There's the playbook, which means less to a rush end like Bosa than most others.
There's locker room harmony and Zen. It's clear the "we've all moved on," "welcomed with open arms" message has been drilled into vocabularies, from the front office to anyone wearing a jersey _ even if tousled feelings about the new millionaire missing the groan and grind of August linger.
There's something even trickier to manage, potentially, though. The biggest impact could be ... the impact.
Miss training camp time in a sport as physically demanding as football, some medical experts maintain, and the chances of spending time alongside trainers and inside ice baths climb.
The next chapter in the Bosa saga should be entitled Patience _ for No. 99, the team and fans.
Dr. Luga Podesta, the Director of Sports Medicine at St. Charles Orthopedics in New York, previously worked as a training camp consultant for the Cowboys and Saints. He cautioned against the urge to make up for lost time.
"My advice would be to take your time and get game-ready before you make that jump and play right away," said Podesta, who is attending to tennis players as an on-site physician at the U.S. Open. "I think you're just asking for an injury at that point _ especially if you've been out for that long a period of time."
There's no doubt Bosa feels the incentive to hustle into a game, bone deep. To prove to people his will to be a Charger, before and always. To make a big play and shift the narrative fully back to football. To shuck business and bruise quarterbacks.
Patience.
"Medically, the game's going to be a lot faster," said Dr. Brian Schulz, orthopedic surgeon for the NHL's Anaheim Ducks who works at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. "Everyone's going to be as big and strong as him. Those reps, if he's not used to that, it's a lot to pick up pretty quickly.
"Working out in a gym is not like playing football. You're probably most susceptible to the over-use injuries. Wrists. Muscle strain. That sort of a thing."
Coach Mike McCoy offered the hard-working guy anecdote by saying that when he walked team Chairman Dean Spanos to meet Bosa on Monday, they found him pounding away at the squat rack in the weight room.
I compared notes with a former Chargers player who estimated _ though people and factors vary _ the average person sitting out or signed off the street needs "three good solid weeks" to polish himself into football shape. Bosa has less than two ... if he or anyone else is targeting the opener at Kansas City.
The former player added that someone can arrive in phenomenal physical condition, but "nothing simulates camp other than camp." Football shape is impossible to rush, even for the most inspired would-be pass rusher.
"In a sport like football, if you hurry back too soon, the muscles can't withstand the stress," Podesta said. "It opens you up to a number of possible injuries if you ramp it up too fast."
Between monitoring serves and volleys, Podesta tacked on another consideration.
"You've got to get used to being hit again," he said. "Your body has to re-learn how to absorb hits, how to go to the ground without being hurt, how to tuck. A lot of that happens in training camp. He's missed that opportunity."
That it took the No. 3 overall pick so long to join his new team _ which this week means sacrificing the entirety of the preseason schedule _ birthed Bosa's readiness timeline concerns. There's plenty of blame to go around, but the Chargers' admission that they didn't see the contract snafu coming on draft day raises real due diligence questions.
But, I digress.
The U-T's Michael Gehlken reported that the impasse for a pick that high is the longest since Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell in 2007.
Bosa looked nothing like Russell this week, however. And that's a very good thing. Bosa says he's trained like a madman. He says he's in the best shape of his life. He looks ready to chase down opponents with the wild abandon of someone zipping into a downtown parking spot during Comic-Con.
Still, the eye test can be a precarious measure for Bosa, circa Late August.
"Just listen to your body," Schulz said.
Patience.
