The Chargers locker room is buzzing over the hire of Anthony Lynn.
As you could imagine, Melvin Gordon might be the most excited about the team's new head coach.
"They say he is a running backs guru, so obviously I'm fired up!"
Lynn's pedigree is cultivated from 17 years of success in the NFL after every team he's coached has featured a punishing ground attack. Most recently, the Bills led the league in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and average yards per carry each season he spent in Buffalo. Lynn's long history of success has certainly caught Gordon's attention.
"This (hire) really means a lot," he said. "He obviously knows the game, so if he sees some wrinkles, I've got another set of eyes. Everyone's got some holes in their game, and he'll bring some wisdom to help get my game right when I need it. I've got someone who has been around the game for so long and coached some of the league's best players. He'll know how to help me. He's perfect for me, so I'm excited to get this thing rolling under him."
From Fred Taylor and Marion Barber to LeSean McCoy and even LaDainian Tomlinson, some of the most impressive running backs of the past two decades have flourished under Lynn's tutelage. Taylor set a career-high in rushing yards with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003 while Barber led the NFC in touchdowns in 2006. Meanwhile, in 2015, Buffalo had three players rush for at least 500 yards in a single season, something that has not happened since 1962.
Now it's Gordon's turn.
Number 28 is fresh off a breakout year in which he pounded the rock 254 times for 997 yards (3.9 ypg) and 10 touchdowns in only 13 games. The 23-year old also recorded 41 catches for 419 yards and another two scores.
No stranger when it comes to top talent at the running back position, Lynn is a big fan of Gordon's all-around skillset. While he plans to keep a lot in place that led to the running back's success, the coach has a few tweaks in mind to help Gordon reach new heights.
"(Melvin) is very dynamic," Lynn said. "He is a hard working young man. He took it to another level, and we are going to help him take it to yet another level (next season). He is growing like a weed right now. Looking at him from his rookie year to his sophomore (season, seeing a) young man that studies the game like he does and works as hard as he does, I get excited…I like to run it multiple ways. I have been very successful running the football in a lot of different places, and I think after looking at the personnel we have, I think there are some things we can do a little differently in attacking a defense."
