Keenan Allen Posted Two of the Top Five Grades by a WR in 2017 from laiyongcai92's blog

To those on the outside of the Chargers organization/fan base http://www.authenticlosangeleschargers.com/cheap-joe-barksdale-jersey , Keenan Allen was starting to be viewed as a potential bust who just couldn’t seem to shake the injury bug. In fact, up until this past season, Allen had never stayed healthy through an entire 16-game season.This was a completely valid thought-process as the talented wide receiver sustained back-to-back season-ending injuries in 2015 and ‘16. It also didn’t help the receiver’s outlook when you take into account just how devastating the injuries were.During the team’s contest against the Baltimore Ravens during the 2015 season, Allen came down hard after snagging a beautiful touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone. As the team and fans celebrated, the smiles and cheers quickly turned into faces of disbelief. Allen was taken off the field and soon diagnosed with a lacerated kidney.A what now?It was, by far, the flukiest injury I have ever witnessed on the field. It was so fluky that even the ACL tear he sustained against the Chiefs to begin the 2016 season seem fairly run-of-the-mill. But still, after the absolutely horrendous stretch of bad luck, The Slayer came into this past season with unabashed confidence. What we witnessed was a historic season for not only a Chargers wide receiver, but for the entire NFL.According to Pro Football Focus, Allen had the second and third-highest single game grades for a wide receiver this past season. His phenomenal performances were actually one after the other during weeks 11 and 12 Color Rush Joey Bosa Jersey , against the Bills and Cowboys, respectively.Against the Bills, Allen exploded for 159 yards on a season-high 12 catches, double-dipping in the endzone for good measure. He was graded out at a 95.9, just behind Julio Jones’ 99.9 grade from his thrashing of the Buccaneers in Week 12.On Thanksgiving Day, Allen stuffed the stat sheet once more. In Jerryworld, Allen hauled in 11 catches for a career-high 172 yards and one beautiful catch-and-run touchdown.After baring witness to what Allen can produce during a full season of health, Charger fans and the rest of the NFL have no more excuses to not think highly of the the fifth-year wide receiver. If Allen were to have a similar, if not better, season in 2018, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to argue that #13 deserves to be in the top-tier of NFL wide receivers.What If Ryan Leaf Had Stayed Healthy? The SB Nation NFL team sites are continuing to do Theme Weeks after starting the trend during the 2017 season. This week’s theme is: “What if?”Ask any San Diego Chargers fan (I’ll get to you Color Rush Keenan Allen Jersey , L.A.) what the biggest mistake in franchise history was and you’re bound to hear the same answer 100% of the time: Ryan LeafWith the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, the Chargers selected QB Ryan Leaf from Washington State. You could hear a million arguments at the time of why the Indianapolis Colts should, and should not, draft Peyton Manning with the #1 pick. Many thought Ryan Leaf had a better future because he had a better arm. Leaf, who wanted to follow in the footsteps of Dan Fouts, had made his mind up. He worked with his agent to anger Colts Head Coach Jim Mora Sr. and worked behind the scenes to let the Chargers know that he was doing so to ensure he could be the next Chargers QB. He may have been the 2nd pick in the draft, but Ryan ended up with his #1 choice.Read here about how Leaf was not what you would call a “draft bust” early in his career. In fact, it wasn’t until he faced a serious shoulder injury followed by a serious wrist injury that things really went sideways for the former Cougar.Why is that important? After three years, Leaf’s body was so beat up that he couldn’t throw a football. A real shame for a guy who some still talk about having one of the biggest arms in college football history. A real shame for a guy that wanted to come to the Chargers so that he could show off that arm with big passes and big plays down the field.That 1-15 record, the one that sunk Mike Riley’s career as an NFL head coach, was a direct result of an injured QB and a misdiagnosis at the hands of a reckless team doctor. It was also the end of Leaf’s time in San Diego.What if things had gone differently?The most notable difference for the Chargers Youth Russell Okung Jersey , had Leaf stayed healthy, is not that they potentially have their franchise QB. That’s a minor blip...(Also, here is where I point out that it’s really difficult to predict Leaf could’ve been playing in Pro Bowls when the guy could barely crack 50% completion percentage in a league that was amping up the importance of exactly that skill/stat.)Leaf’s injuries lead to the 1-15 season that changed the team’s course forever. It led to the firing of the front office and coaching staff, replacing them with John Butler (and A.J. Smith) from Buffalo and famed Chiefs/Browns coach Marty Schottenheimer.It also leads to the team trading away the #1 overall pick and getting back a package that helped them build a core of:LaDainian TomlinsonDrew BreesReche CaldwellTim DwightThat’s two Hall of Famers and two very good NFL players that probably never play a down for the Chargers if Leaf stays healthy and is at least a league-average QB through his early 20s, which is/was entirely possible.If you’re the type to look for silver linings, as I am, don’t think of Ryan Leaf as the failed draft pick. Think of Ryan Leaf as exactly the type of player the Chargers needed to end up drafting two Hall of Fame players in the same draft class and be thankful that things turned out the way they did.What do you think would have happened? Did things turn out better or worse than they would have?