AFC West Notes: Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

Chargers

Chargers HC Anthony Lynn said the team wants to avoid being overconfident amidst having high expectations for the 2018 season.

“That’s scary,” said Lynn, via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “I don’t know why everybody wants to crown us all of the sudden. I had someone in here say we have the second most talented roster in the league. I mean, really? Why would you think that? I know he was being nice, but that’s not even realistic, to say we have the second most talented roster when you look around the league. … We like our team, we really do. But right now, who in the hell doesn’t like their team? Everyone likes their team right now.

Regarding correcting the team’s run defense, Chargers DC Gus Bradley said he has a better feeling of the capabilities of their players and how to utilize them against the run.

“So I think now that we have been around these guys for a little bit, we have a better feeling now what they’re all about, what makes them operate and how to coach them. Sometimes you can ask so much that you paralyze them. So you’re trying to find that line of how much can you put on them, and still allow them to play fast,” said Bradley, via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.

Chiefs

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce said second-year QB Patrick Mahomes has taken control of the locker room as a leader this offseason.

“He just took control out there on the first day,” said Kelce, via Adam Teicher of ESPN. “That’s the biggest thing is seeing that he does have control of the room at such a young age, knowing this is his first rodeo in the NFL. He’s not shy about taking the lead and that’s huge. It makes it easier on all of us to see the direction of where this can go and it’s easy to follow that.”

Mahomes’ agent Leigh Steinberg said his client refused to accept endorsements because he was not the starting quarterback.

“We intentionally didn’t do endorsements that would run in the Kansas City area even though they were offered. We didn’t want him to be on billboards and everything when he wasn’t even playing,” said Steinberg, via USA Today.

Raiders

Raiders veteran LT Donald Penn said during an appearance on Michael Rapoport’s podcast that he immediately called HC Jon Gruden after the team used a first-round pick on OT Kolton Miller a few months ago.

“I’m not going to lie, as soon as I saw the draft pick, I called Gruden immediately. Like ‘man, what the f–k?’,” Penn said, via Silverandblackpride.com. “He didn’t answer, but when I saw him the next Monday, he was joking with me saying, ‘You were ready to kick my ass, huh, Donald?! You were mad as a motherf–ker!’”