Tag: Darren Sproles (Page 2 of 6)

      Will this be Tomlinson’s final year in San Diego?

      November 11, 2009 /

      According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, running back LaDainian Tomlinson is likely playing his last season for the Chargers.

      LaDainian Tomlinson is still a player who can help the Chargers win, but it seems clear he can no longer win games for them and is likely closing out his final season in San Diego.

      The Chargers are averaging 3.1 yards a carry, worst in the NFL. And unless they can start getting some leads and let Tomlinson and others pound the ball while the line gets in a rhythm, that doesn’t look to get much better.

      Sunday was the fourth time this season the Chargers rushed 21 times or fewer. They are on pace to rush just 364 times, which would be their fewest since 2000 and third-lowest total ever.

      Tomlinson is a player who has served the Chargers incredibly well over his career and it was good to see San Diego rework his contract in the offseason. But it’s been apparent the past two seasons that he’s running on empty and as the article suggests, it looks like his time in San Diego is coming to an end.

      That said, in LT’s defense the offensive line hasn’t been good either. The holes just aren’t there like they have been in years past and LT isn’t the only one suffering from it: Darren Sproles is only averaging 3.5 YPC, which is only a mild improvement over Tomlinson’s 3.2 YPC. I still don’t see the same explosion and decision-making out of LT as I did in previous years, but the O-line has played a part in Tomlinson’s decline.

      If the Chargers do decide to part ways with LT, they need to find a back that can run between the tackles in the offseason because they could pair him with Sproles to form a nice 1-2 combo. They need a back that can wear opponents down throughout the course of games, because they don’t have that now and their offense remains unbalanced.

      Looking back at things, it probably would have been wise to hang onto Michael Turner and part ways with LT, but how would the Chargers know that Tomlinson would break down the past two years? They probably had an idea that his time as a primary back was winding down, but they weren’t going to cut him before last season and pay Turner at the same time. It was unfortunate timing that Turner became a free agent when he did.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Six-Pack of Observations: Broncos 34, Chargers 23

      October 20, 2009 /

      1. Royal is making his presence felt in other facets of the game
      After hauling in 91 receptions for 980 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie last year, Eddie Royal has largely been a bust in his second year. But he proved Monday night that he could contribute in other areas, especially on special teams. He returned a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter and a 71-yard punt return in the second quarter. As Denver’s offense sputtered in the first half, Royal provided a major spark.

      2. The Broncos’ offensive line has been fantastic
      Kyle Orton has turned out to be a great fit for Josh McDaniels’ offense, but he owes a lot of his success to his O-line. They’ve protected him like Fort Knox all season and did so again Monday night. Orton had all day to throw and was accurate when his receivers broke free from defenders. The Broncos’ front five continues to be one of the better units in the league.

      3. The Chargers’ defense is a mess
      One would have thought Ron Rivera would have fixed some of San Diego’s defensive issues during the team’s bye week. But the same problems that the Bolts had heading into the bye were evident again tonight: They couldn’t generate any pressure, they didn’t tackle well and they couldn’t come up with the big stop when they needed it. The Broncos did whatever they wanted offensively in the second half.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      This just in: Ray Lewis can still play.

      September 20, 2009 /

      Remember this offseason when Ray Lewis put up a small stink about being disrespected as he attempted to coax a long-term deal out the Ravens? Due to his age (34), Lewis was criticized for demanding too much money and not settling for his market value.

      When the dust settled, Lewis agreed to a three-year, $22 million contract that was incentive laden. He then reportedly lost 15 pounds from his last season’s playing weight and looked leaner and quicker in preseason.

      In the Ravens’ 31-26 win over the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday, Lewis once again proved that he could still play at an elite level in the NFL. He racked up 12 tackles (10 solo), one QB hit and three tackles for loss. He also saved his best play for his last.

      With the Ravens nursing a 31-26 lead with 37 seconds remaining, the Chargers faced a 4th and 2 from Baltimore’s 15-yard line. If they picked up the first down, they would have four cracks at the end zone and have the opportunity to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat.

