L.A. greets Chargers warmly amid doubts about support

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — For a man who gets cheered at work all the time, Philip Rivers seemed genuinely surprised by the frenzied roars when he stepped onto the Forum floor.

Melvin Gordon and Joey Bosa shared their quarterback’s shock and gratitude when hundreds of screaming fans welcomed the Los Angeles Chargers to their new home on Wednesday.

“All I heard the last couple of days was how nobody wanted us up here,” Rivers said. “But shoot, based on what I’ve seen, it looks like we’re going to be all right.”

The Chargers formally celebrated their relocation from San Diego in a ceremony attended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, owner Dean Spanos, new coach Anthony Lynn and several players.

Even Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff showed up to herald the unlikely partnership between two long-absent franchises reuniting in Los Angeles after the two-decade poker game to return the nation’s most popular sport to its second-largest city.

The Chargers will pay $1 a year to share Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s $2.6 billion stadium next door at Hollywood Park, starting in 2019.

While the Chargers allowed plenty of enthusiastic fans inside the Forum, they realize they’ll face indifference from many Angelenos, and they’ll get outright hostility from Rams and Raiders fans.

While playing their next two seasons at 30,000-seat StubHub Center, the Chargers must work to carve a niche in a jam-packed sports marketplace.

“It’s an amazing place,” Bosa said. “L.A. is the land of opportunity, and it’s going to be what we make of it . ... I’m actually excited for our little 30,000-seat stadium. When we’re 6-0, those are going to be the hottest seats in town.” In other NFL news: • New Jaguars coach Doug Marrone retained Nate Hackett as offensive coordinator, preventing quarterback Blake Bortles from having to work with a fourth coordinator in four seasons.