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Bolts: Antonio Gates got robbed

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On the field, Antonio Gates stated his case in 15 games.

Off it Wednesday, teammates and coaches spoke up for the tight end.

The subject: Pro Bowl voters named four tight ends other than Gates to the starting lineup.

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“We all felt like he got the short end of the stick on that one,” Eric Weddle said.

Playcaller Frank Reich said: “It’s hard for me to imagine a tight end who deserved the Pro Bowl more than Antonio this year.”

Gates is 34, but his production remains strong.

He’s the team leader in touchdown receptions with 12, tie for third among NFL pass-catchers.

He’s played in each game, posting 65 catches in 93 targets.

Rob Gronkowski’s selection over Gates made sense. The focal point to the Patriots’ offense, Gronkowski, too, commands special attention from defenses and has 12 TD catches. He’s known as a better blocker than Gates.

Voters also selected the Broncos’ Julius Thomas, the Panthers’ Greg Olsen and the Saints’ Jimmy Graham.

Gates appears to be having a better year than both Thomas and Graham.

Having missed three games, Thomas has 22 fewer catches than Gates, while Gates holds a slight edge in yards per catch (11.6 to 11.4). As blockers, they’re comparable. Both have 12 TDs.

Graham is in a blocking role less often than Gates. He has two fewer TDs and a lower per-catch average (10.6). Also, he made a critical fumble in a recent defeat.

Weddle said it was “kind of odd” that voters -- players, coaches and fans -- excluded Gates from the top four.

“It’s crazy,” he said, “but maybe it’ll make him play better this week.”

Reich said Gates is the best route-runner among tight ends.

“The thing I probably love most about Antonio is, for a superstar guy who’s a Hall of Famer, he’s just a team player,” Reich said. “The weeks that he has only three or four catches, he’s just as happy when we win as when he got three touchdowns and he was the star of the game.”

Christmas holiday

Playing on Saturday last week brought the Chargers a holiday present: Christmas off.

“It’s an opportunity for the guys to be with their families, and be thankful, and celebrate something that’s special,” defensive coordinator John Pagano said.

Moving the week’s off day from Tuesday to Thursday, Pagano said, provided “a good chance for players to get their legs back, too, in the middle of the week.”

Pagano joked that he expected to get less rest than on a Tuesday off day, because his children would be up early Christmas morning.

End Corey Liuget said he doesn’t like to receive Christmas gifts, preferring to give them.

Notably

As expected, Ryan Mathews (ankle), Keenan Allen (collarbone) and Chris Watt (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday.

Three Chiefs starters didn’t practice: edge rusher Tambi Hali (knee), WR Dwayne Bowe (shoulder) and G Zach Fulton (toe).

Reviewing the film of the offense’s work against the 49ers, Reich, a former quarterback, was even more impressed by Rivers’ performance. “He just played phenomenally in the second half.”

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