Antonio Gates' Suspension Finally Opens Door for Chargers TE Ladarius Green

Heading into the 2014 season, more than a few pundits expected a passing of the torch in sunny San Diego. Veteran tight end Antonio Gates was supposed to ride off into the sunset while youngster Ladarius Green took his place as the top option at his position for the Chargers.

That didn't happen. Instead, Gates turned in one of the best seasons of his 12-year NFL career, reeling in 12 touchdowns, once again relegating Green to afterthought status.

Well, it turns out that those pundits may not have been wrong after all. Just early.

As NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported, news that the NFL has suspended Gates for the first four games of the 2015 NFL season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs rocked the Chargers Thursday:

The eight-time Pro Bowler released a statement through the team's website:

"

In my 12 years in the NFL, I have taken tremendous pride in upholding the integrity of the NFL shield and all that it entails. I have taken extreme care of my body with a holistic approach and never taken any substance that was illegal or banned by the NFL.

In an effort to recover from a long season and although I was unaware at the time, I regret to confirm that I tested positive for a substance that is currently on the NFL banned substance list. As an NFL veteran and team leader, I should have done my due diligence to ensure that what I was taking for recovery was within the NFL guidelines. I have always believed that ignorance is no excuse when it comes to these issues, and I take full responsibility for my actions.

I’d like to express my sincere apologies to the Chargers, my teammates, coaches, fans and the league who have always supported me and expected and gotten nothing but the highest level of integrity from me.

"

Make no mistake: This is a huge blow for the Chargers. Gates led the Bolts in touchdown grabs a year ago and was second on the team with 821 receiving yards, behind Malcom Floyd's 856. The 35-year-old has long been Philip Rivers' go-to option in the passing game, especially in the red zone.

But they say that when one door closes, another opens, and that brings us to Green.

Thanks in no small part to Gates' resurgent 2014 campaign, Green was barely a blip on the Chargers' radar last year. For the season he managed only 19 catches for 226 yards, and he failed to find the end zone.

It was a disappointing third NFL season after Green averaged a gaudy 22.1 yards per catch in 2013. Granted, it was on only 17 receptions, but that speed and athleticism, coupled with Green's 6'6" frame, led to breakout predictions that never came to pass.

Still, even before this news came down there was reason to believe that Green could be in for a much larger role this year. In fact, it wasn't that long ago that Gates told Emily Kaplan of the MMQB that his role in the offense could be reduced entering his 13th NFL campaign:

"

With injuries and whatnot, I played a little bit more than they expected me to play last season. I was playing the whole game. How I feel next year, it depends on how much volume they have me doing. I’d like to come in on third-and-7s, red zones, those situations. That’s what my contribution is at anyway.

"

Well, that role is now going to swing away from Gates and more toward Green—although, now it's from necessity.

And while the opportunity that Green's been waiting for has arrived, it's also going to come with a ridiculous amount of pressure. Everything the 25-year-old does is going to be compared to one of the greatest players in NFL history at the position.

And that's both unfair and unreasonable. Simply put, they aren't the same player.

Yes, Green presents a big target. But to this point in his career he hasn't shown the sort of physicality in traffic that Gates made a career on. Green's game (at this point, anyway) probably shares more in common with newly acquired slot receiver Stevie Johnson than Gates, who at 6'2" is four inches shorter than Green.

However, Green does present the Chargers something that Gates doesn't—speed. The ability to stretch defenses, which could (in theory) open up the underneath for players like Johnson and running back Danny Woodhead.

It's going to make for an interesting September in San Diego. Will the Chargers modify the offense to suit Green's strengths, or will they simply hope that Green can "hold down the fort" until Gates gets back?

And if Green takes the proverbial ball and runs with it, what then? What happens when Gates does come back? Could one of the best players in Chargers history see his role reduced because of bit player in what would then likely be his swan-song season?

Those are questions we won't have the answers to for some time. In fact, the Chargers probably don't know themselves after being rocked by this bombshell.

What we do know is that if Gates does wind up playing second fiddle to Green, the future Hall of Famer will have no one to blame but himself.

And Green had better answer the door.

Opportunity is knocking.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPSharks.