RB Melvin Gordon - done??

[blueman]

Can the OL get better? Yes.

Can Gordon get better? Sure hope so.

[BoltBacker]

Can the OL get better? Yes.

Can Gordon get better? Sure hope so.

All the focus on Gordon, why not all the others. He has gotten to the point where he is top ten at his position in the league yet he's still not acknowledged as such on this board. The fact that he can still improve shows what a talent he is.

He is the best player of the 2015 draft class for the Chargers.
He is arguably the second best 1st round pick we have had in the last ten years behind Bosa.
You never here of any problems from him and he has improved every year in the league.

Sounds like a strong asset to me.

[blueman]

[richpjr]

Ranking him a top 10 back depends on what your criteria is. If you go by total yards, he ended up 7th. If you go by yards per carry, he was 28th. He was a good, but not great back. I still think his vision is suspect and he goes down way to easy. But he did cut down his fumbling and has improved as a blocker and receiver. I'm just not sold on him as a stud running back and I'd worry about extending him with the procedure he had on his knee.

[Formula 21]

His ypc would be better if the OL keep the D out of the backfield better.

[blueman]

True. And his ypc would be better if he stopped trying to go sideways so much.

[Steve]

The reason he goes sideways so much is that our OL doesn't combo block well.

When they start their double teams, they either don't sustain the double long enough, so the DL gets off the block and makes the play in the backfield or they sustain the combo block too long, only block the DL and then the pursuit is right there. Gordon is going sideways because he knows where the pursuit is coming from and trying to get away from it. Sure there is a cut here or there, but he isn't being decisive because it isn't there consistently. As the blocking improves the running will improve, and when the running improves, the blocking will get better. It's a positive cycle, but we are on the wrong end of it.

The bottom line is that everyone needs to do a better job in the running game. Gordon is missing cuts here and there, the OL is missing blocks, the receivers are not always making/sustaining their blocks long enough... everyone needs to get better. That is the problem with the running game, it truly is a team effort. You can't get away with doing part of it well. Every part has to work together, which is why teams at every level of football are getting away from it.

The really hard part of being a better running football team is not being able to really practice it. Now that the NFLPA doesn't allow many contact practices, we are stuck having to call the plays over and over again in games, because we don't get to work on it as much in practice. Bad running games across the NFL are having a lot more trouble getting better because they simply don't get the contact reps needed to improve. Add in it the poor teaching of fundamentals in college (almost becoming an absence of teaching of fundamentals) and NFL coaches have a much more difficult job.

[BlazingBolt]

I am glad Melvin wants to be "the guy". He seems like a good dude, met him once. He is a solid back, pass pro was good, good receiver, only one fumble that was returned for an offensive TD.

I definitely not opposed to spending maybe a 3rd rounder on another back. Eckeler seems to be able to contribute and can hopefully cut out the fumbles but it's always good to have good running backs. I don't think it's a top priority but I would like to add another running back.

[Coachmarkos]

If they have Melvin, and Ekeler. I'm fine with bringing in another UDFA... I don't want to waste a draft pick on a back.

[Formula 21]

If they have Melvin, and Ekeler. I'm fine with bringing in another UDFA... I don't want to waste a draft pick on a back.

Backs should be going cheap in the draft this year. There's a lot of them.

[blueman]

[richpjr]

We all know our line is not very good at run blocking. Yet Ekeler averaged 5.5 yards per carry behind the same line that Gordon averaged 3.9 yards per carry behind. I'm not saying that Ekeler is better than Gordon, just pointing out the huge disparity in average yards between the two. It's not all on the line.