Antonio Gates: Shannon Sharpe wants to tarnish what I’ve done

He could come into the game during the 3rd down and red zone situations. Not only could no one matchup with Rob Gronkowski or Julian Edelman in coverage, the defensive backfield didn’t even carry out their assignments half the time.

Besides the successes the Chargers had Sunday, and they had many, there were a few things about the Chargers game that need to be improved. Despite a depleted Offensive Line, Rivers threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns (118.1 rating) in the Chargers’ 30-27 victory against the Cleveland Browns.

“It was good”, said Gates on his return practice on Wednesday.

Veteran tight end Antonio Gates returns to Chargers Park this week to begin preparation for his first regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.

“Gates is a playmaker”, rookie running back Melvin Gordon said. Danny Woodhead had a great day running and receiving, for a combined 136 yards.

Sign up for our daily San Diego Chargers newsletter to get the latest news and analysis on the team from The San Diego Union-Tribune and from around the country. Freeman moves up from the top FLEX play to the No. 5 back because he simply can’t be stopped, but he’s no higher because the Redskins actually can stop the run with just 78 yards allowed per game. Boykin’s fluidity and quickness in coverage is the flawless skill set to neutralize the technique and footwork of Allen or Johnson, should he play. William Gay may be able to stick with him, but his skills would be far better utilized to contain Allen, while Boykin mans the slot, his most comfortable position. He understands that however he ingested that substance, whatever it was, he’s accountable for it. And he felt like he let his team down. I’d prefer to see Cockrell on Floyd at this point however. Gates thinks Sharpe is trying to downgrade him because Gates is only 28 catches and 47 yards away from passing Sharpe for third place among all tight ends in National Football League history. He should be more confident standing tall against a weak pass rush from the Chargers. In an incredibly important game for overall record and potential playoff tiebreakers, the defensive backfield must be prepared to continue their progression, or risk falling to 2-3 on the season, with Arizona next up on the schedule.