Ken Whisenhunt to get Melvin Gordon on track
The San Diego Chargers fired Frank Reich and brought back Ken Whisenhunt this offseason. A good part of that was because a running game, featuring a first-round pick, never got on track. And Whisenhunt is making that struggling running game his first item on his to-do list.
Whiz’s first objective is to jumpstart the limp running game.
He told the team’s official website. “The first thing I will say is there were a lot of good things that were done last year offensively. But the one thing that stands out is we need to run the football better than we did last year. There is no blame associated there, as there are always factors that are involved.
“But that is probably the biggest thing we have to do, because then your play action builds off of that, your time of possession increases where you can control the ball and you are in better third down situations. All of those things tie in together.
“Now, it’s hard to say you can improve on all of those things significantly in the offseason because there are no pads, but I think you can lay the groundwork for what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. That will carry over into training camp.”
Whisenhunt the Chargers offensive coordinator for only one season back in 2013. The Chargers were ranked No. 13 in the NFL in rushing compared to the two seasons since, where they’ve ranked 30th and 31st. For Whisenhunt to fix this he has to get 2015 1st-round pick Melvin Gordon going.
Gordon averaged 3.5 yards per carry on 184 attempts for 641 yards during his rookie campaign and never saw the end zone. He did manage to flash some talent in the midst of all that but he had a fumbling problem. But Whisenhunt doesn’t seem too concerned about it, chalking it up to Gordon just being a rookie and expressed his hopes in him.
Whisenhunt said, “Obviously one thing that jumps into everybody’s mind are his fumbles, but if you think back to Tiki Barber and what a great player he was, well he struggled with fumbles early on, too. So let’s not panic about that. Yes, it is something we’ve got to work on, but Melvin is a talented guy.
“The important thing for us is what does he do well from a run game perspective? Is it a power/counter scheme, or is it a zone scheme? What are his strengths, and how do they fit with us? How can we put him in those situations? I think it is important he gets reps, and comfortable with the courses he is taking.
“Last year, he didn’t get a chance to be exposed to that, so it will be easier for him with us having him for the whole offseason. He is also a good receiver, and catches the ball well out of the backfield. I’m excited about what he is going to be, and I am looking forward to that.”
Ryan Matthews rushed for 1,255 yards under Whisenhunt in 2013 so there is reason to believe Whiz will make a difference.