When Ken Whisenhunt was in his first stint as the Chargers offensive coordinator, Keenan Allen was a rookie wide receiver posting 71 catches for 1,o46 yards and eight touchdowns.
Whisenhunt left for a year-plus as the Titans head coach and is back in San Diego with designs on Allen playing a major role in the team’s offense. Allen has shown he’s up to the task with that big rookie season and 67 catches in eight games last year before a lacerated kidney landed him on injured reserve, but Whisenhunt says there’s still more growth he wants to see in 2016.
“But he is at the point now where this is an important year because he’s going to be a focal point,” Whisenhunt said, via the team’s website. “He is going to have to win one-on-one matchups. That is something that is a real testament to a receiver. ... If he wants to be viewed as one of those guys who can change a game and make those plays, then he has some guys in our division that he is going to have to go up against and win. That is going to be a challenge for him.”
Whisenhunt referenced a poor 2014 game against the Patriots when he was pitted against Darrelle Revis as the kind of outing that Allen needs to avoid. The Chargers open with the Chiefs and cornerback Marcus Peters in September, so we’ll get some immediate returns on how Allen fares against a good corner as the San Diego offensive focal point.