Austin Ekeler Reacts To The Expected Plan On Offense

The Los Angeles Chargers overhauled their coaching staff this offseason, starting by bringing in Brandon Staley to be the franchise’s new head coach. The organization then added offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi who brings an impressive résumé and pedigree to the group.

After seeing what his new offensive coordinator did with the New Orleans Saints, running back Austin Ekeler is looking forward to the upcoming season.

Ekeler, 26, sees the potential for a massive year in 2021, citing Lombardi’s involvement with Saints ballcarrier Alvin Kamara as a major reason for his possible heavy workload. The Chargers running back sounded excited about the prospect of having the pressure put on him to perform this fall.

“I think that’s something that I’ve learned about Joe coming in, this man is going to get his playmakers in space and situations where they can be successful,” Ekeler said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I think you see that as a far as the running back position with Kamara with the Saints. They would give him the ball any way they could and he was making plays. And it just depends on me, right? If coach is going to trust me with the ball, my hands are going to make sure I make it work, make him right. If I don’t do that, we got a lot of other talent on the team too. So I like it, because it’s putting the pressure on me. I love that ‘cause now I’m betting on myself to go out there and make plays. I have no doubt about that.”

Ekeler played in just 10 games in 2020 after suffering a hamstring injury and hyperextended knee early on in the year. He racked up only 933 yards from scrimmage after exploding for 1,550 yards in just eight starts for the Chargers in 2019.

The 26-year-old will surely be a major part of the Los Angeles offense this fall, alongside 2020 Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert. If Lombardi can figure out how to balance the talent of the two young stars, the Chargers will have one of the brightest attacks in the AFC.

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