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The Los Angeles Chargers are in a bit of a predicament after Melvin Gordon has demanded for a new contract or to be traded. For now, the running back plans to hold out of training camp in hopes it will push the Chargers to discuss a new deal.
In a recent press conference, Gordon says a great running back can't just be replaced. Gordon has been a cornerstone of the Chargers offense for the past four seasons.
“Clearly, you seen what happened when Zeke was out. It was a completely different team,” Gordon said Saturday at SportsCon 2019 in Dallas. “You can replace average backs. Yeah, just plug them in. But a great back? You can’t just replace a great back.
“People think you can do that. You can’t. It will be a difference. It will be a difference, man. We do so much for people to even try to devalue us. We block. We’ve got to run the ball. We’ve got to pick up protections. We have to catch the ball. We have to do what receivers do. We have to do our thing. We have so much that goes through us.”
There has been a lifelong debate on whether or not running backs are replaceable. People will quickly bring up Le'Veon Bell in the discussion to point out that the Pittsburgh Steelers were better without him. But were they?
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Pittsburgh finished the season as the 31st ranked rushing offense and they missed the playoffs. James Conner is a good running back but he can't do all of the things that Bell can.
Although, Gordon's situation is a bit different than Bell's. Bell simply refused to sign the franchise tag and sat out the entire 2018 season.
For Gordon, he is still under contract and he won't have the option to sit out the entire season as he will need to show up by the Tuesday after Week 10 to accrue a season. Gordon has little leverage in this situation but that won't stop the Chargers running back from pronouncing how tough it is to replace great running backs like himself.
