Melvin Gordon Relishing Chance to Prove What he & Phillip Lindsay Can Accomplish in Broncos' Backfield
Ever since Melvin Gordon arrived in the Mile High City, his commitment to being a total team player for the Denver Broncos has been admirable. Gordon’s level of dedication paid off spectacularly last week when he provided the 43-yard game-clinching dagger to the hearts of the New York Jets, eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in the Orange and Blue.
Many sections of Broncos Country have previously pushed back hard at GM John Elway's decision to spend so lavishly at running back, especially in backfield that already featured local favorite, and back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher, Phillip Lindsay. Slowly but surely, though, Gordon is turning that contingent of fans around due to his hard grind and production, especially with Lindsay having missed the last 14 quarters of play (3.5 games).
However, the former Chargers' first-round pick is all too aware he has to keep the pedal to the floor to convince all his doubters.
“I’ve got a lot more to show and a lot more to do to win Broncos Country over,” Gordon said on Tuesday. “But it’s all good. I’m going to continue to work. I’m a hard worker. Hard work does pay off, and I put a lot of it in. I’m just going to continue to work and keep turning heads."
As a former player with a bitter Division rival, Gordon understands that in some cases, he might have to go above and beyond in order to sway some Broncos fans.
"I know it’s difficult coming from an opponent that you go up against two times a year in the same division, but there’s a lot more to me and I hope I can continue to show that through the year," he said.
Gordon hopes to fully maximize the Broncos' potential and he's always known that he would have to buy into the philosophy of teaming up to form a backfield partnership with Lindsay. Gordon expects that the Broncos' running back duo could provide a twin-pronged attack, which remains a tantalizing prospect for most fans.
Unfortunately, those aspirations have so far been largely derailed by the turf-toe injury sustained by Lindsay in the second quarter of the season-opener, which has kept him out of action since. Lindsay will be back this week, though, to face the New England Patriots on the road.
Gordon spoke about how he and Lindsay can fall into place and give opposing defensive coordinators a lot to think about and prepare for this season.
“Like I said, we both bring different things to the table,” Gordon explained. “Obviously, Phil wasn’t playing so I didn’t think teams will have enough film to game plan against that. We’ll really be able to see how that goes for us and I hope it goes well.”
Gordon’s faith that the backfield gumbo the Broncos are cooking up will taste good is based on his belief that they have the perfect ingredients at their disposal already. A lot will depend on how offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur manages to blend the duo's skill-sets together and commit to using them both as fully as possible.
Gordon was quick to beat the drum for his and Lindsay’s collective talents, so hopefully, Vic Fangio and Coach Shurmur were listening to his pointers.
“We bring different elements, and Phil’s speed is top class, so that’s something they’ll have to deal with,” Gordon said. “I’m pretty balanced myself, so when you put the both of us out there you’ve got to pick and choose who you want to stop. It’s just another playmaker out there that can help us win so I’m excited to see how it goes, hopefully it goes well, and we can go out there and make plays and help the Broncos win.”
Drew Lock’s status for returning to the starting lineup this week is "50/50" according to Coach Fangio, and it's difficult to predict whether he'll play considering that he missed Tuesday's practice and was a limited participant on Wednesday.
Even if Lock suits up, or whether Brett Rypien gets the start, the Broncos will be wise to prescribe heavy doses of Gordon and Lindsay and establish their own brand of thunder and lightning to attack the Pats this Sunday and to protect whichever young QB gets the nod.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
