This season, the Los Angeles Chargers have dealt with a myriad number of issues with their offensive line. The latest however, doesn’t just stem from an injury.
Frustrations With Chargers’ Handling of Injuries
Mekhi Becton, who was acquired from the Jets, recently commented on how the Chargers coaching staff has dealt with his injuries throughout the year, which seems somewhat similar to what he brought to light with the Jets. In an interview with ESPN’s Kris Rhim, Becton made it seem as if were angered by the way the Chargers have dealt with his injury issues and even said that he wished to play more games “if he were allowed.” This comes after he was forced into the starting lineup due to other injuries within the squad, yet only playing 69% of the offensive snaps because of his own injury problems.
Becton is just one year removed from being a member of a Super Bowl winning squad and featuring heavily in in a season where he had a full bill of health. Still, with comments such as these bookending his career successes, it’s hard to ignore, especially considering the tumult that has come with both the Jets and now the Chargers’ seasons.
Decline in Performance and Lingering Patterns
Some Chargers fans will say that that doesn’t account for his bad play. After all, when he has been on the field this year, he has ranked 79th out of 81 guards overall according to PFF. That number doesn’t look much better when it comes to run-blocking, where he only rates a 62.7, second to last in the league. This is after Becton signed a short term deal worth 20 million dollars to help bolster one of the league’s most unsteady O-lines. When asked why he has been taken off the field consistently however, Becton simply stated, “That’s an upstairs question”.
This wouldn’t be such a big deal if this hadn’t been a previous issue with Becton. However, in a similar interview he did as a Jet, Becton had an eerily similar approach to his injury troubles. He consistently blamed the Jets for his knee problems, and blamed a positional change that as he said, “made no sense”. The biggest question though remains focused on how he has dropped off significantly in terms of performance level after a stellar year in Philly that resulted in a Super Bowl championship. Now, instead of building off of that success with the Chargers, he has slowly let his play deteriorate, along with his health status.
No matter what the issue appears to be, whether it lies in Becton’s comments or not, you can’t imagine the Chargers will keep him much longer. After all, when the team has struggled to find success at the position all year, an outburst such as Becton’s does not paint a kind image of the organization and deserves disciplinary action. Still, it’s quite interesting to see how this drama all plays out considering the fact that Becton has voiced similar opinions before.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Mekhi Becton Makes Cryptic Comments About Latest Injury Drama appeared first on Heavy Sports.
