The Melvin Gordon Saga - Holdout Over

[Sgt. Pepper]

The players in bold are who i would let walk after this season. Phillips if he is cheap enough id keep but keep thinking his eventual replacemant was drafted this year. I didnt bold Gordon but clearly if he wants big money, he is gone. Watt had only like 130+ snaps last season with many on STs so dont see why we bring him back unless its on a cheap deal. And i can see a cheap deal given what he does for us.
Ekeler will be a RFA as well as Culkin who will get the lowest tender.

Pouncey is the best OL the Chargers have had in years. He is the only elite member of that unit. The only way I let Pouncey walk is if his skills show serious decline this season.

[Fleet]

Just looking ahead. Next year could be loaded at RB. Etienne. Harris. Taylor. Dobbins maybe. Swift. I expect all these guys to declare. No need to put more wear on those legs as they all have a good amount of carries. Especially Taylor.

[SYB]

Pouncey is the best OL the Chargers have had in years. He is the only elite member of that unit. The only way I let Pouncey walk is if his skills show serious decline this season.

Pouncey is the best OC we've had in years, but is far from elite. Okung is a better player at a more valuable position. And I still wish they would have signed Whitworth instead of him.

[Topcat]

The players in bold are who i would let walk after this season. Phillips if he is cheap enough id keep but keep thinking his eventual replacemant was drafted this year. I didnt bold Gordon but clearly if he wants big money, he is gone. Watt had only like 130+ snaps last season with many on STs so dont see why we bring him back unless its on a cheap deal. And i can see a cheap deal given what he does for us.
Ekeler will be a RFA as well as Culkin who will get the lowest tender.

Agree on Watt...seriously, how many times did we really use him? In an average game, what, aside from ST, maybe 3-4 plays? I'd rather let Watt go and keep someone like Detrez who is a truly valuable back with a proven effective track record...

[Topcat]

Pouncey is the best OC we've had in years, but is far from elite. Okung is a better player at a more valuable position. And I still wish they would have signed Whitworth instead of him.

According to PFF, Pouncey grades out as average. Still like to have him, but hopefully the Bolts get busy this year grooming his replacement, either Q-berry, or possibly Volson. Okung is above average but not elite. Scho is average. Both Feeney and Tevi graded out as below average. Let's see if the Bolts really have a fair competition in TC this year, because I'd like to see both Feeney and Tevi step it up and fight off all comers, or for someone else to unseat them. I'd like to see Lamp unseat Feeney, or slide Scho over to RT and Lamp goes to RG, IF Feeney steps it up.

[SYB]

According to PFF, Okung grades out as average. Still like to have him, but hopefully the Bolts get busy this year grooming his replacement, either Q-berry, or possibly Volson. Okung is above average but not elite. Scho is average. Both Feeney and Tevi graded out as below average. Let's see if the Bolts really have a fair competition in TC this year, because I'd like to see both Feeney and Tevi step it up and fight off all comers, or for someone else to unseat them. I'd like to see Lamp unseat Feeney, or slide Scho over to RT and Lamp goes to RG, IF Feeney steps it up.

Actually, Okung grades out at the high end of "above average" and Pouncey barely avg. They're separated by 22 points, which is pretty substantial.

And my boy Whitworth, who I was very vocal about pursuing and was given a ton of shit for, grades out in the "good" range, 8 points ahead of Russell.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl/players/russell-okung/5531

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl/players/mike-pouncey/6167

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl/players/andrew-whitworth/3000

[Topcat]

Actually, Okung grades out at the high end of "above average" and Pouncey barely avg. They're separated by 22 points, which is pretty substantial.

And my boy Whitworth, who I was very vocal about pursuing and was given a ton of shit for, grades out in the "good" range, 8 points ahead of Russell.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl...ell-okung/5531

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl...e-pouncey/6167

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl...whitworth/3000

My bad...meant to say POUNCEY is avg. and Okung above avg. Pouncey will be a FA after this season, so ideally the Bolts let him go and...

1. Groom his replacement this year
2. Draft his replacement
3. Sign a FA upgrade

If not, they better bring back Pouncey for a 1-year deal for insurance...

[Formula 21]

Agree on Watt...seriously, how many times did we really use him? In an average game, what, aside from ST, maybe 3-4 plays? I'd rather let Watt go and keep someone like Detrez who is a truly valuable back with a proven effective track record...

You could get your wish this year.

[Steve]

To be fair, DJ led the league in total scrimmage yards, rec's for a RB and TD's in just his second year. Then Arians bounced and that team went to complete shit. I feel like they overpaid him to try to hold onto one of the only good young players they have and knowing that they were gonna draft a QB high, and therefor would have some extra cap space for a few years before the rookie QB contract was up and they had to pay up. I do think he sees a bounce back year in this new system though.

And if you're only willing to spend $5-7 mil on a RB in today's market, you're likely gonna have a crappy RB or guy on his rookie contract.

A lot of teams have had success drafting RB in the 2nd to 5th rounds. Pretty much every year you get a UDFA who ends up starting for someone and look decent doing it.

