Getty Denver Broncos RB Melvin Gordon speaks.
Recently, Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III was accused of being a bad teammate.
On June 14, Sean Keeler of The Denver Post published an article criticizing Gordon’s “self-awareness”.
“If Russell Wilson is serious about changing the Broncos’ culture, he can start with Melvin Gordon,” Keeler wrote. “It’s not talent. It’s perception. It’s Gordon’s self-awareness. And his sometimes curious lack thereof.”
According to Keeler, some people view Gordon as “selfish”.
“With No. 25, there’s not much footing left when it comes to finding middle ground. Depending on whom you ask, Gordon is either an underrated, strong, confident, misunderstood fantasy-league workhorse or a selfish, me-first, fumble-prone headache.”
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Broncos: Gordon Addresses ‘Trash’ Article
On June 22, Gordon addressed the article on The Jim Rome Show.
“That pissed me off. I couldn’t care less about the fumbles or all that other jazz that they was talking about,” Gordon said. “What kind of irritated me was the bad teammate part. Like, I’ve never had a teammate – ever – since high school, since little league, ever tell me that I was a bad teammate.”
Gordon said that he prides himself on being a good teammate.
“For them to say a bad teammate, that’s something I really pride myself on,” Gordon continued. “In the locker room, just bonding with the guys. I talk to different guys. I hang out with the defensive guys really more than I do offensive guys. I talk to the special teams’ guys. I have a relationship with everybody, with Sam [Martin], with Mike [Purcell]. I mean I was locker mates with Shelby [Harris]. Like he was one of my favorite teammates.”
“So, for them to say that, I guarantee you can ask any teammate that I’ve ever been with, and they’ll look stupid. So, that kind of bothered me a lot because that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that, and like I said, I take pride in being a good teammate, man.”
Melvin Gordon and Fumbles: A Quick Look
A lot of criticism directed toward Gordon has been surrounding his ball security. Keeler’s article addresses this narrative, as well, as he said some people view Gordon as a “fumble-prone headache”.
Is Gordon’s fumbling problem really that bad? Let’s take a quick look.
Last season, Gordon fumbled three times. Unfortunately, those fumbles came at very inopportune times, as two of them were returned by the opposing defense for a touchdown.
However, in a vacuum, Gordon’s fumbling problem is not egregious. Overall, his three fumbles were tied for the 47th-most in the NFL.
In addition, Gordon handled a large volume of touches. His 203 rushing attempts were tied for the 15th-most in the league. Many other high-usage running backs recorded multiple fumbles last season, as well.
Antonio Gibson had six fumbles. Jonathan Taylor had four fumbles. Dalvin Cook had three fumbles.
His teammate Javonte Williams also had two fumbles.
Can Gordon’s ball security improve? Absolutely. Does it severely hamper his value? No.
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Broncos Veteran Fires Back at ‘Bad Teammate’ Allegations