JOHN R. MCCUTCHEN / Union-Tribune
Antonio Gates rises over Denver's John Lynch to make second of his two TD catches. |
In the Chargers' 48-20 rout of the Denver Broncos yesterday in Qualcomm Stadium, tight end Antonio Gates had his first 100-yard game of the season, his first touchdown ever against the Broncos, and his first two-score game of the year.
Afterward, his smile was as bright as the diamond stud in his earlobe. Gates acknowledged being blessed, a feeling that transcended his personal accomplishments and the team winning its second AFC West championship and postseason berth in three seasons.
Seated in the locker room in a wheel chair as Gates passed through the double doors was Kevin Bennett, a guest of the Chargers thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Gates was so touched after meeting Bennett Friday at practice that he requested to have the 17-year-old, who is battling a neurological condition, brought to the locker room if the Chargers won.
Once there, Gates presented him with the gloves he wore while snatching seven passes for a season-high 104 yards and two first-half scores. Later, Gates sounded as if he were the one who had received a precious gift.
“It's amazing that he can be thinking about the Chargers with what he's going through,” Gates said. “I feel like sometimes we might be the reason he lives a little longer, why he doesn't quit on himself, and that really touched me as a player. I came from an unfortunate situation where I've seen guys get hurt, I've seen deaths, and the last thing they think about is sports.
“But think about it: This guy doesn't ask to be with his family. He wants to be around the Chargers. That really touched me, because it could have easily been somebody else in that wheel chair that we know. Or it could have been us. It shows you how fortunate we are as players – the role models that we are to guys and kids – and it was really heart-touching to me to know that he wanted to be at the Chargers facility and watch practice.”
Gates put on a show. He got off to slow start this season with the change at quarterback, and during a recent four-game stretch he had no touchdowns and 69 or fewer yards.
But in each of the past three games, he has improved on the previous week's totals. He had six catches for 81 yards and a score against Oakland, and seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown at Buffalo before breaking the century mark yesterday.
Gates said his increased production is a byproduct of an increasing comfort level with Philip Rivers, who replaced the departed Drew Brees as the starting quarterback this season. The two had to get a feel for each other and develop that sense of trust that made Brees-to-Gates one of the more lethal passing combinations in the league the past two seasons.
Rivers said Gates bailed him out on the first touchdown. Cornerback Champ Bailey was running in man coverage on the interior with wideout Vincent Jackson, when he spotted Rivers looking outside for Gates. Bailey peeled off just as Rivers was about to release the ball, and the only thing Rivers could do was add some height on the pass and pray that neither Bailey nor cornerback Darrent Williams could get there.
Bailey got there, but Gates simultaneously snared the ball and bumped off Bailey for the 12-yard score. On his second touchdown, a 7-yarder that was floated before Gates turned around, it was simply a case of trust.
Rivers described the play as a “me-to-you factor.”
“It's a sitting-by-his-locker-for-three-years factor,” Rivers added. “It's a hanging out a little bit off the field. It's throwing all offseason. Because you can't really practice that play, where it's all-out blitz and he's kind of going and posting up (safety John Lynch). You've got to put it in a spot where only he can get it and he goes up and makes a play for you. A lot of guys can make the throw, but not many can make the catch. He was outstanding.”
Said Gates: “It truly was just a trust factor. That's what they are: You trust that the worst thing that's going to happen is an incomplete pass. You want to install that trust in a quarterback as a receiver or as a tight end that the worst thing that's going to happen is that it's going to get to the next down. I think we continue to build that trust as time goes on.”
Jim Trotter: (619) 293-1859; jim.trotter@uniontrib.com
