Tag: Melvin Gordon

3 notable pending free agents Chargers should let walk

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out three players that might not be back with the Los Angeles Chargers next season.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco and company are gearing up for one of their biggest offseasons yet.

Los Angeles has 15 unrestricted free agents. The Chargers can sign them to an extension before the free agency period opens up in March. Or, they will be able to sign with any other team.

There are a few pending free agents that will likely have new homes when the 2020 season begins.

With that, here are three notable unrestricted free agents that the Chargers should let go:

LB Jatavis Brown

Brown was a bit of unknown this past season, as his playing time was nearly nonexistent, seeing the field for only 92 snaps at the linebacker position. Since shining in his rookie season, his production has taken a toll. Three lower body injuries have held Brown back dating back to 2017.

Brown was a bright spot when he was on the field, but durability concerns have been there and the team appears to prefer what they have in Thomas Davis, Denzel Perryman, Drue Tranquill and Kyzir White. Based on the snaps he was given in what was considered a prove-it season, it’s hard to imagine him being back.

WR Travis Benjamin

Benjamin was signed to a one-year extension last offseason. He was brought back because he has the veteran experience and was coveted for his speed and the ability to beat defenders over the top.

Expected to serve as the No. 3 wide receiver heading into the season, he was unable to fulfill that. Benjamin only managed to play in five games, in which he posted five catches for 30 yards before landing on the injured reserve.

After a decent 2017 campaign, he hasn’t been efficient at catching the football and he hasn’t improved when it comes to taking contact, which have been glaring issues over the course of the past few years.

RB Melvin Gordon

Gordon spent this past offseason pushing for a new, hefty contract, but was unable to get that fulfilled. He held out into the regular season, but came back four weeks into it knowing that it wouldn’t do him any good to remain off the field.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Gordon upon returning to the field, but he finally found his groove in Week 9. He finished the season with 612 rushing yards (3.8 yards per carry) and nine total touchdowns.

Even though Gordon has proven his worth the past few seasons, durability is still a concern since he’s had a slew of lower body injuries throughout his career. Plus, the emergence of Austin Ekeler and backup Justin Jackson has made Los Angeles’ backfield crowded.

What Chargers’ Tom Telesco said at end-of-season press conference

Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco spoke to the media on Thursday for his annual end-of-season press conference.

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn spoke to the media on Monday. Three days later, general manager Tom Telesco got the spotlight to express how he felt about the 2019 season, as well as what the future may look like.

Telesco said he is upset with how the season turned out and said there are a lot of factors that cause them to only win five games. He said he needs to do a better job, but they aren’t discouraged moving into the new year.

“We’re disappointed. A bit angry, which is normal for this time of year, but we’re not discouraged at all. I like the culture here, I like the foundation we’ve built, and I love our head coach. Those three things are critical,” Telesco said on the 5-11 season.

A lot of the blame throughout the season fell on Lynn’s shoulders, but Telesco feels that he did a fine enough job and believes that he feels as though he is the right guy to lead the team into 2020 and beyond.

“The contract [extension] will work itself out. I know he’s tough, he’s smart, he’s a leader, and he represents this organization on and off the field like no one else. I love working with him. There’s nobody else I would rather go to battle with than him.” Telesco said.

All eyes are on a few household names that are set to become free agents. Telesco didn’t give anything away. Instead, him and the rest of the coaching staff are in the process of evaluating every position to decide the future for some of those players.

Among the group of is quarterback Philip Rivers.

Telesco didn’t want to look ahead and discuss the future of Rivers too much, but he did say that he thinks he can still compete as a top starter. He said that in a perfect world, 17 is your starting quarterback.

“More than likely, yeah. There’s no doubt,” Telesco said when asked if this is this something they want to get sorted out before the new league year (March 18) so he doesn’t become a free agent.

Another notable player whose future is up in the air is running back Melvin Gordon.

Like everyone else, Gordon will be evaluated to determine if he will be brought back. Telesco said it didn’t make him happy that Gordon held out and that it hurt the team, but added “I love the kid.” He said the running back handled it well when he returned to the team.

From Telesco’s past end-of-season press conferences, he is pretty straight forward when it comes to summing up the year. Even though it may seem like hints with the direction they could go in the offseason, he does a fine job of keeping what the plans are secured.

2010-2019 All-Decade team for Chargers: Offense

Introducing the offense of the Chargers’ All-Decade team for the 2010s:

The decade is coming to an end. Even though the Chargers haven’t had a lot of success in the past 10 years, making the playoffs only twice in that timespan, they possessed a slew of players that helped them along the way.

With that said, here is my Chargers 2010-2019 All-Decade team on the offensive side of the ball:

Quarterback: Philip Rivers

Rivers is a given here. Including the playoffs, Rivers has 235 consecutive starts, which is second among quarterbacks. He is the franchise’s leader in passing yards (59,271), touchdowns (397) and completions (4,908).

Running back: Melvin Gordon

This was a tough decision between Gordon and Ryan Mathews, but the former Wisconsin product has been more productive statistically. Though it’s not by much, Gordon amassed 133 more rushing yards than Mathews and he has him beat in the rushing touchdown category, as he has 35 to Mathews’ 23 scores.

Wide receiver: Keenan Allen, Malcolm Floyd, Vincent Jackson

Allen is going to go down one of the best receivers to play in a Chargers uniform. Since being selected in the third-round of the 2013 NFL draft, he has broken a few records. In total, he has amassed 524 receptions, 6,405 yards and 34 touchdowns. Floyd, a fan favorite, totaled 321 catches for 5,550 yards and 34 touchdowns. Jackson, Rivers’ go-to deep target, had 272 receptions for 4,754 yards and 37 touchdowns as a Charger.

Tight end: Antonio Gates

Gates, the record holder for touchdown receptions among tight ends, will go down as one of the best to play the position. He is the franchise leader in receptions (955), receiving yards (11,841) and touchdown catches (116) by a wide margin.

Left tackle: Russell Okung

Left guard: Kris Dielman

Center: Nick Hardwick

Right guard: Jeromey Clary

Right tackle: Marcus McNeill

Okung is one of the three Chargers offensive lineman to make a Pro Bowl appearance this decade. Dielman earned four consecutive Pro Bowl invitations. Hardwick started 136 games for the Chargers, playing in all 16 games five times in his career. Clary never made a Pro Bowl, but he was well respected for his work ethic, leadership and consistency, taking the field for more than 2,400 consecutive offensive snaps at one point. McNeill helped the Bolts with their rushing attack, earning a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first two seasons.

What Chargers’ Anthony Lynn said at end-of-season press conference

Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn talks about the state of the team, potential coaching changes, Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon.

The Los Angeles Chargers’ season has come to an end.

Entering the year, they were listed as potential Super Bowl contenders. But injuries, a midseason coaching change and in-game woes that they were unable to overcome resulted in an underwhelming outcome to the season.

Coach Anthony Lynn said he met with the team on Monday. He said everyone is disappointed. He said they are all committed to not letting this happen next season and that the worst thing was losing nine games in one score outcomes.

While many are going to use this time to recoup, Lynn said there is no vacation for him. Given the outcome of the season, he can’t relax and feels the need to immediately fix what went wrong.

But among the things that went wrong, a lot of fans pointed fingers at him and the rest of the coaching for a handful of their losses this season.

Lynn, who has one year remaining on his contract, is fine without receiving an extension, meaning he doesn’t mind making 2020 a prove-it season for him.

“I have no problem betting on myself,” Lynn said.

There’s no doubt that Lynn will be coaching the Chargers next season, but that doesn’t mean the coordinators are safe.

“You’re 5-11, everything is on the table. So I’m looking at everything,” Lynn said.

There’s a lot of uncertainty with a few notable player’s future, including quarterback Philip Rivers and running back Melvin Gordon.

“Who wouldn’t want a guy with those intangibles, that production? Sure. But we have a lot of guys to look at, not just Phil. It’s still early in that process. But I love what he represents and what he stands for,” Lynn said in regards to wanting Rivers back in 2020.

As for Gordon, Lynn said he would love to have him back next season. He said he loves how he is as a player, but as a person as well.

General manager Tom Telesco will have his end of the year press conference on Thursday.

3 key things to know about Chargers vs. Chiefs

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists three key things to know about the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Los Angeles Chargers close out their 2019 regular season on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Dec. 29.

Here are three key things to know about the Week 17 matchup:

Playing to win

With the AFC West already locked up, you would think that the Chiefs would be resting their starters, but Kansas City still has something on the line — a first-round bye. With a victory and a New England Patriots loss, the Chiefs would clinch the No. 2 seed. Coach Andy Reid said that the starters will be playing, so we will see quarterback Patrick Mahomes, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce among others.

