SAN DIEGO -- Star tight end Antonio Gates is under contract with the San Diego Chargers through the 2017 season.Hunter Henry is a rookie who has played in six games.And yet, the transition is already underway.Unlike at some positions, where a younger player largely sits until a veteran has retired or moved on, Henry is already showing that the Chargers made a smart choice with their second-round draft pick out of Arkansas.Hes a stud, man, said Gates, who came into the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2003 after starring in basketball at Kent State. Its self-explanatory with him. He was the No. 1 tight end coming out of college and now hes been able to be productive in the NFL. It just gives that added dimension of what he can do from an offensive standpoint.Gates is 36 and has been slowed by a hamstring injury, missing two games. He has 12 catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns.Henry is 21 and has made five starts, catching 19 passes from Philip Rivers for 310 yards and three touchdowns.Henry will eventually replace Gates. He could already be stealing his fantasy thunder.He should, man, rightfully so. He deserves it, said Gates, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection who was an AP All-Pro from 2004-06. Hes like a little brother. When you get to the point where Im at, I genuinely care about the kid. Offensively we are doing the things we need to do. So thats whats more important than anything. Obviously I want to be productive and he wants to be productive, But sometimes we have to take whats given to us. When he stops making those plays then vice versa, my chances and my opportunities come, I have to make my plays.Henry laughs at the little brother tag.I would consider him a big brother, but a lot older big brother, the rookie said. I like to mess with him because I was watching him like when I was in first grade. I was 7. They were in the playoffs like for four or five straight years and they were going back and forth with the Patriots and the Colts.Gates signed a two-year contract in March that will allow him to retire with the Chargers.This is his team. Hes the guy here, Henry said. I know that. Im not trying to step on any toes or anything like that, Im just going to try to do the best of my ability every time. Hes one of the best. I want him here as long as he wants to be here. I enjoy being around him off the field and then also just on the field. Hes awesome to watch.Henry joined LaDainian Tomlinson (2001) and Keenan Allen (2013) as the only Chargers rookies to score touchdowns in three straight games. If he scores at Atlanta on Sunday, hed be the first Chargers rookie since Paul Lowe and Don Norton in the franchises inaugural season of 1960 in Los Angeles to score in four straight games. No Chargers rookie has scored touchdowns in five straight games.Exploiting mismatches, all three of Henrys touchdown catches have come with him lining up in the slot. At 6-foot-5, Henry is an inch taller than Gates. The rookie had San Diegos only touchdown in a 21-13 win against Denver on Oct. 13, reaching up to catch Rivers 5-yard pass.Hes got a great feel and a great knack, Rivers said. And really, one thing Im starting to realize is just the range he has. He has a real big catch radius, like the ball he caught on the touchdown. He was the only one who could have got that one.Henry went through his junior season at Arkansas last year without a drop, catching 51 passes.Not long after practice ends each day, Henry plugs in a Jugs football passing machine, grabs a teammate and a garbage can full of balls, and takes turns catching balls.It is a lot of repetition, Henry said. Im really hard on myself with it. Im almost OCD. I want to catch the ball. If I do have a drop in practice, I think about it all the time.Rivers has noticed, and passed along the example while playing in his backyard Tuesday with sons Gunner and Pete.It was boring for them to just stand there and play catch, Rivers said. They want to run around and run routes I tell them, our guys, our receivers, thats what they do is stand there and catch straight-on balls, all day, all the time, in between periods. Thats what pros do.Rivers and Gates have connected on 79 touchdown passes, the most in NFL history between a quarterback and tight end.Rivers also enjoys throwing to the young guy, and said there are still some different plays to be made with Gates and Henry on the field.But theres no better guy to learn from than Gates, Rivers said.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson---Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Ruben Loftus-Cheek Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Cesar Azpilicueta Chelsea Jersey . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. http://www.chelseasoccerjerseysonline.com/womens-ethan-ampadu-chelsea-jersey/ . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Emerson Jersey . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Gary Cahill Chelsea Jersey . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU coach Gary Patterson was unhappy with the officiating during his teams 52-46 home loss to Oklahoma?on Saturday, including an intentional grounding call made on the?Horned Frogs final offensive drive.Patterson said he did not believe TCU quarterback Kenny Hill should have been flagged for grounding on a drive that ultimately failed in four plays and yielded minus-10 yards, securing the Sooners victory.The bottom line to it is, in his estimation, [Hill] didnt have anyone to throw to, Patterson said of the official who threw he flag. Mine was he got hit, so I dont know how he can tell he couldnt throw it to him.The officiating crew initially determined there was no penalty, but Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops successfully argued with them that Hill was still in the pocket and that no receiver was near the ball.They were already going back to tell him there was nobody there in that area, [which] is what we were yelling about, Stoops said. And then initially he said [Hill] was out of the pocket, and I was like, He didnt take one step to get out of the pocket. He was right back where he started. But fortunately, they talked that through, too, and I believe they really got it right.Patterson was also frustrated that Oklahoma was not penalized for holding when it mattered, and said Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon shouldve been called for holding in the second quarter on a touchdown play when he just tackled my guy. The Sooners were flagged twice for holding during the game.While making his comments about the games officiating, Patterson took an apparent shot at Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.You know, its amazing, we cant say anything, but they can do whatever they want to, Patterson said of the officials. So I dont really care right now if the commissioner, if they dont like what I think about what happened with the officials.ddddddddddddWe talk about sportsmanship in this game, and Ive got a quarterback that writes a whole article on me, how I treated him wrong. But I cant talk about officials. Bottom line to it is, I wasnt happy with the officiating.Mayfield was recruited by TCU out of high school but ultimately did not receive a scholarship offer. He told reporters in December that TCU kinda hung me out to dry right before signing day, which Patterson denied and responded to by saying, If people knew the whole story, they might not have a great opinion of Baker or his father.In an ESPN The Magazine story published in August, which Patterson appears to be referring to in his postgame comments, Mayfields parents again criticized how TCU handled the recruitment and acknowledged the Mayfield-Patterson feud worsened in 2014 when Mayfield was caught stealing TCUs hand signals for playcalls on the sideline during the Frogs win over the Sooners.Despite his frustration about officiating, Patterson did praise Oklahoma for coming into his stadium and pulling off the victory. The Sooners trailed 21-7 after one quarter but rallied with a 42-3 scoring run over the second and third quarters. TCU mounted a 22-point comeback in the fourth and got the ball back down six with 1:49 left. The Frogs drive stalled after two penalties and Hills fourth-down pass fell incomplete.Were not happy about a 6-point loss, simple as that, Patterson said. Thats not what this programs about. I didnt know if we had the people to be able to challenge for a conference championship, but the bottom line is to it, were dang sure gonna try to. ' ' '