CHARGERS NOTES: Kaeding aims at small target, not just for kicks

[Red Zone]

SAN DIEGO ---- Nate Kaeding doesn't have much to do during training camp. He doesn't want to wear out his leg in every special teams period, deferring to a kickoff machine most of the time.

Kaeding kicks field goals every now and then, and when he does he prefers to make life as difficult as possible. He has to thread a goalpost less than half the size of a normal one, a challenge meant to improve accuracy.

Even with a smaller target, Kaeding is still spot on. He knocked four consecutive attempts through the uprights from 45 yards away on Thursday morning, proof that increased downtime hasn't decreased accuracy.

The mini-goalposts prove that point.

"I won't look at big uprights unless we're in a stadium," Kaeding said. "I've been using the smaller uprights since my freshman year at Iowa. When I came here, we only had big ones, but management was great and ordered a pair of smaller uprights. It's good for fine-tuning and honing your game. If you can knock it through the small ones, it'll go through the big ones."

Kaeding also has a set at his home in Iowa, and isn't satisfied with a split percentage and a few narrow misses.

"I'll treat a kick just I normally would," he said. "You don't want to justify a miss by saying, 'That would've made it through the big one.' That's not the point of the drill. The goal is to make it."

Kaeding's drills get even tougher. He spent part of spring minicamp aiming at a light post from roughly 35 yards away. The scary part is that he connects pretty often there, too.

"We'll do that sometimes, just to mix it up," he said. "There's always a new challenge, which is necessary to progress and keep getting better."

Vasquez's costly absence

Louis Vasquez has been out of practice for a week now. While Vasquez's foot injury has healed to the point that he has been out of a protective boot since Monday, he can't practice and won't play in Saturday's exhibition versus Seattle.

Vasquez's absence has hurt the position battle at right guard, expected to be a close one between him and Kynan Forney. Forney has received high praise for his recent play and now seems to have a large leg up on his competition.

"If Kynan ends up being starter the right guard, if he's playing at a high level, it's his job," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "If a guy struggles and there's someone else there to compete, then we'll (re-evaluate)."

Vasquez faces an uphill battle after missing this extended period, which is expected to end next week. Time lost really hurts a young player, even one like Vasquez, who played so well in spring practice.

"The thing about Vasquez is that he got off to such a great start," Turner said. "He was so impressive in the things he did that it gave you great hope. He's missed the reps, but he's a smart guy. With the things he showed me, I think he can continue to progress when we get him back."

Opener blacked out

Saturday's exhibition versus the Seattle Seahawks will be blacked out on local television. By NFL rule, all general seats must be sold out 72 hours before kickoff, and on Wednesday roughly 6,000 tickets remained for the game.

The game will be blacked out locally and on NFL Network, which is also broadcasting the game live. The game will be shown on tape delay in the San Diego market on Ch. 8 at 10:30 p.m. It will be shown at 11:30 on KCBS in the Los Angeles market.

Chargers notes

An announced crowd of 10,526 witnessed the Chargers' final public practice of training camp, which took place Wednesday evening at Qualcomm Stadium. It wasn't as spirited as past public sessions, but the practice featured several team periods as the team prepares for Saturday's exhibition versus Seattle. ... OL Louis Vasquez (foot), DE Jacques Cesaire (calf), ILB Stephen Cooper (ankle), ILB Darry Beckwith (hamstring), OL Brandyn Dombrowski (hamstring) and DL Andre Coleman (foot) missed both practices on Wednesday. OLB Larry English (hamstring), NT Jamal Williams (rest) missed the evening session. English said he was just resting his hamstring and should play Saturday. ... RB Darren Sproles missed both practices to be with his fiancee, who is expecting a child at any time.

NCT