rookie defenders flourish It seemed like every other time

Surge or Static: Ekeler was quite Ek-cellent Youth Mike Pouncey Jersey , Austin Ekeler touched the ball last year, there was a thought that popped into my mind. I didn’t give this thought much acknowledgement as it seemed to get crazier the longer it lingered. But it kept coming back.When the former UDFA out of Western State took the first carry of his career 35 yards to the house against the Eagles, that was the spark.When he started catching passes down the field on wheel routes and tip-toeing sidelines for touchdowns against the Jaguars, the flames were fanned.These uncomfortable feelings persisted throughout the rest of the 2017 season and are still here at this very moment. For those that are confused, here is the question I’ve been wrangling with for the entire offseason: Is Melvin Gordon really the best running back on the team?(Gasp!)I know, I know. It’s pretty crazy to try and fathom such a thing, but it isn’t that much of a stretch from reality. When Ekeler is in the game, he becomes a real spark-plug for the offense. He hits his holes with eye-popping quickness, sticking his foot in the ground at a moment’s notice to get north and south.In the latest tilt against the Saints, Ekeler was his usual efficient-self. He maximized his limited attempts on the ground while becoming a reliable dump-off target for Rivers. That’s the type of back we want in the game, no matter if it’s Ekeler, Gordon, or even rising UDFA Detrez Newsome.And if you haven’t guessed already yet...SurgingRB Austin EkelerEkeler touched the ball seven times on the opening drive, alone. He started the night by breaking off a 21-yard run up the left sideline. His next run went for another 12 yards as he followed FB Derek Watt off left tackle, showing some patience as his blockers set up a nice lane. His next two runs went for six and nine yards, respectively. If you blinked, you may have wondered how the Chargers got into the Saints’ red zone so quickly.On the night, Ekeler collected just nine touches, three of those being catches, but turned those into 63 total yards and averaged a stellar 7.0 yards per touch.With TE Hunter Henry out for the season, I instantly started pounding the table for OC Ken Whisenhunt and the offense to start using more two-RB, three-WR sets to maximize the amount of playmakers on the field. Can you imagine a package with Gordon, Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Tyrell, and Mike Williams all on the field at the same time? Come on Youth Denzel Perryman Jersey , son.LB Kyzir White/S Derwin JamesI couldn’t decide between White and James because, quite frankly, they’ve both been phenomenal this preseason. To no one’s surprise, they’ve both played their way into a starting spot with this defense. Earlier today, head coach Anthony Lynn finally confirmed that James will start week 1, allowing fans to breathe a long sigh of relief.White, on the other hand, may not “start” according to their base defense package but he will most definitely have a role as the nickel/dime linebacker. Due to the mass volume of plays they spend in these packages, White should be considered a starter with the rest of the defense in the same vein that CB Desmond King is essentially a starter as the team’s slot corner.I couldn’t be more excited about these two players as they add a level of versatility that allows this defense to be extremely multiple without needing to sub a number of players every time they get a new look from the offense. One aspect in particular that I am stoked about is just how well these two match-up with opposing play-makers, specifically the rash of dual-threat running backs across the league. Staying StaticNT Brandon MebaneMebane just ain’t for the middle of this defensive interior. Once a free agent signing that got fans excited for a run-stuffing presence next to DT Corey Liuget, the former-member of those historic Seattle Seahawk defenses is, and has been, on the wrong side of 30 years old for some time now.In this preseason alone, Mebane has been constantly moved around against his will. Yes he is tasked with taking on double-teams but it is fairly evident he no longer has the strength in his lower haunches to buckle down against interior offensive linemen. What makes matters worse is the supposed depth behind Mebane at the 1-technique. DT Justin Jones was drafted in the third round of the 2018 draft to possibly be the heir-apparent but even he doesn’t quite fit the bill for what the team needs. At 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, he is the next biggest body that the team has other than DT Bijohn Jackson, a UDFA out of Arkansas who tips the scales at 339 pounds. Unfortunately, Jackson has been close to non-existent this preseason. The only other listed “nose tackle” on the roster is Damion Square who finds himself closer to 290 than 300-310.LB Jatavis BrownI mentioned some of these views in my “Thoughts” piece following Saturday’s game, but they warrant another go-round due to my frustration about the subject.Brown was a flashy player during his rookie year. Splash plays were the theme of his game and they always came when the team needed one the most. It was obviously hard not to get excited about him and his future, until last year, that is.In his sophomore campaign, Brown suffered a slump that stemmed from a combination of a nagging foot-injury and the new playbook from Gus Bradley that had the defense change from a 3-4 to a 4-3 front. After the 2017 season came to an end, most just chalked up the decline in play as a loss and chose to look forward to 2018 where Brown would be able to heal up, get a handle on the playbook, and get back to his old self.Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case up to this point.Brown got most of his run in Saturday’s game with the backups and third-stringers. You would expect Brown to look pretty good as he cleans up against lesser competition. This also wasn’t the case. During the last third of the game, Brown missed a handful of tackles and was visibly outplayed by the likes of Hayes Pullard http://www.authenticlosangeleschargers.com/cheap-caleb-sturgis-jersey , who quietly went from one of the worst graded players by PFF to the Chargers’ #1 rated defensive player this preseason. A couple of years ago, late in the season, then-Raiders coach Jack Del Rio lavished upon Chiefs counterpart Andy Reid what many construed as an insult but could just as well be called a compliment.Del Rio opined that Reid's offense often relies on "gimmicky things.""If the word is something that somebody doesn't like, that's just too bad," Del Rio said. "Those are effective plays. You can call it what you want."Maybe so many Chiefs fans wouldn't have taken umbrage if he'd called them creative, pioneering or simply forward-thinking.But regardless of the semantics, the fact remains that after two decades in the NFL, Reid remains one of the most inventive coaches to be found on any sideline."There's just some stuff that he does sometimes that you don't ever think of, and then you see it and you're like, 'That play is going to work.' And it works every single time," Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said."Just the way that his mind thinks and how he exploits defenses, he just knows how to make plays up, it seems like, and they work every single time."Well, not every time. There was that ill-advised throw to tackle-eligible Cam Erving last year against the Jets, and a few more gadget plays over the years have gone awry.But the entirety of the Chiefs offensive is in many ways a master class in offensive innovation, made all the more dangerous by the fact Reid has the proper weapons at his disposal in Mahomes, speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill, star tight end Travis Kelce and running back Kareem Hunt.The pieces are in place for him to run anything in his ever-expanding playbook."I think you try to find the best scheme you can and also the best players you can. And when you can combine the two at a very high level, you can see some good things," Chiefs offensive lineman Mitch Schwartz said. "That is a huge credit to coach to be able to mix things up and change things."Reid's offensive system has changed over the years, but its roots remain in the West Coast system that longtime 49ers coach Bill Walsh taught Mike Holmgren, who in turn taught the Packers' old offensive line coach. It is predicated on short, horizontal passes to stretch the defense, and then attacks with the running game or downfield throws for bigger gains.Reid used it successfully during his early years in Philadelphia, too. But in the late 2000s Color Rush Melvin Gordon Jersey , he began to incorporate elements of the college spread offense, and unveiled a new-look system with Michael Vick at quarterback that began to give defensive coordinators fits.The quick, high-percentage passes were still there, but so were the quintessential college read-option, a dizzying array of run-pass options, and other plays Del Rio would call "gimmicky.""We had some of the run-pass-option plays in college," Mahomes said. "Not to the complexity that we had the other day, that we've had this past year and all the time with Coach Reid."One of those run-pass options was on perfect display last week against the Chargers.Twice, in fact.The first time, the Chiefs were just shy of the goal line and Mahomes faked to the running back, then lateraled ahead to DeAnthony Thomas, who was so wide open that he could have moonwalked into the end zone. The play worked so well that they ran it again to Hill a quarter later, and again the Chiefs had the kind of walk-in touchdown that left the Chargers looking foolish.There were also some pop passes, jet sweeps and a myriad of other calls that run counter to the prevailing notion of an NFL offense — not the least of which was a wheel route to Anthony Sherman that the husky fullback wound up taking 36 yards for a third-quarter touchdown."One thing working with Coach Reid, you have to be flexible," Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. "He'll expand your mind and push your limits."Reid acknowledged that some plays he draws up on a whim, but "I also have good guys that have some good thoughts, too. I keep it open and kind of formulate what I like, then the guys put in their input and we come up with what we come up with. That's the fun part."In a copycat league such as the NFL, any bit of creativity is certainly entertaining.Notes: SS Eric Berry (Achilles tendon) and LB Ben Niemann (hamstring) missed practice Thursday, making it unlikely they will play Sunday in Pittsburgh. ... Chiefs TE Demetrius Harris is back after serving a one-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. "Demetrius has always been an important piece of the puzzle," Bieniemy said. "With him missing last week, we kept it moving. But hey, you always want your important pieces around."