The difference between the top guys and the 2nd tier of the pay scale is that the top guys can do everything really well. The 2nd tier, they need to play by committee, which is pretty much true of the top guys too (see injury histories). Having 1 guy is an injury away from disaster at a position that is known for injuries. If we pay one guy top dollar with the rest of the group being all guys HAVE to be on their rookie deals. So, only then we are stuck giving younger players 20 carries a game when the starter is out, because the starter holds the roster spot in limbo while injured. If history is any guide, RB on their 2nd contract WILL get hurt.

As far as Watt goes, he doesn't get paid on the same pay scale as the RB do. He is a FB, and a very good one. He made the pro bowl as the best blocking FB in the AFC, and is probably the best pure blocker in the NFL. That says a lot about the position, but the fact is he is very good at what he does. If we made him the highest paid FB outside of Kyle Jusczyk, it would only cost us about $2 mill a season, and when you realize that vet min is about $1 mill, that really isn't very much. He is also a good ST player, and we DESPERATELY need to develop a strong core of ST guys. If we play with the bonus money, and pay a bit more up front, we can probably bring down the average per year some, and get him for about $1.75 mil per year. He's not going to break the bank.

[Steve]

Did I see somewhere that Gordon had a 5.1 ypc average last year? With a less than stellar O line, that's impressive no matter how you spin it. In a couple years, with a new qb taking over, it will be nice to have that type of back to help..... It might be seen as overpaying, but keeping some type of consistency would be good...... Just an opinion.

Before we get too excited, all our RB seem to be close to having a high average per carry. Ekeler had a higher average than Gordon, and Newsom was at 4.5 ypc, which is good and most RB get a lot better the next season. Jackson was also pretty explosive, so there is every reason to think his very pedistrian 4.1 will get better. Remember, average per carry is a horrible stats for how consistent a player is, it just tells you how many long runs a RB has. So guys like Jackson and Newsome will get their averages up if they get more carries (and don't play against playoff caliber D).

Again, I am not against giving MG a new contract, but he is not playing like a top tier RB and if he wants that much money, then we need to let him walk. It's not worth letting the whole team go to hell just to keep a piece that is easily replaced. Lots of RB have running skills.

[Steve]

Pouncey is the best OC we've had in years, but is far from elite. Okung is a better player at a more valuable position. And I still wish they would have signed Whitworth instead of him.

Part of the issue with Pouncey in the past is that he has struggled with some injuries. He is a very good run blocker, who struggles with pass blocking at times.

The thing that will complicate his signing is 1) the injuries, we need to make a contract that protects the team in case he cannot play that much longer, or at that high a level, and 2). get it done early enough that we don't get in a bidding war, because OL contract in FA are not something we can win. He could easily cost a team $15 mil a year or so. His former teammate James got $15 mill a year (which makes him the highest paid RT in football) and he is a pretty average starting OT.

The point is, OL don't get to FA, but Pouncey is the kinda guy that teams with a ton of cap space will be willing to ignore his issues to win the FA war in March. If he becomes a FA, then only hope we have is that he decides to play for less.

You can forget signing a FA C, OL prices are stupid expensive. We are already priced out of the market for next season.

[Topcat]

A lot of teams have had success drafting RB in the 2nd to 5th rounds. Pretty much every year you get a UDFA who ends up starting for someone and look decent doing it.

The difference between the top guys and the 2nd tier of the pay scale is that the top guys can do everything really well. The 2nd tier, they need to play by committee, which is pretty much true of the top guys too (see injury histories). Having 1 guy is an injury away from disaster at a position that is known for injuries. If we pay one guy top dollar with the rest of the group being all guys HAVE to be on their rookie deals. So, only then we are stuck giving younger players 20 carries a game when the starter is out, because the starter holds the roster spot in limbo while injured. If history is any guide, RB on their 2nd contract WILL get hurt.

As far as Watt goes, he doesn't get paid on the same pay scale as the RB do. He is a FB, and a very good one. He made the pro bowl as the best blocking FB in the AFC, and is probably the best pure blocker in the NFL. That says a lot about the position, but the fact is he is very good at what he does. If we made him the highest paid FB outside of Kyle Jusczyk, it would only cost us about $2 mill a season, and when you realize that vet min is about $1 mill, that really isn't very much. He is also a good ST player, and we DESPERATELY need to develop a strong core of ST guys. If we play with the bonus money, and pay a bit more up front, we can probably bring down the average per year some, and get him for about $1.75 mil per year. He's not going to break the bank.

Well Steve, you've almost got me convinced to keep Watt. If they're going to keep him, I'd just like to see them use him more, and not just for blocking. Part of the effectiveness of a FB is that you have to at least give him the rock sometimes, and pass it to him sometimes. That way, when Rivers play fakes to Watt, the LB's better be filling the gaps to stop him; then if PR passes into the flats to the TE or a quick slant to a wideout, he should be open. But when opposing teams see Watt and MG3 in there in the I-formation again, they all know that 99% of the time, it's going to be Watt blocking for MG3...too predictable, IMHO...