Chargers Training Camp: Corey Linsley believes Zion Johnson is 'living up to the bill'

All-Pro center Corey Linsley was the first to hit the podium after Monday's first-padded practice, followed by head coach Brandon Staley and safety Nasir Adderley.

Linsley was able to hit on several topics of interest, including his early impression of rookie Zion Johnson and the new set of defensive tackles he gets to face this year in practice. Overall, the veteran said he feels really good for a guy going into year nine in the NFL and that it's "better than [he] thought he'd feel" at this stage in his career.

If you missed his media availability entirely, I transcribed some of the highlights below:

On how Zion Johnson has looked thus far in training camp:

"He's living up to the bill right now. It's the first day of pads but everything we thought was true. He's a really good player. He's got a ton of raw talent that you can see he's already put a lot together and honestly, the sky's the limit. He's very talent and I'm excited to play next to him."

On if he has noticed the same confidence [from Zion Johnson] that Rashawn Slater mentioned on Saturday:

"Yeah, he's calm. He's just a calm, collected individual that's smart as hell. There's just not been a whole lot where I've seen. He's just a calm, cool, collected individual who likes to play ball. I'd say Rashawn hit the nail on the head."

On if he agrees with Austin Ekeler that the biggest takeaway from the updated defensive interior are the "bigger bodies":

"I mean, we had some big guys last year. I played against Sebastian [Joseph-Day] and Austin [Johnson] and both of those ... I feel like they're a little bit unheralded. You know, that's kind of the name of the game for the inside guys, right? Unless you're getting the sack totals you don't hear the names, but for those two guys, when I saw that we signed them, I was like, 'Man, this is awesome.' Sebastian's a phenomenal nose tackle and he's definitely one of the best I've ever gone up against so for us to get him and Austin, those are two huge pickups. I'm excited to see his second year in the defense, out of Jerry [Tillery], too and then, again, it's just about building. Staying healthy and taking where we were last year and building off that."

On how the battle between Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton is shaping up:

"They know what it is. They know the battle. They know what they have to do, but I feel like our room is so tight that we're all working together, man. Like, in the O-Line world, it's all about cohesion. Like, you gotta know what the guy next to you is thinking. You gotta communicate. One of us can't succeed unless the guys playing next to you can. So for those two guys, they've been battling their butts off and they've been working all offseason. I know that both of them have been putting more work in this offseason than they have ever before. We just want the best five out there but we know we have a really good room where, with the next man up, we have all the confidence in the world."