Of all the 2015 first-round picks who played as a rookie, Melvin Gordon experienced by far the worst year. The San Diego Chargers running back even admits he was awful.
"It was terrible. I was terrible." Gordon said of his rookie season, via the team's official website.
Gordon rushed 184 times for 641 yards, gaining a meager 3.5 yards per rush, scored zero times and ended the season on IR with a knee injury. Gordon gained more than 60 yards just once in 14 games.
"Oh, I have something to prove," Gordon said. "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."
Being motivated won't go as far as being prepared. Too often as a rookie Gordon seemed indecisive hitting the hole, leading to his getting nailed repeatedly in the backfield. He also struggled as a pass blocker for much of the season.
The struggles weren't all on Gordon. The Chargers' offensive line was in shambles almost from the jump last year. Pro Football Focus tallied Gordon with 34 broken tackles on his 184 totes, ninth-most among running backs that took at least 50 percent of his team's carries.
Gordon believes he can bounce back from a lost first year.
"I have a year in my back pocket now, so if anything I'm more confident," he 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. We lost our best receiver in Keenen (Allen), (Antonio) Gates missed some games and our offensive line got banged up throughout the year, too. That makes it hard for everyone. We played through it and stuck together, and that counts for something. But it is hard when you aren't yourself out there."
With Ken Whisenhunt returning at coordinator, the Chargers believe Gordon can bounce back from a bad rookie year and become the runner they envisioned when trading up to snag him a year ago.