Won’t be easy for Philip Rivers

All eyes will be on Rivers, as this could mark the last game for him in the blue and gold. If that’s the case, you would like the veteran quarterback to go out on a good note, but that may not be the case. The Chiefs’ pass defense is one of the best in the league, allowing a rating of 80.9 to opposing quarterbacks (4th) and 219 yards per game (8th). The last time Rivers played Kansas City earlier this season, he threw four interceptions and only one touchdown.

Perfect game to make a final case

Another player that might not be back in 2020 is running back Melvin Gordon. Since returning from his holdout, it’s been an up-and-down season for the 26-year old. Gordon has 566 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns in 11 games. There’s a good chance that he could put out a solid audition tape for the Chargers or his new team this weekend facing a Chiefs defense that is allowing 5.0 yards per carry (30th) and 129.5 yards per game (27th).

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Chargers’ Joey Bosa has played his way into a monstrous pay day

Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa is in line for a Brink’s truck.

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa has played his way into a monstrous pay day after the season.

Bosa, who was recently named to his second Pro Bowl, is having one of the best campaigns yet. Making an impact as a pass rusher and run defender, Bosa is up to 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss on the season, along with 51 quarterback pressures.

Bosa has 40 sacks in 50 career games, which makes him the 10th player since 1982 to total 40 or more sacks in his first 50 games.

At the moment, Bosa is slated to make $14.36 million on his fifth-year option next season. Based on the impact that he’s made since joining the team in 2016, he would be underpaid if he was to play making that much in 2020.

That is why Bosa could possibly hold out if he doesn’t receive a hefty contract.

General manager Tom Telesco elected to not re-sign quarterback Philip Rivers or running back Melvin Gordon this past offseason because he knew that he would need some change for Bosa if he played out of his mind in 2019, which he has.

So how much are we talking to avoid Bosa holding out this offseason?

Los Angeles would likely have to pay him in the ballpark of what Cowboys’ Demarcus Lawrence is getting paid, which is five years, $105 million, with $65 million guaranteed.

It’s going be an enticing offseason for the Chargers. They will have to decide who the starting quarterback will be in 2020, as well as figure out who’s coming back next season, with notables such as tight end Hunter Henry, safety Adrian Phillips and guard Michael Schofield.

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Chargers’ Anthony Lynn on loss to Raiders: ‘Poor execution’

Los Angeles Chargers recaps the loss to the Oakland Raiders, as well as rookie Trey Pipkins’ performance and how he feels about the season.

From the get go, the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t look like their normal selves and it reflected in the 24-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon.

The offense went three consecutive drives without a first down. It was a result of penalties, dropped passes and failing to get anything going in the running game. On the other side of the ball, the defense gave up too many big plays.

For coach Anthony Lynn, it wasn’t so much that players didn’t feel there was anything to play for, which might’ve been the assumption for how they appeared on the field, but more so the lack of execution on all three phases of the game.

“When you start out with two penalties, it’s a slow start,” Lynn said. “The first three drives were three-and-out. That wasn’t good. It wasn’t a lack of passion. It was lack of execution,” Lynn said.

The Chargers have struggled to put points on the board early on in games, which has been one of the reasons why they can’t find ways to win contests. They have went scoreless in the first quarter of six games this season.

The rushing attack was one of the reasons why they failed to have more opportunities to get into scoring position, as the unit finished with an underwhelming 19 yards on 16 carries.

The offensive line deserves some blame, as Oakland’s defensive line got the best of them. It didn’t help that they were without left tackle Russell Okung, which forced them to go with rookie Trey Pipkins.

But overall, Lynn was pleased in Pipkins’ performance as a whole. There’s a chance that we could see him again this Sunday against the Chiefs based on Lynn’s remarks.

“I thought Trey started out a little slow. He had the early penalty and the quarterback hit, a sack. But he got more comfortable as the game went on. So, we’ll look at him again this weekend,” Lynn said.

The Chargers, who are 5-10, have not had a lot of things go their way this season. Despite how close games have been played, they have not been able to execute and finish them as 14 of their 15 games have been determined by no more than a touchdown.

“We’ve had a lot happen to this team in a lot of ways,” Lynn says. “Just having a losing season stings. It stinks, too. We’re frustrated about that, but there’s nothing we can do about that right now.”

