Here's an Old Guy's hunch about a young standout on the team known formerly as the San Diego Chargers.
Melvin Gordon will love L.A.
"I just like to be different," the running back was saying Friday.
For example, his hair.
Amid the black dreadlocks he now sports colored streaks of silver.
Hold on now, Melvin.
Silver & Black? Isn't that rather Raiderish?
"Definitely not, no _ nothing with the Raiders," said a smiling Gordon, who hasn't learned yet to take himself too seriously.
As for his blue Chargers shorts, the 24-year-old fashioned an ode to the Old School by shortening them.
Judging by the jagged pattern his sheering created, Gordon would relish a pumpkin-carving competition. Perhaps a little too much.
"I got this swag from Danny," he said of former Bolts teammate Danny Woodhead. "I took it from him, and everybody's doing it now."
L.A. has known a number of sensational running backs. O.J. Simpson. Eric Dickerson. Bo Jackson.
A San Diegan, Marcus Allen, playing for the 1983 Raiders and running circles around the Washington defense, delivered the only Lombardi Trophy an L.A. team has won.
The great sprawl north of Camp Pendleton is now home to a pair of former 2015 draftees in Todd Gurley of the Rams and Gordon, drafted 10th and 15th overall out of Georgia and Wisconsin, respectively.
Gordon said he seeks to become the NFL's best running back _ so yes, he acknowledged Friday, he considers Gurley a rival. Has so, he said, since their college days.
"We're fighting to be the best," he said. "My first year, I didn't do so well. I kind of watched him, and then my second year I did a little better than he did.
"This year is gonna tell it all," he said.
Gordon ticked off several other running backs he views as part of the competition. While wishing not to slight anyone else, he mentioned David Johnson (Cardinals), Le'Veon Bell (Steelers), Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys) and Jay Ajayi (Dolphins). Adrian Peterson (Saints) is a friend and workout partner to Gordon, who said franchise great LaDainian Tomlinson is a mentor and phone-text buddy.
The practice Saturday against the Rams will allow him to take a hard look at Gurley. The two have socialized but never competed in the same game.
"I'm anxious to see what he's got," Gordon said. "We've been competing since college. Now we're going to be competing against each other for the same territory or whatever the case may be. I'm excited."
The venue, a soccer stadium in Carson that's the new home to Team Spanos, is similar in size to some high school stadiums in Texas.
Gordon said the seating is in the midst of being expanded, with a goal of reaching 30,000 seats. "If we have more fans than the opponents have fans, I think we'll be all right."
The football number he has in mind is 1,000. He fell three yards short of that sought-after rush-yardage total last year. Bad luck played a role, Gordon missing the final three-plus games after he sustained a knee injury attempting to recover a strip-sack fumble at Carolina.
Three measly yards.
They haunt Gordon.
"It was a big goal of mine to start the season," he said of the 1,000 mark. "I'm gonna look back at that when I'm done, and I'm gonna be highly upset.
"It's a new year. I've just got to do better than what I did."
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