Chargers RB Omarion Hampton is looking to build off of the flashes he showed in his rookie season. Just as he was starting to gain momentum with a dynamic performance against the Giants, Hampton suffered an ankle injury that would take him out for about two months. When he did return, Hampton started to get his legs back under him. But against Houston, the UNC product then injured his other ankle. This effectively took him out for the rest of the season as he barely was able to play in the team's Wild Card game vs. New England.
But Hampton is ready to have his breakout season in year two and has a coaching staff that backs him. "Big year for Omarion," HC Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week. Hampton himself spoke to the media for the first time this offseason on Wednesday.
Chargers OC Mike McDaniel has a Hall of Fame level comparison for RB Omarion Hampton.
On OC Mike McDaniel's scheme, Hampton said this: "I like it a lot. I feel like all the running backs like it a lot. We're getting in the groove of just figuring out the details of it. It's gonna be super good for us."
A key moment in Hampton's press conference involved an interesting Hall of Fame level comparison that McDaniel has for LA's top RB. A reporter mentioned that McDaniel compared Hampton to former Broncos star Terrell Davis and asked Hampton about it. "He said I remind him a lot like him. I definitely got to check out his highlights." The 23 year old Hampton said he's planning on watching some old tape of the 90's running back.
Davis was one of the best running backs in NFL history at his peak. The 1998 AP NFL MVP won two Super Bowls to go along with three Pro Bowl and All-Pro nominations each. Davis also won Super Bowl 32 MVP for Denver.
That should be a significant message in just how high this coaching staff is on Hampton. It's also a deep backfield with Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal both looking to contribute. Assuming Hampton stays healthy in McDaniel's run scheme, it should be a true 1000+ yard season at least for the second-year rusher. The aforementioned Davis sits sixth in NFL history for the most rushing yards in a single season (2008 rushing yards in 1998). One can only hope that the heights Hampton reaches in his NFL career end up being that high.
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