It seems that just about every day I come across a stat regarding the San Diego Chargers or an upcoming opponent that blows my mind. Either because it's absurd that I didn't know about it before, or because it goes against everything I had previously thought (or both). Usually it's not enough (or I don't have enough time) to write an entire long post about. Welcome to the new feature to go against that, the Chargers' stat of the day.
There may not be one every day (I'll try) and there may be ones that you already know about, but just deserved to be highlighted. In a nutshell, I need to start posting these stats before I forget them all over again. Most of the time, it will just be the stat and my two cents. Nothing more, nothing less. Then you guys can reflect and argue it in the comments.
Today's stat? Holy crap, Antonio Gates is having a great year. Let's look at how his 2009 campaign is matching up to his previous seasons:
Yards Per Game:
- 83.8 (2009)
- 73.4 (2005)
- 64.3 (2004)
Did you know that Antonio made the Pro Bowl last year with roughly 44 yards per game? He's almost doubling that this season! Also, Antonio has made the Pro Bowl every season since his rookie year. Has anybody else ever made the Pro Bowl in every season besides their rookie year? That seems difficult.
Receptions Per Game:
- 5.9 (2005)
- 5.8 (2009)
- 5.4 (2004)
Granted, this stat and the one above it are probably a factor of the Chargers throwing the ball more than ever. Still, it's great to see him putting up great numbers. This next stat is one that doesn't really get effected by whether or not the Chargers throw a bunch....
Yards Per Reception:
- 16.2 (2003)
- 14.4 (2009)
- 13.1 (2007)
Antonio Gates, I know I don't talk about you very much, but you rock.
Side Note: Remember when I went to Chargers training camp and I told the story of getting the inside scoop on the players from a Channel 4 cameraman? Here's what he said about Antonio: "You have to be patient with Gates. He takes a while to respond. I don't mean he's slow or anything, far from it. You can just tell that when he gets a question he takes a minute to think about it and gives you a thoughtful answer rather than giving you something standard that he's memorized. And there's no ego in his answers. No bravado or false showmanship. One of the nicest and realest guys on the entire team and he's always been that way."