Chargers' Flowers sheds dad bod in attempt to rebound from poor year

San Diego Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers admits he let himself go last season and his play suffered as a result.

"I had a dad bod coming in last year," Flowers told Michael Gehlken of The San Diego Union-Tribune. "What my girl was eating when she was pregnant, I was eating also. I definitely came in, I want to say, 10 to 12 pounds heavier than what I am now. I was just feeling like I had time to work it off. 'Oh, this is OTAs. I can get to it.' And I didn't even practice in OTAs last year because that weight was bothering me, causing different issues such as my back and putting more weight on my rehabbing knee."

Flowers said being overweight caused his poor start last season and things snowballed from there.

The four-year, $36-million deal Flowers signed last offseason might have contributed, too. He didn't appear to play with much urgency.

Now that he admitted he needs to be better, Flowers pledged to hold himself accountable.

"It was a horrible year," Flowers said. "It is what it is. I’m not a sensitive guy when it comes to what happens on the field. To me, last year was unacceptable. But I had to get it out of my head. I knew what kind of place I was in last year, and I just can't go back to where I was. It's erased."