Chargers’ Dunlap quietly ‘awesome’
It is a compliment to King Dunlap, really.
The left tackle position was a San Diego talking point for years, from the day Marcus McNeill was done to the Rise And Fall of Jared Gaither to the hodgepodge of inexperienced linemen thrown together to protect quarterback Philip Rivers’ blind spot.
Few talk about Dunlap today.
Few so much as notice him.
“I prefer it that way,” Dunlap said. “For us, if they’re calling your name, it’s usually for something wrong. If they’re saying nothing about you, it’s probably a good thing.”
The Chargers will meet the 49ers on Saturday night, edge rusher Aldon Smith leading the San Francisco defensive front. San Diego has seen its share of top pass rushers in 2014. Dunlap, playing in the final season of a two-year contract, largely has held his own.
Fifteen players have more than nine sacks this year.
Of them, the Chargers have encountered 10.
But Dunlap has allowed just three sacks all season, according to Pro Football Focus, with none over the past five games. He’s been flagged three times in 923 offensive snaps.
Rarely has his name been called.
“He’s been awesome,” Rivers said. “I wouldn’t know what kind of credit he’s getting on the outside. I know how much we appreciate him on the inside. To play left tackle against who we’ve gone against all year, he’s playing awesome.
“A guy like that, left tackles aren’t just walking around, a dime a dozen. Thank goodness we got him two years ago.”
Dunlap came to San Diego quietly.
Little fanfare followed him from Philadelphia, where he made 19 starts in five years. Little fanfare followed him from Auburn, out of which the Eagles drafted the 6-foot-9 lineman with the 23rd pick in the 2007 seventh round, shouting distance of Mr. Irrelevant.
He is worth talking about now.
He’ll be worth talking about later, as the Chargers navigate an offseason that figures to take a hard look at the personnel up front as one facet to a run game averaging a league-low 3.3 yards per carry. It’s not long ago this organization looked for answers at left tackle, starting an undrafted rookie in the 2012 season opener.
Dunlap is making his case for future consideration.
As for that future, he’s trying not to think about it.
The 29-year-old said that he is grateful for his health. Injuries have limited him in the past, including in 2013 when he missed five games largely due to multiple concussions.
He’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 10.
“I’m just trying to focus on the now,” Dunlap said. “I know it’s coming. ... Time’s not going to move any faster or any slower. Just focus on the now and let the rest take care of itself. ... I’m still a work in progress. I’m not even close to being finished yet. I’m still working. “
Each year, players vote a teammate as their top offensive lineman.
Ballots have yet to be distributed, but a tour around his position room shows to what effect Dunlap is appreciated.
Few talk about Dunlap. Few notice Dunlap.
They do.
“Usually, for left tackles, you have to be making the big bucks to get your name noticed,” guard Chad Rinehart said. “If you aren’t, obviously, there’s no statistics attached to it, so everyone looks at the guys making the most money and assumes they’re the best player.
“Next year, I’m sure that will change a little bit.”
