The last time the San Diego Chargers had Ken Whisenhunt running their offense, the team made the playoffs.
The Chargers played a smashmouth, run-the-ball offense until defenses could not stop it anymore. They ranked 13th overall in rushing offense while averaging four yards a carry for the entire season. Then, Whisenhunt left the team for a head coaching opportunity and brought in Frank Reich as offensive coordinator. Consequently, Reich ran many draw plays, especially from the shotgun. This corresponding change resulted in yards-per-carry averages in the following two years of 3.4 and 3.5, respectively.
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In 2016, Ken Whisenhunt is back, and with a hard-nosed runner who longs for running plays out of the I-formation. This sounds eerily similar to when Whisenhunt tinkered with Ryan Mathews back in 2013, when Mathews rushed for the most yards in his career. Now Melvin Gordon looks to enact comparable numbers, or even an improvement on last year’s rookie campaign.
Many believe already that Gordon should be deemed a bust, much like the horror story that is Trent Richardson. Yet, the coaching and front office alike have high hopes for the former-first round pick who was traded up for back in 2015. Tom Telesco and Mike McCoy alike trust that Gordon can be redeemed and become a trustworthy, reliable running back.
Last season, Gordon was asked to run many draw plays, as stated previously. Imagine taking the snap from Philip Rivers and being immediately swallowed up by an opposing 300-pound defensive lineman, well behind the line of scrimmage. Well, due to the oft-injured offensive line last season, this was often the case.
Another case against Gordon was his lack of touchdown, a category in which he had zero. However, confounding factors played a role in this scenario. Within the opposing 10-yard line, Danny Woodhead received the bulk of the carries at 9, as opposed to Gordon’s four. Even closer, within the five-yard line, Woodhead received five carries as opposed to Gordon’s one carry.
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When watching Gordon run freely, it is easy to see that he is a dynamic runner. He ran for six plays that resulted in 20 yards or more and looked the part of an elite runner. However, there were times where Gordon looked completely lost, as shown by his six fumbles. Yet, if Ken Whisenhunt improves Gordon’s ball security and can successfully design non-predictable running plays, Gordon can thrive behind the massive San Diego offensive line.