Melvin Gordon Wants More Touches But Does He Deserve Them?

With losses come natural frustration. Everyone wants to help more. Do more. In this case, Melvin Gordon wants the ball more.

That’s what Gordon told reporters a couple days ago after practice.

Today a couple writers mentioned that Gordon has not impressed when the Chargers have given him the ball.

That above is Warren Sharp, who uses advanced stats that are adjusted. His success rate per touch has Gordon ranked 33rd in the NFL. This next stat is interesting.

That has Gordon 16th in yards per carry after the “potential tackle point.” The first thing to naturally do is blame the offensive line. This is a situation where both are not doing their jobs.

Last week, in my opinion, the offensive line was all or nothing. One series they were good, the next they would self-destruct. There were plays where 3 of the 5 linemen would miss blocks. It’s affecting Gordon because he’s starting to hesitate. Early in the game, he had a run where he ran through a couple tackles and broke left for a big gain. Then his line failed him and all of a sudden he began tiptoeing. Even on a 12-yard run where he was untouched and the hole was clear, he tiptoed. Here are 4 plays from last week where Gordon just has to be better.

The first one is the toughest for me. He has a defender charging hard and jukes the same way he is already running. Just not ideal. Tackled in the open field.

The second one is just a drop. That does not bother me too much. That is a focus thing. It is on there because you cannot claim to want more touches but do things like that when the offense is trying to get you the ball in space.

The third play will probably be the one we disagree on the most. It’s a simple power play to the right and he does not run to the hole. People have already mentioned that it closes up quickly and that’s why he changes directions. Gordon would face an arm tackle by the guy Slauson is blocking. He would run through that. He has to trust himself and his line there.

Lastly, the dancing. There is not a single reason he does not go full speed through that hole to the left. Hesitates and because of it, there is a minimal gain.

It will be interesting to see if there is a concerted effort to give Gordon more touches after he was vocal about not getting the ball enough. We will see what kind of changes are made. Gordon will have to start making the most of his touches though or else we will see them go to Austin Ekeler.