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AFC Notes: Brock Bowers, Garett Bolles, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders

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Broncos

Entering his ninth season, 33-year-old Broncos LT Garett Bolles wants to continue playing until the age of 39. He also mentioned becoming more aware of taking care of his body as his career continues to progress.

“I think my passion at a young age, I just wanted to put everyone in the dirt all the time,” Bolles said, via BroncosWire.com. “Now I think it’s more sexy to stay in front of somebody and block them with your feet and hands. The reality is, [if] you want to be the best tackle in the league, you talk about some of the greats — that’s what they did. They stayed in front of the guy. They moved their feet and they played a long time.”

“I also think it comes to taking care of your body and knowing what you’re going to put in,” Bolles added. “You’re not going to put bad gas in a Ferrari or a Lambo. You’re going to put in the best gas. 91, 95 octane. That’s just what it takes. When you get older, you have to focus on the little things. That’s eating right, that’s sleeping right, that’s training and just getting disciplined in everything you do. The game’s the same. The speed’s the same. I’m more confident in that, but when it just comes to taking care of your body and making sure you’re doing everything right, which we do a really good job here, I can play as long as I can.”

Chargers

Chargers LB Tuli Tuipulotu is on track to become a full-time starter this season and aims to emulate the play of veteran LB Khalil Mack on the opposite edge.

“My standard is to play like Khalil. He is the standard,” Tuipulotu told the team website. “I’m doing my best so there’s no drop off like, ‘Khalil is here, let’s slide to him.’ We got to make it so there’s two elite edge rushers on the side where we could both go and dominate, they don’t know who to slide to or who to double, who to chip. He’s the standard, that’s what I’m chasing.”

“I feel like every year I come into, it has to be a big year,” Tuipolotu added. “That was my mindset coming into last year and it’s going to be the same mindset coming into this year. To be honest, I’ve been starting since my rookie year, last year and if that’s my role this year, it’s going to feel the same.”

“I think he’s got a great personality, he’s got a great vibe to him,” DC Jesse Minter said of Tuipulotu. “Guys like being around him, guys like talking to him, guys don’t mind when he speaks every once in a while. He’s ascending into that type of role, and ultimately I just want him to be himself. If he’s the best version of himself, we’ll be happy with what we get out of it.”

Raiders

Raiders TE Brock Bowers admitted that he was completely surprised when Las Vegas drafted him, as he had more conversations with other teams.
 
“It’s actually kind of funny, it’s always like the team you least expect to pick you,” Bowers said on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “I didn’t talk to them a ton, I talked to other teams a lot more and then all of a sudden I’m sitting there on draft night and I get a call. Me and my agent are talking and Las Vegas isn’t even in the picture really. All of a sudden I get a call and it says Las Vegas, Nevada. I said, ‘Should I pick this up?’ and he said, ‘Hell yeah pick it up!’”
 
Bowers also slashed his way into the league’s record books as a rookie, breaking the all-time receiving yards by a rookie tight end, set by former Bears TE Mike Ditka back in 1961. He also set marks for receptions by a rookie at any position, set by WR Puka Nacua and the franchise’s reception record for a single season, held by recently unretired TE Darren Waller.
 
“I was trying the hardest not to think about it,” Bowers mentioned. “But at the same time when you see everything [on the internet] and you’re getting tagged in stuff and it’s like, ‘Oh man, he might break these records’ and stuff. It’s pretty crazy seeing all that and looking back on it, it’s pretty cool. I’m just really big into winning every single rep and like trying to do that in the offseason. During OTAs I’m trying to do that and it just pisses me off when I don’t do that. So, it just pushes me to get better in every single facet, I think. Because I feel like there’s not one thing I did great, but not one thing I did super duper bad. I’m just trying to elevate everything.”

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