      With a hand injury limiting Philip Rivers’ passing ability, San Diego decided to pull its guards and run to the right side with Darren Sproles in efforts to pick up the first down. But Lewis blitzed on the play, slid past the Chargers’ guards and dropped Sproles for a five-yard loss. The San Diego offensive linemen must have figured that Lewis would be chasing Sproles on the play as they moved past him. But he damn near took the handoff for Sproles in the backfield as he read the play perfectly from the start.

      This isn’t the same Baltimore defense without Rex Ryan and Bart Scott. But you’d be insane to think that Lewis will allow his team to take a step back now that Ryan is in New York.

      NFL

      Tomlinson hurts ankle in Chargers’ win over Raiders

      September 15, 2009 /

      Running back LaDainian Tomlinson rolled his ankle in the first quarter of the Chargers’ 24-20 win over the Raiders on Monday night. He returned to the sidelines, but watched as teammate Darren Sproles scored the eventual game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds remaining.

      Many thought before the year started that LT would be a candidate to rebound this season, although “rebound” is a relative word seeing as how he still rushed for 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns in ‘08.

      But regardless of his ankle injury, it now it appears that he and Sproles are going to get equal amount of time in the offense. It’s apparent that age has caught up with LT and that Sproles is more of a weapon in the passing game. I assume that San Diego will still split the amount of touches that both backs receive, which means that LT’s 300-carry seasons are over.

      As for the game, the Raiders played inspired football and actually looked better than the Bolts for much of the contest. If Richard Seymour is upset about being traded to Oakland, he didn’t show it last night because he lived in San Diego’s backfield.

      JaMarcus Russell still has major issues with his accuracy. It’s not that he’s susceptible to throwing a ton of interceptions (although he did throw two last night), it’s just that he misfires badly and usually winds up throwing passes 10 feet over his receivers’ heads. Still, he showed flashes of promise and should have had two touchdown passes to his credit last night instead of just one, but receiver Louis Murphy dropped a pass in the end zone towards halftime. (Although it wasn’t a clean drop; officials called it a touchdown and then overturned the ruling when they saw Murphy didn’t hang onto the ball all the way down to the ground.)

      NFL

      65 Observations about the 2009 NFL Draft

      April 27, 2009 /

      I’m going to channel my inner Peter King and dole out a crap load of quick-hit thoughts on last weekend’s NFL draft, which by the way, was one of the more unpredictable drafts I have ever witnessed.

      Below are 65 observations from the 2009 NFL Draft. Why 65? I don’t know – don’t worry about it. Originally I came up with 62, but I know that some people freak out when things aren’t in round numbers, so I added three more. But the number 65 means nothing, so don’t waste time searching for its meaning.

      Obviously these are all my opinions and feel free to debate them. But before you do, I already know that it supposedly takes three seasons to fully grade a draft and that no prospect is a sure thing. Again, I’m projecting here – so lighten up and let’s strike up some good debates.

      1. Outside of the fact that he’s now a millionaire and could buy a small country, I kind of feel bad for Matthew Stafford. You know some halfwit fan or media member can’t wait to utter the comment, “For $72 million, he should have made that pass.” I hate the fact that money plays such a huge role in sports because when you get down to it, completing a pass, making a catch or kicking a field goal has nothing to do with how many zeros are on your paycheck.

      2. I know I’m not saying anything new here, but the rookie salary structure is a joke. When teams don’t even want a top 5 pick anymore because of the financial burden that comes with it, there’s a huge problem.

      3. The kid could turn out to be the next Ryan Leaf on the field, but Lion fans have to at least take comfort in the fact that Matthew Stafford is saying all the right things at this point. He did an interview with the NFL Network on Sunday and he talked about how he wants to be a starter right away, but also wants to learn and be patient in his development. From all accounts, he looks like he has a great head on his shoulders.

      4. If Tyson Jackson turns out to be the next Richard Seymour like Chiefs’ GM Scott Pioli believes, then nobody is going to remember (or care) that he was taken with the third overall pick in a weak draft class.

      Continue reading »

      NFL, NFL Draft

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