Column: Keenan Allen, Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon among Chargers who made the grade

Sez Me …

The wind was not taken from my sails, but a cruise to the Mexican Riviera swept me away from my annual scholarly duty to provide a final former-Chargers-now-Judases Report Card. It’s never too late to post the grades, so here they are, straight from the high C’s:

Quarterbacks: B. Foot soldier that he is, Philip Rivers still couldn’t kick field goals and his troops missed the playoffs because of it. Commuting from his San Diego home, this was not his best season. There were some bad moments. But there were games in which he was as good as he ever was. He remains very, very vital, and finishes every start standing up.

Running Backs: B-minus. Melvin Gordon rushed for 1,105 yards and caught 58 passes for 476 more. He averaged just 3.9 yards a carry thanks to an offensive line that couldn’t sustain run blocks. His lack of a burst at times is concerning. Austin Ekeler was a surprisingly efficient backup — until his fumbleitis kicked in.

Receivers: A-minus. Keenan Allen, the NFL’s best route runner, made a tremendous comeback. Tyrell Williams rebounded after a slow start. No. 1 Mike Williams came in hurt and did nothing. Hunter Henry was terrific before injury. Antonio Gates had a bit left.

Offensive Line: C. Couldn’t run block Pop Warner kids. But Rivers dropped back to pass on 575 occasions and was sacked just 19 times. LT acquisition Russell Okung was good. Help wanted here. Head coach wants to run the ball first.

Defensive Line: B. In a way, disappointing. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram were forces, but production fell down the stretch. Still, best it’s been in a while.

Linebackers: F. Just not good. Denzel Perryman was the only tackler among a bunch of bad tacklers. Jerry Attaochu again dominated — the inactive list. The Tommy-John GM tandem must focus on this area. Overall, tackling was worst in football.

Secondary: B-plus. Even without Jason Verrett, it was very good. DBs made plays. Casey Hayward is one of The League’s best corners and no corner in America improved more than Trevor Williams. Safeties Tre Boston and Jahleel Addae had solid seasons. Desmond King was a find.

Special Teams: F-minus. The worst in the game, one of the worst in history. Inability to find a decent kicker cost them the playoffs. No danger on kickoff returns. Punter Drew Kaser (27 tries inside the 20) had a terrific year. “Teams” coach George Stewart is returning, so he must spend a lot of time lighting candles.

Coaching: C-plus. Anthony Lynn’s freshman year started off as an 0-4 failure. He had early trouble with game and clock management but improved. Gus Bradley did wonderful things with the defense, and OC Ken Whisenhunt did plenty, given the weakness up front.

Outlook: B. This should have been a playoff team. A special teams fix is the No. 1 priority. Rivers must remain healthy. The draft and free agency should be heavy with offensive linemen and linebackers who can run and tackle. Team was relatively healthy for the first time in years. The lack of a home-field advantage doesn’t help. But that falls on the Spanoses making a greedy mistake. They got what they deserved — and will continue to play 11th fiddle in L.A. …

The Judases may have a chance to play at least one 2018 home game. In London. Depends on how Titans fans travel. …

Totals are in. Appalachian State football outdrew the Judases. …

The J’s will have a great opportunity to fill StubYourToe Hub Center — with aspiring field goal kickers …

Raiders are contractually committed to 30 years in Vegas. Interesting. Not even Vegas is committed to 30 years in Vegas. …

If the Rooney Rule is viable and the Raiders violated it signing Jon Gruden, a fine won’t do. Oakland should lose draft choices. …

Check Jon’s record after his Super Bowl win. If it were better, maybe he would have gotten $200 million and a piece of Caesars Palace. ...

The Vikings allowed 51 third-down conversions in 16 games. …

Let’s not forget Norv gave Alex Smith a makeover in San Francisco. If Cam Newton is agreeable, Turner, The Quarterback Whisperer, will improve him in Carolina. …

Le’Veon Bell, the most unique running back on the planet, is worth the price of admission, so he should be paid accordingly. ...

Assigned to replace Gruden on ESPN’s Pro Bowl telecast, Matt Hasselbeck has to feel like he’s been demoted. …

Keith Jackson, The Voice during 50 of college football’s formative years, has passed. RIP. …

Huge Mistake Dept.: College football playoffs on New Year’s Eve. …

There could be but one reason for Nick Saban to leave Alabama, where he is premier, for the NFL. Ego. A blank still to be filled in. …

The Xolos will play MLS champion Toronto Jan. 31 in a friendly at USD. If soccer is what we have become, why not in the stadium? Just asking. ...

For the first time since 1968, every MLB team will open on the same day. So there will be scoreboard watching. …

Will miss Yan Solarte’s enthusiasm. ...

The Ball Bros. do a Blutarsky in Lithuania. LaVar blames the Democrats. ...

Rob Picciolo. One of the real good guys. RIP. …

If I’m allowed to return to this world, I want to be either Bengals head coach or Al Saunders. …

Stink ‘O The Week Sezment: Jim Burt. The first player to throw Gatorade on a coach. …

Solo climbers no longer will be allowed to scale Mount Everest. My bucket list takes a hit. ...

I am a very stable idiot. ...

An Associated Press columnist has named San Diego “America’s Worst Sports City.” Guess bicycling doesn’t count.

sezme.godfather@gmail.com; Twitter: @sdutCanepa