Antonio Gates News

Dec 5, 2011; Jacksonville, FL, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field.

Ranking the AFC West tight ends - Bill Williamson 1. Antonio Gates , San Diego: Gates is getting older and health has been an issue.

We are continuing our AFC West positional rankings with the tight ends. It's a group that is great at the top and young and workmanlike after that.

Dec 24, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

South Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it's never too early to consider the coming season.

Chargers are division underdogs in Vegas - Kevin Acee & Michael Gehlken I couldn't care less about predictions," Smith said Wednesday afternoon.

Every teammate can rightly call Philip Rivers a friend as much as they can call him a leader.

There's no denying that tight ends are in vogue in the NFL today and the San Diego Chargers have been at the forefront of that revolution for the better part of the past decade.

The San Diego Chargers offseason is the epitome of boring. Even when lots of rookies were going up to Los Angeles and goofing around with kids, the Chargers rookies were nowhere to be found.

The Chargers needed a pass-catching tight end to back up Antonio Gates, who has dealt with injuries the past two seasons.

Kellen Winslow's had a productive yet underwhelming NFL career - in seven seasons he's set or tied tight end receiving records with the Browns and Bucs, made one Pro Browl and labored through an assortment of injuries.

The San Diego Chargers will have to move on from Vincent Jackson since he signed a five year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two months ago.

As we count down the days until the start of the preseason, let's take a look at some of the more interesting stories surrounding the Chargers this past week.

December 11, 2011; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates catches a pass for a first down during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Qualcomm Stadium.

Eagles sign LeSean McCoy: One of the top running backs in fantasy football, McCoy will remain a member of the Philadelphia Eagles into the foreseeable future after signing a five-year contract extension .

He missed six games in 2010 and three games, along with parts of others, last year because of a foot injury.

Experience : Gates is a 10 year veteran. McMichael is an 11 year veteran with 2 years in the Chargers system.

Chargers OG Brandyn Dombrowski is out of action at the moment after straining his right foot .

The Raiders waived the tight end on Monday, a month after they signed the basketball player out of Cal State Fullerton.

There's nothing like the fresh scent of rookie mini camp in the air and at Chargers Park on Friday, the Bolts officially welcomed the class of 2012 to the field.