how close the secondary unit has gotten because of Epps' presence. His leadership has been invaluable to the group and the defense, according to Pola-Mao.

Eichenberg is a man of few words, but he commended Robert Spillane for his leadership early in his career and talked about how he loved playing for a head coach who was a linebacker. He laughed about his peformance of Pop Smoke's song Mood Swings during a team bonding event and seems to be enjoying the camaraderie of training camp in Costa Mesa.

The team will likely take Sunday off and hit the ground running again on Monday as they prepare for the first contest of the preseason on Saturday, August 10th on the road against the Vikings.