Tag: LaDainian Tomlinson rumors (Page 1 of 2)

Is LaDainian Tomlinson done?

June 21, 2010 /

There seems to be two schools of thought on LaDainian Tomlinson at this point in his career: You either fall into the category that believes he has nothing left in the tank, or you think his declining production is in direct correlation to the Chargers’ poor run blocking over the past couple of years.

At least one NFL general manager “with multiple Super Bowl rings” falls into the latter of the two categories.

From the New York Post:

“If you watch the films from the end of last year, the guy had nothing left,” a general manager with multiple Super Bowl rings said last week. “It’s not a knock on him personally. All those carries are going to catch up to anyone.”

The above quote comes from one of New York Post columnist Bart Hubbuch’s most recent columns. Hubbuch also writes that, “it didn’t take a grizzled NFL scout to notice in the Jets’ recent workouts that Tomlinson just doesn’t look like the same player who terrified opposing defenses with his slippery moves and sublime hands for nine seasons with the Chargers.”

Well, no kidding. LT will turn 31 in a couple of days and it’s not like the Chargers limited his carries earlier in his career. He was their workhorse for the better part of nine seasons and there’s certainly a lot of wear and tear on those tires.

The question is, can he still be productive? In a two-back system, I think the answer is yes, especially consider that the Jets have a better O-line than the Chargers, although the loss of Alan Faneca certainly hurts. Assuming the Jets keep all of their backs fresh, LT can still be a valuable piece.

That said, I highly doubt we’re going to see a resurgence here. Again, he’s on the wrong side of 30 and has been slowing down over the past two seasons. I still think he can be effective, but he might not come close to the 730 yards and 12 touchdowns that he produced last season. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a nice complement to Shonn Greene in New York’s running game.

I think it’s a little early to stick a fork in him this season.


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External Sports, NFL

Chargers release icon LaDainian Tomlinson

February 22, 2010 /

After spending nine years in San Diego, LaDainian Tomlinson’s Charger career has officially come to an end, as the team released the 30-year-old running back on Monday.

Tomlinson ends his San Diego career after amassing 12,490 rushing yards and 138 rushing touchdowns on 2,880 attempts. Outside of 2009, he never finished with less than 1,110 rushing yards during a season and never totaled less than 10 rushing touchdowns. His best season came in 2006 when he rushed for 1,815 yards and a NFL-record 28 touchdowns, which he still holds today.

While it’s a sad ending to such a fine tenure, Tomlinson didn’t make things easy by ripping the franchise for his lack of carries last year and his criticism of head coach Norv Turner’s pass-first approach. Tomlinson also refused to take a pay cut to stay in San Diego, so nobody can blame the Bolts for saving $5 million ($3 million in salary, $2 million in bonuses) by dumping him now.

Some fans like to blame the Chargers’ offensive line for Tomlinson’s declining numbers over the past two seasons. But while the left side of Marcus McNeill and Kris Dielman left something to be desired in the run blocking department last year, the right side of Jeromey Clary, Louis Vasquez and center Scott Mruczkowski was more than serviceable in opening up running lanes. The fact is that Tomlinson’s skills have just deteriorated after toting the rock so many times throughout his career.

Tomlinson will land with somebody next year. Chances are he’ll have to take a one or two-year deal, but given his experience and exceptional vision, he’ll land on his feet again.

It just won’t be in San Diego, where it was clearly time for both player and team to move on.


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NFL

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.

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NFL

Saints interested in LaDainian Tomlinson?

March 9, 2009 /

According to Rotoworld.com, Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees is making a pitch to lure former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson away from the Chargers (if San Diego eventually trades or releases him, that is) and bring him to New Orleans.

In a radio interview with XX 1090 AM, Drew Brees admitted to conversing with former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson about the possibility of LT joining the Saints if the opportunity arises.

“For me, I’m just waiting for the opportunity if he is available to come and snatch him,” Brees said. Asked if he told LT that he wanted him as a teammate, Brees replied, “I think that’s pretty obvious, don’t you think?” The National Football Post reported last week that the Saints would have a “high level of interest” if LT becomes available.

In no way do I think LT is done. With a full offseason of rest, he could bounce back next season and still be highly productive. But speaking hypothetically, would he actually make the Saints better? Pierre Thomas is younger and he proved last year that he can run well between the tackles, which is exactly what they need to compliment Reggie Bush. It’s nice that Brees wants to bring his friend to New Orleans, but the Saints seem to be set at running back with Thomas and Bush.

NFL

Tomlinson to stay with Chargers

January 30, 2009 /

As of right now, every indication out of San Diego is that running back LaDainian Tomlinson will not be traded this offseason and will be in a Chargers uniform in 2009.

LaDainian TomlinsonLaDainian Tomlinson’s future with the Chargers might be the most discussed non-Super Bowl story of the week. And it took another interesting turn Thursday. In his chat on NFL.com, analyst Gil Brandt reported that Tomlinson likely will remain with San Diego in 2009.

I was with Norv Turner and Dean Spanos last night and talked at length about LT returning. Mr. Spanos led me to believe that LT would be on their team in 2009. I think the Chargers have a good team. With Merriman back that really helps that defense a lot. And Turner has made some coaching changes. One of the keys to their team next year will be how LT Marcus McNeil plays and if he rebounds from a poor 2008.

The Chargers keeping LT is a no-brainer. Given Tomlinson’s poor 2008 campaign, his 2009 cap charge of $6.725 million is hefty. But the point is he’s still under contract and Darren Sproles isn’t a featured back so if the team could have them both in their backfield again next season (the Chargers would have to re-sign Sproles because he’s a free agent), they’d be in pretty good shape. And maybe LT will restructure his contract and allow San Diego to keep Sproles.

Clearly the Chargers didn’t think LT was finished heading into 2008 or else they would have made a better attempt to hang onto Michael Turner. So why dump LT now after one year? He’s a hard worker and he knows his career is now on the downside. San Diego should show him some loyalty and hopefully he repays you with a bounce back in 2009.

NFL

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