Charger fans didn’t cheer on it in their 2023 match against the Denver Broncos in Week 14.
A season after one of the most embarrassing playoff defeats in NFL history, Chargers took part in the campaign that beat and fulfilled their potential for a title in order to avenge themselves. Instead, on this Sunday, they were 5-7 and the playoff chances were almost gone. Broncos fans Sofi Stadium are their home, covered in Denver orange.
Then quarterback Justin Herbert suffered a fracture in the season-end right index finger in the first quarter, and when he quit, the same was true for the charger season.
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But, during the day and a disappointing season, the organization gave Reeling fans a reason to smile. At the end of the half, the team held a ceremony to incorporate the tight Antonio Gates into the Charger Hall of Fame.
“Go to San Diego City,” Gates said. “You support me. You embraced a 22-year-old from Detroit and you will always be my second home.”
After the team moved, Gates played 16 seasons in the NFL, 14 seasons in San Diego and 14 seasons in Los Angeles. For Gates thanking Los Angeles and booing loudly, the move remains a place for some moms to be miserable when Gates thanks team owners Dean Spanos and the Spanos family.
Although Gates never won the championship, he was partly responsible for the welcome in the exciting era of charger football, which featured the most successful season in franchise history. That day's roar for the gate reminds people what the gate means to a city that embraces himself.
Many in San Diego will cheer for the loudest as Gates is joined by Saturday's domination.
“He’s a good person for the city,” said David Droegemeier, a San Diego native and co-host of the Lock Charger podcast. “A person who feels like he is not here must come from here. He is ours.”
Gates is part of the Kent State basketball team, which was promoted to Elite Eight in 2002. Doug Pensinger
From the beginning, Gates' journey to the NFL seemed far-fetched.
After leaving Detroit Central High School, Gates accepted a football scholarship from Michigan State, which was then led by coach Nick Saban. But Saban won't let Gates play football and basketball at the same time. Gates left Michigan State and never played football at college.
After staying at community colleges in Eastern Michigan and Visalia, California, Gates ended up at Kent State University and became one of the best basketball players in program history. As a junior, Gates led Kent State to the quarterfinals in 2002, the deepest game the school has ever made in the NCAA Championship. His jersey – No. 44 – retired in 2010, Gates became the fourth male basketball player in school history, receiving such honors.
Despite Gates' dominance at Kent State, he was not expected to be an NBA player, mainly because of his size. He is a 6-foot-4 power forward with an average NBA player about 5 inches tall. So Gates returned to football and worked out for NFL teams, and they were interested in his physical characteristics. The Chargers decided to sign him in 2003 to become an unsigned free agent, but he had a long chance to be a team.
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Defender Stephen Cooper is an undrafted free agent like Gates and was Gates’ roommate during training camp in 2003. When the charger started to make the final layoffs, Cooper remembered the team with two seats left, but he and Gates convinced himself that only one of them would be the team.
When they learned that both did it, they held a gentle celebration in the hotel room. It's a moment Cooper will never forget, especially considering the goal will continue as a close ending.
“We run around the room and don't be excited and excited because we don't want to be disrespectful to other teammates who haven't done it,” Cooper said. “What I remember most of all the moments I've been with Antonio.”
Gates' success changed the situation. His basketball background is obvious, how he packs the guard and beats the football high, just like he gets a rebound on the hardwood.
Current Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Gates was the first tension in the team's offense: “The first man I remembered caught 10, 12, 13, 13, 14 goals in a game…the greatest ball ever.”
Gates' achievements have enabled teams at all levels to seize the opportunity of former basketball players. Most notably Jimmy Graham, who played football for a year after four years at the University of Miami basketball team. Graham was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round and went on to be one of the league's best endings. He played for 13 seasons and played 5 Pro Bowls.
“No [Gates]”He didn't even get this opportunity, nor would he have a chance to go to college,” Graham told reporters in 2012. “He paved the way for me.”
Gates has changed his nervous posture forever, and he remains the historical leader in charge of the charger in touchdowns. AP Photos/Lenny Ignelzi
Although Gates' figure is not suitable for the NBA power forward, he has achieved the ideal NFL tight end. He was too fast to be covered by most defenders, too strong to be covered by defensive backs, binding the D coordinator to a bond every week.
“You know if the team wants to be one-on-one with him, he's going to kill them,” said former charger safety Eric Weddle. “He's a nightmare.”
Gates quickly became one of the league's best tensions. By his second season, he was the first of three consecutive seasons. Gates' breakthrough came in his second campaign in 2004, when he completed 964 yards and 13 touchdowns. In the first game of that season, the Charger faced the Houston Texans, and current Charger Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman was the team's quarterback coach. Gates grabbed each goal and completed eight catches with eight catches in the win.
Roman smiled and said, “This rarely happens, 'Who is this guy?'” Roman smiled. “But everyone on the sideline is going, 'Who is this guy?'”
Gates is an all-time leader in the NFL, scoring touchdowns (116) in catch momentum (116), while the charger’s reception leader (955) and catch yards (11,841). Behind these statistics is the many damage his former teammate remembers Gates playing.
Before the 2007 AFC Championship, Gates' identity was uncertain. He won the charger victory in the Tennessee Titans universal card, dislocating his big toe. The injury was serious enough that he left the race on the medical cart. Nevertheless, Gates played a role in the Chargers’ division victory over the Indianapolis Colts and the AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots.
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Former charger guard Shawne Merriman said that before the conference championship game at the training table, Gates’ image, he remembers the doctor numbing Gates’ feet and sticking to him, which is one of the many reasons Gates has for the organization.
“From the ankle, he can't feel anything,” Merriman said. “You think, man, [that] The people who have done a lot of things in his career will only take risks, and then my level of respect for him was just on the roof. ”
While the chargers are primarily about living up to expectations and never winning the Super Bowl, they have some of the league's best players, including quarterback Philip Rivers, running back Ladainian Tomlinson, guard Junior Seaau, generous receivers Lance Alworth, QB Dan Fouts and Surg End End Kellen Winslow.
Still, many stars continue to complete their careers elsewhere. Gates, Ford and Winslow were three of the three in that group who played for their entire career, Winslow played for nine seasons and 15 seasons. During the most transformative years in franchise history, Gates was a 16-year charger when the organization estranged many of its fans from Los Angeles fans and would stand out from Los Angeles’ actions.
“I think it's really special to have someone start his career in San Diego and keep it with the team all the time,” Droegemeier said. “But with Antonio, he's a guy who always does things the right way, and he's such a playmaker. It's obviously easy to resonate with these types of players.”