Eric D. Williams 9y

Why Melvin Gordon should shut it down against 49ers

SAN DIEGO -- We’ve seen enough.

San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon did not set the world on fire during the preseason, totaling just 45 yards on 20 carries, averaging just 2.3 yards per carry.

That would have been a halftime of work for Gordon at Wisconsin.

But a marathon, 16-game NFL schedule looms, and another 10 carries on the dicey turf at Levi’s Stadium is more of a risk than reward for the Chargers.

Let Gordon get some mental reps and chart plays on Thursday in San Diego’s final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Asked if he was hopeful to play on Thursday, Gordon appeared in regular-season form when it comes to Mike McCoy coach-speak.

“I don’t know,” he said. “The coaches decide that.”

While Gordon didn’t churn out as many yards as he would have liked during exhibition play, he ran hard between the tackles -- particularly in short-yardage situations -- and showed his trademark ability to make defenders miss.

Running backs having success in a zone running scheme is about discipline, reps and seeing the same things as the fullback, tight ends, receivers and offensive linemen blocking up front.

And the only way that gets better is time spent in the system. The more reps Gordon gets in the system with the same guys, the more effective he will be.

Gordon has enough of a body of work that he can study with running backs coach Ollie Wilson in preparation for San Diego’s season opener on Sept. 13 against the Detroit Lions.

“It was good to get those reps on film,” Gordon said. “Me and Ollie can sit down in the running back room with all the other running backs and talk about what I need to work on and how to get better. So it was good to put those reps on film.”

At this point, the challenges for Gordon are more mental than physical. He said the transition from college to the NFL is similar to the one he went through during his freshman year at Wisconsin, transitioning from high school.

“Guys are a lot faster,” he said. “But I’ve been through the process before, so I know how to handle it now. You can’t stress too much because that’s going to hold you back. You’ve just got to take coaching for what it is, go out there and ask for advice.”

Philip Rivers believes that Gordon has the right approach and mindset to have success in the league.

“He’s a guy that’s hungry,” Rivers said. “He’s a guy that’s realizing --I don’t know what he thought before -- but he realizes how hard it is to play at a high level in this league. It’s not just get it and run.

“So I think he knows that, which is the first thing, right? You want a guy who acknowledges that it’s going to take work, effort and daily preparation. And then I think he’s seems hungry to do it.”

Gordon was asked this week how his mother, Carmen Gordon, evaluated his performance this preseason.

“She told me that I did better than I did against Dallas, but I’ve got to kick it in gear,” he said, smiling. “I’ve got to keep working.”

So it’s safe to say she hasn’t bought a No. 28 jersey?

“Nah, she’s not even thinking about that right now,” Gordon said.

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