From The Athletic today:
Horvath said he is in the plan on all of the core-four units — punt, punt return, kickoff and kick return. And he is very versatile as a special teams player, with the ability to play multiple positions on multiple units.
Horvath earned his spot on the roster by how he performed in practice on special teams.
“Whatever way I’m going to get on the field, I’m going to go do whatever they ask me to do,” Horvath said this week. “So I just kept that mindset, and all I did all OTAs and stuff was just study all day, make sure I had everything down so when I go in and wouldn’t mess it up, and that would put me in better chances of making the team, as well. And I think it just worked out. I stuck with the schedule and everything, and it worked out the way I wanted it to.”
New special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken gushed about Horvath when asked about the rookie this week.
“I’m fired up about him,” Ficken said. “I think he does a lot of good things. He brings a lot of unique traits in terms of, he’s very athletic, he’s a fast learner, he can play multiple spots, he’s versatile. So I’m excited about where he’s at. He still has to learn special teams at this level, but he’s doing a great job. There’s not anything that you feel like he can’t handle right now. That’s encouraging, and having those kind of players on your team that have that versatility is fun because then you can go ahead and do different things with him. We’re excited for his development.”
Horvath turning heads
Seventh-round pick Zander Horvath beat out Gabe Nabers in training camp for the fullback spot, and he is going to be a crucial piece on the Chargers’ special teams this season.Horvath said he is in the plan on all of the core-four units — punt, punt return, kickoff and kick return. And he is very versatile as a special teams player, with the ability to play multiple positions on multiple units.
Horvath earned his spot on the roster by how he performed in practice on special teams.
“Whatever way I’m going to get on the field, I’m going to go do whatever they ask me to do,” Horvath said this week. “So I just kept that mindset, and all I did all OTAs and stuff was just study all day, make sure I had everything down so when I go in and wouldn’t mess it up, and that would put me in better chances of making the team, as well. And I think it just worked out. I stuck with the schedule and everything, and it worked out the way I wanted it to.”
New special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken gushed about Horvath when asked about the rookie this week.
“I’m fired up about him,” Ficken said. “I think he does a lot of good things. He brings a lot of unique traits in terms of, he’s very athletic, he’s a fast learner, he can play multiple spots, he’s versatile. So I’m excited about where he’s at. He still has to learn special teams at this level, but he’s doing a great job. There’s not anything that you feel like he can’t handle right now. That’s encouraging, and having those kind of players on your team that have that versatility is fun because then you can go ahead and do different things with him. We’re excited for his development.”
