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27	August 2018

general manager John Lynch.

Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa set an NFL record with 19 sacks in his first 20 career games.

He recorded at least 10 1/2 sacks in each of his first two seasons Edwin Diaz Seattle Mariners Jersey , but Bosa and the Chargers insist the best is yet to come.

�I think there�s so much I have to work on that I have an idea in my head of what I want things to look like and how I want to be as a player, and I�m not anywhere near those things, but I know I�m making the right steps in that direction,� Bosa said Sunday.

Cornerback Casey Hayward has never been shy in sharing his belief that Bosa could become the best defender in football. It was only reinforced last season as Bosa�s pass rush skills helped contribute to Hayward intercepting four passes.

�Made my life a lot easier,� Hayward said. �A couple of my picks last year came off Joey hitting the guy, wobbly ball, I take all of them.�

Entering his third season, the next step in Bosa�s development could come from a better understanding of coordinator Gus Bradley�s 4-3 defense. The Chargers were productive in 2017 while transitioning to Bradley�s system, finishing third in points per game allowed, tied for fifth in sacks, and sixth in takeaways. Those rankings could improve as the coaches, players and front office are more comfortable with what will allow the defense to succeed in this iteration.

The Chargers added depth in the draft Cassius Marsh Jersey 49ers , with Bosa praising defensive lineman Justin Jones and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu for their ability to get to the quarterback. The progression of second-year defensive end Isaac Rochell could result in Bosa staying fresh by allowing Bradley to rotate more. The 280-pound Bosa could play inside if Rochell is capable of creating pressure off the edge consistently, allowing Bradley to use his most disruptive players together in obvious passing situations.

Bosa, who had 12 1/2 sacks last season as the bookend to Melvin Ingram, could cause more havoc if opponents cannot focus all their attention on stopping the two standout defensive ends.

�Joey can improve,� coach Anthony Lynn said. �I don�t think he has reached his peak yet at all, and the better we get on that defensive line and create more one-on-one matchups, that�s going to help his success as well.�

But Bosa will never put a target on his individual production going into his season after recognizing that chasing personal goals often comes at the expense of both the individual and the team.

�If you want to get 15 sacks and you�re out there doing your own things to get sacks, more than likely you�re going to hurt the team and not get a sack rather than you just doing your job and you falling into one,� Bosa said. �I�ve come to realize when I�m really out there trying to make a play like that, I do something wrong and they�ll break a run or whatever. But if I I stay within myself and the defense, it usually works out pretty well.�

Bosa�s zen mentality carries over to his offseason workouts. He stresses developing his overall athleticism rather than addressing any particular football technique. That regiment makes the first week of training camp something of a transition period, with Bosa joking he is focused on �lining up right.�

Still Baker Mayfield Jersey , Hayward sees how Bosa approaches the game spilling over to the rest of the team. If Bosa can improve on his momentous initial returns, that bodes well for the Chargers as a whole.

�That�s definitely contagious. You see that, you want to work just as hard as he does,� Hayward said.

NOTES: Rookie tight end Austin Roberts tore his ACL on Saturday, Lynn said. . The Chargers will practice in full pads for the first time Monday.

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Well, it turns out that maybe Panthers four-time All-Pro middle linebacker Luke Kuechly may have a minor flaw in his game.

Who knew?

The 27-year-old Kuechly, considered one of the best players in the league at his position, said after Sunday's practice his pass rushing ability needs to improve "by leaps and bounds."

And Panthers coach Ron Rivera was quick to agree.

"Yes, he does" need to improve, Rivera said. "Like Cam (Newton) likes to tell you, 'Superman has his Kryptonite.'"

Kuechly has been akin to Superman for the Panthers defense over the past six seasons.

He has 818 tackles and 15 interceptions during that span, and has staked his claim as the most productive middle linebacker ever to play for the Panthers 鈥攚ith a realistic chance to go down as one of the NFL's all-time bests along with Ray Lewis Braden Smith Color Rush Jersey , Jack Lambert, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.

Rivera has repeatedly said Kuechly is like having a coach on the field with his ability to call out an opponent's play call to teammates before the ball is ever snapped. He's seemingly always around the ball and his mistakes are few and far between.

Getting to the quarterback has rarely been one of Kuechly's strengths.

He has 10陆 career sacks, including just one last season. By comparison, Seattle middle linebacker Bobby Wagner 鈥?whom Kuechly is often compared to in the NFC 鈥?has 15陆 sacks during that same span.

Kuechly is working with new linebackers coach Steve Russ to improve his explosiveness and ability to penetrate the line of scrimmage, a skillset that could potentially elevate the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year to a whole new level.

"Coach Russ has a planned attack for (improving) that and hopefully it will translate into a game," Kuechly said.

Kuechly joked that he has to get better at pressuring the quarterback because his longtime buddy Thomas Davis, the team's outside linebacker, "beats me in that (category) every year 鈥?and I have to try to get him back."

This may be Kuechly's year to get the best of Davis, who will start the season serving a four-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.

It's not anything new for Kuechly to target an area to improve. For the past couple of years Kuechly spent extra energy working on his pass coverage skills, an area in which he has shown noticeable improvement.

Of course, the biggest concern for Kuechly will be avoiding another concussion. He has sustained a concussion in each of the past three seasons, causing him to miss 10 games.

The Panthers simply can't afford to lose him.

His speed and ability to chase down ball carriers from sideline to sideline still amazes Rivera Cheap Barkevious Mingo Jersey , who played linebacker for nine seasons for the Chicago Bears and won a Super Bowl in the 1985 season.

Rivera said he's "seen everything" from Kuechly, but pointed to a play he made last week in practice that caused the coach to pause the game film and replay it in slow motion several times. As Rivera describes it, Kuechly was chasing down a ball carrier to the outside when a blocker stepped in his way to cut him off.

But that didn't keep Kuechly from making the play though.

"The position he was in, he should have been cut off," Rivera said. "But he made a step in and the blocker came down with him and he jumped around him and accelerated to the outside and made the play. It's one of those where you just sit there and go, 'Wow.'"

While the focus this summer will be on improving as a pass rusher, Rivera said Kuechly remains a special player.

"He has that kind of ability and I think a big part of it is just how smart he is as a football player," Rivera said.

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