ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Melvin Gordon III's game has been anything but average.
His two Pro Bowl nods proved that.
His 47 touchdowns over the last four years proved that.
His three consecutive seasons with at least 1,350 all-purpose yards proved that.
And in his first year in Denver, Gordon is determined to prove it again.
"I just felt like a lot of people doubt my talent as a back," Gordon said during a conference call Friday. "During the holdout, a lot of people [were] just saying, 'Oh, he's an average back. He's not this. He's not that.' This year, people are like, 'Oh, he's not the back that he was.' No one takes into account that I didn't have my center. I didn't have my left tackle. We had guys that were hurt and just in and out. I didn't have really my starting lineup. My best linemen, I didn't have [them].
"No one cares about that nor should they, but some guys — some players they give that excuse for. Some players they give that excuse for. 'Well, he didn't have their line, but he's still a great player.' Then you have some players that are in my position where they don't care if you have a good line or not or if your line is hurt or not. It's, 'You're not what you are.' It's, 'You're an average player.'
"To me, I'm going to take that and I'm going to use it as fuel because I know what type of player I am. I want to show that. I want to show that, and I am going to show that. I'm so excited. I'm better than just average."
As mentioned, the stats back that up. Gordon is the only NFL player with at least eight rushing touchdowns in each of the last four seasons. His 47 total touchdowns rank third in that same time frame.
The sixth-year player is just a year removed from a span in which he made the Pro Bowl in two of three seasons. With Phillip Lindsay in Denver to share the workload, Gordon could make a return trip.
"Lindsay, he's a great back," Gordon said. "I watched him up close in person. These last few days I've been watching film on him as well [as] just kind of seeing how they open things up for him and analyzing him a little bit. I think we can be a great one-two punch. Me and [Chargers RB] Austin [Ekeler] were kind of that one-two punch. I feel like we were one of the better tandems in the league. I just hope to continue that with Lindsay. I know people are wondering what is his position with getting carries and things like that.
"Right now, it's about winning football games. We'll worry about that later. We're just trying to put the team in the best position to win football games and score points."
Gordon said Lindsay reached out to him after the signing to welcome him to the team.
"He was like, 'I'm pulling for you,'" Gordon said. "He was like, 'What's good, bro? This is Phil. We're going to have a great season. Can't wait to push each other.' He sent me that so I think he's great with everything. Like I said, I think he's just trying to help the team the best way possible — the best way possible he can, and same with me."
Gordon seems ready to do his part, particularly against his former team.
"It will be dope," Gordon said of playing the Chargers twice a year. "I'm excited. I was with those guys five years — [I have a] great relationship with all of those guys. It's going to be crazy. It's going to be electric. It's going to be a lot of trash talk. I know them. I know the defense. They're definitely going to let me hear it. I'm going to let them hear it as well. It's going to be fun. It's definitely going to be a war out there. It's definitely going to be exciting. Those are still my brothers. Still love those boys. Our bonds go beyond football. Obviously, it's business when we're out there.
"Obviously, I'm not with them anymore, so I'm going to do whatever it takes to win."