What Chargers players said after loss to Raiders

Players of the Los Angeles Chargers voice how they felt following the loss to the Oakland Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.

Even though the Chargers didn’t have anything to play for since they had been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, it was evident in their effort on the field.

“In that first half, we just didn’t come out with no passion. It shows and they hopped on us and we couldn’t get the lead back. I feel like there was some passion gone,” running back Melvin Gordon said.

Part of the reason why they couldn’t find success was their lackluster performance in the running game, as they only managed 19 yards on 16 carries.

“It was a tough day running the ball. For whatever reason, we were getting stuffed or even losing yards. It’s hard to get your offense going when they make you one-dimensional,” running back Austin Ekeler said.

Not only was it the ground game that struggled. The defense allowed too many big plays, both through the air and on the ground, which put the unit into a deeper hole.

One of the lone bright spots, safety Derwin James, acknowledged that the team was beat, saying the Raiders straight up whooped their a**.

The loss dropped Los Angeles to 5-10 and 0-5 in divisional play. Defensive end Joey Bosa knows they have a talented team and with a couple key additions to the roster, they should be back to their winning ways in 2020.

After three years playing at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Chargers are set to embark on a new era at SoFi Stadium, which will be shared with the Rams starting in 2020.

One thing the team will hope to eventually gain is a large fan base that’s in favor of them, rather than the opposing team.

“That didn’t have anything to do with the outcome of the game. But being someone that remembers what it used to be like at home games (in San Diego), it’s pretty bad. You appreciate the Chargers fans that are out there, but it is disheartening to say the least,” quarterback Philip Rivers said.

 

3 takeaways from Chargers’ loss to Raiders

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists three observations from the Los Angeles Chargers’ Week 16 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

The Los Angeles Chargers fell to the Oakland Raiders by the score of 24-17 on Sunday afternoon.

Here are three observations from the Week 16 loss:

Not bad, but not outstanding

In what could have been his final home game with the Chargers, quarterback Philip Rivers delivered a decent performance that didn’t give much to offer in terms of whether or not he should be back for Year 17.

Rivers, who dealt with a hand injury, started off cold and he didn’t benefit from a slew of dropped passes. But he slowly started producing positive yardage as the game went on, where he flourished in the short to intermediate parts of the field.

As a result, Rivers finished 27-of-39 passing for 279 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He managed to go without an interception Sunday for only the sixth time this season.

Following the game, Rivers was asked many questions regarding his future. He said that he feels like he could still play, but he’s going to take some time to discuss his future with his family following the season. It’s also up to the franchise to decide if they even want to bring him back for another stint.

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Chargers RB Austin Ekeler expects ‘frenzy’ with free agency coming up

Running back Austin Ekeler expects a ‘frenzy’ around the Los Angeles Chargers with free agency near.

When the Chargers take the field on Sunday against the Raiders, it could be the last home game in the blue and gold for some notable players.

On Wednesday, running back Austin Ekeler acknowledged that it’s not just those social media that are wondering who’s going to be on the team when they move into their new stadium next year.

“I think upstairs they’re trying to keep that on the down low until the season’s over because it’s about to be a frenzy in our locker room, especially on the offensive side with all the contracts that are coming up.

Everyone’s kind of looking around like, ‘Hey, what do you guys think is going to go on?’ None of us know. We don’t know what they’re going to do upstairs. We know what we want. But that’s a different story,” Ekeler said.

After this season, quarterback Philip Rivers, running back Melvin Gordon, guard Michael Schofield, tight end Hunter Henry, and fullback Derek Watt will all become unrestricted free agents.

Ekeler is among the few who will be a restricted free agent.

Rivers is the member that will be monitored the most. The veteran quarterback, who’s started 233 consecutive games in his 16-year stint, knows that this could be his last two games with the Bolts.

His remarks regarding his future following the loss to the Vikings raised eyebrows, but he clarified what he meant while stating he’s still focused on the rest of the season.

“I think I was just acknowledging the obvious. I think in anybody’s circumstance you better focus on the present. It’s not like I’m in Year 2 of a six-year contract.

You want to approach every week like it could be your last because you never know. Anything can happen. You never really want to take anything for granted. But you can’t over-dramatize each week based on the ‘what ifs,'” Rivers said.

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