San Diego Chargers fans had high hopes for Melvin Gordon after the former Wisconsin star was drafted with the 15th overall pick last year, but the results were not great.
Gordon did not play a major role in San Diego’s offense, rushing for just 641 yards on 184 carries. And he knows it was a disappointment.
“It was terrible,” Gordon said, via the Chargers’ official website. “I was terrible.”
It’s difficult for any rookie to make an impact in his first NFL season, but Gordon was obviously expecting more from himself. The good news for Chargers fans is that he feels more motivated heading into 2016.
“Oh, I have something to prove,” Gordon added. “In the NFL, I think every player has something to prove. You can never be complacent. Even if I had the greatest season of any rookie, I’d still be motivated. Unfortunately, my season didn’t go the way I wanted it, so I’m extra motivated…”
Gordon struggled in pass protection, which is one of the reasons his snap count remained relatively low. He’ll need to prove during training camp that he can improve upon that in order to make a leap in his sophomore season.
“I have a year in my back pocket now, so if anything I’m more confident,” Gordon said. “Pretty much everything went wrong last year that could. We got the injury bug last year, man. If our offense stayed healthy, it would change all of our games.”
One thing is for sure — Gordon’s mom will wait even longer to put on her son’s jersey if Melvin struggles again in 2016. Hopefully he learned a lot as a rookie.
