"The first thing I will say is there were a lot of good things that were done last year offensively," he said. "But the one thing that stands out is we need to run the football better than we did last year. There is no blame associated there, as there are always factors that are involved. But that is probably the biggest thing we have to do, because then your play action builds off of that, your time of possession increases where you can control the ball and you are in better third down situations. All of those things tie in together. Now, it's hard to say you can improve on all of those things significantly in the offseason because there are no pads, but I think you can lay the groundwork for what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. That will carry over into training camp."

It's also no secret that an improved rushing attack will bring balance to an offense that drastically leaned on the passing game in 2015.

"You can do so many things when you are blessed with a quarterback like Philip Rivers," Whisenhunt continued. "We've got to be able to do things that will complement him, and a good running game is one of those that we have to get better at."

Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead are expected to be the lead dogs in a running back corps that also includes proven rushers Branden Oliver and Donald Brown. Even though Gordon's rookie year didn't live up to his expectations, Whisenhunt sees a bright future in store for number 28.

"As a young player, you never know how that first year is going to go," he said. "Just like the ball didn't quite bounce the team's way last year, the same went for him. But I can say this. I've talked to Melvin a little bit, and had a chance to meet him briefly. I didn't get a chance to spend much time with him, but with all of the work we did on him as a player coming out, I was very excited about him as a player and what he brings to the table. The same for some of what I saw of him on tape from last season."

It's no secret that Gordon struggled with ball security his rookie season as he coughed it up far too many times. Still, that is not uncommon for young players as Whisenhunt drew a comparison to one of the most dynamic running backs of the 21st century.

"Obviously one thing that jumps into everybody's mind are his fumbles, but if you think back to Tiki Barber and what a great player he was, well he struggled with fumbles early on, too. So let's not panic about that. Yes, it is something we've got to work on, but Melvin is a talented guy. The important thing for us is what does he do well from a run game perspective? Is it a power/counter scheme, or is it a zone scheme? What are his strengths, and how do they fit with us? How can we put him in those situations? I think it is important he gets reps, and comfortable with the courses he is taking. Last year, he didn't get a chance to be exposed to that, so it will be easier for him with us having him for the whole offseason. He is also a good receiver, and catches the ball well out of the backfield. I'm excited about what he is going to be, and I am looking forward to that."