COSTA MESA, Calif. – With the polish of every Chargers helmet, game day preparations begin. Team equipment manager Chris Smith is responsible for overseeing it all.

“This is the perfect job for me,” Smith said.

It is a great job, but it isn’t easy. His team is responsible for every aspect of the Chargers uniform. Every player is different. While some players like their jerseys on the pads in advance of game day, some like to wait until Sunday to do it themselves.  

“It’s such a big deal for them. Shoes, shoulder pads, helmets, jerseys, jerseys fitting tight, pants fitting right,” Smith said.

On Friday home games Smith’s crew grabs all the gear from each player in the locker room and then inspects it to make sure everything is inside. And they have to get it right.

“If we don’t put the right gear on the players, they may not perform as well,” Smith said.

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The players know they have to give their trust to the equipment crew for safety and to make sure they perform at their peak.

“A lot of trust. I’ve always made it a premium to be cool with those guys over there. They’re a part of this team as well,” said Melvin Gordon, Chargers running back.

“They have to deal with all of our deals as far as Nike, or Adidas, or whoever our apparel. So yeah we have to trust these guys for sure,” said Austin Ekeler, running back.

Of course, the NFL has strict guidelines on what the players can wear on the field. The requirements are posted in the locker room, but Smith knows he has millions more evaluating his performance.

“Especially the way social media is these days we want everything to be perfect because if a number is crooked on as helmet or a name isn’t spelled right on a jersey, we’ll certainly find out about it so there’s a lot of pressure for us to be perfect,” Smith said.

Though at the end of the day, Smith’s life is already perfect. Living the dream as a vital part of a NFL team.

“Wouldn’t want to do anything else,” said Smith.

For Smith’s crew the team victory is achieved before the Chargers even take the field.