Bye Bye LT

[Dodgerchick]

*sigh* I knew it, I just knew it. I hope he gets a ring with whatever team he ends up with... lord know many ex-Chargers have.

original article - http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...T.2ac1880.html

LaDainian Tomlinson's release a matter of production, money

06:05 PM CST on Monday, February 22, 2010

By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News


The Cowboys said good-bye to the greatest running back of the 1990s. Now the San Diego Chargers say good-bye to the greatest runner of the 2000s.

LaDainian Tomlinson has gone the way of Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, having been released by the Chargers on Monday with his career winding down.

And it's winding down fast.

For the first time in his nine-year career, Tomlinson failed to rush for 1,000 yards. His 223 carries, 730 yards, 3.3-yard average and 20 receptions were all career lows.

The wall for running backs historically has been 30 years of age when productivity begins that steep, rapid and inevitable decline. Tomlinson turned 30 last June and has now gone 23 consecutive games without a 100-yard performance.

The Chargers renegotiated his contract last March to make Tomlinson more salary cap-friendly. But even with no salary cap in place in 2010, the Chargers decided it was time for a divorce from their all-time leading rusher.

Tomlinson signed an eight-year contract in 2004 that made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL at $50.5 million. The deal was to keep him in a San Diego uniform through the 2011 season.

Since then, Tomlinson has won two NFL rushing titles and gone to three Pro Bowls. He set a league record with 31 touchdowns in 2006 and moved into eighth-place on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He was crowned the league's MVP in 2006 and named to the NFL all-decade team this winter.

But Tomlinson didn't get to 2010 with the Chargers, much less 2011.

Smith rushed for 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Cowboys. But that streak came to an end in 2002 when Smith gained only 975 yards. The Cowboys released the NFL's all-time leading rusher that off-season.

It's a cruel business. When a back stops posting elite statistics, his team stops paying him elite dollars. His release by the Cowboys didn't slow Smith's trek to the Hall of Fame. And Tomlinson's release by the Chargers isn't likely to slow his trek to Canton, either.

[JediKooter]

I just love how LT is getting all the blame for his stats this past season. The Chargers' offensive line couldn't block Emanuel Lewis this past season. Funny no one said anything about Sproles' lack of production because he's younger than LT.

I hope the Patriots pick him up and then win the Super Bowl next season.

[yacovfb]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

I just love how LT is getting all the blame for his stats this past season. The Chargers' offensive line couldn't block Emanuel Lewis this past season. Funny no one said anything about Sproles' lack of production because he's younger than LT.

I hope the Patriots pick him up and then win the Super Bowl next season.

The line sucked last year, but LT is clearly not the same LT - he's missing that burst out of his cut and that's really limited him. That, and he's going down on first contact way more than he has in the past.

Norv's rushing philosophy of running most everything up the gut has also cut into his (and Sproles') numbers but I highly doubt LT averages anything more than 4 ypc again, if that. He still has value as a goal line back or in a running back by committee but there was no way that he was going to be able to do that as a Charger since he decided he wouldn't be taking a pay cut. 5 mil for what he is now is way too much.

LT had his shot at a Super Bowl - I'll cheer for him to win one once the Chargers do first. Hopefully he'll realize his foolish stance and come back in a year at a very cheap rate to help the Chargers go back to back. I can dream, right?

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

The Chargers' offensive line couldn't block Emanuel Lewis this past season.

If he learned anything from his TV dad, that's not at all surprising!

[claphamsa]

meh, i hope he has the sense to give up now.

[Kodos]

I can't see him going to New England. Not a big Belichick fan.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

Do people think he's seriously got much left in the tank? I hope NE stays far away, personally.

[bhlloy]

The Chargers line was absolutely horrible this year. LT actually did a good job of making guys miss in the backfield and finishing with a YPC over 2.5 was actually a good achievement. His problem is a) he's missing just a bit of the top end speed that made him such a breakaway threat and b) he goes down on first contact almost every time. But his footwork, vision and receiving out of the backfield is still elite IMO.

If I could get him for a couple of years at a decent price for my team I'd be pretty happy. He's never going to be an all-star again but I think he'll be a solid, 4 YPC guy for a team that can actually keep the opposing defensive line out of the backfield. I think he'd be a perfect fit for New England, given some of the other guys they have had success with over the years, but the question is whether he still wants to get paid like a star.

[JediKooter]

yacovfb: He definitely isn't the same LT of years past, but, you can tell he still has some gas left in the tank. It would have been awesome if he could have gotten a championship with San Diego, but, the way Norv coaches, I don't think a championship could have been won with Montana as the QB.

M GO BLUE!!!: Haha!! Mr. Papadapolis!

He scored 12 touchdowns which was tied for 4th in the NFL in 2009. Not sure how that's washed up. He averaged 3.3 yards a carry (more than likely been over 4 had the line blocked). Daren Sproles?? Anyone? Bueler? 3.7. Funny, no one is saying Sproles is washed up. My best advice, watch more than just one playoff game or a Monday night game and you can see how bad the Charger's offensive line run blocking was.

Like bhlloy said, LT was having to make cuts and avoid tackles 5 yards before the line of scrimmage and it took LTs skill just to get back to the line without getting tagged with a loss.

Belichick doesn't care about being friends with a player, he wants to win and if LT can help them, I don't see how he would be a bad fit in New England.

[yacovfb]

I'm a Chargers fan too and watched every game this past season except for the 2nd Raiders game...I'm not seeing it. I do agree that the line was horrible in run blocking and LT had to make a lot of moves in the backfield just to get back to the line - but a lot of his game just isn't there even when the blocking is. Much less burst, goes down on first contact much easier and a big loss in one of his best attributes, balance. How many times this past year (or 2) did he slip thus negating a much bigger run? Seemed like a bunch to me.

As for the TD argument - that does support that LT still has most of his best attribute, his vision. At the goal line, he is still (mostly) elite. Between the 20's? Not so much. His TD runs this year were of the following yardage: 1, 6, 10, 3, 20, 1, 1, 3, 4, 1, 1, 1. His longest run of the season was 36 yards and he only had 3 rushes over 20 (and none over 40). He is just not the same running back. Last year he had 6 carries over 20 yards and 3 over 40. In 2007 it was 13 and 2.

The decline is pretty clear to me, both in the stats and in watching. Sure, he's shown flashes of his old self but those are too few and far between. He might be a decent option behind a dominating run blocking line, but with even a decent one I don't think he sniffs 4.0 ypc again.

Look, I love LT and everything he's done for the franchise. I thought he'd be a lifer, but the transition from him to Philip over the last couple of seasons coupled with LT's decline makes this move hurt only sentimentally. At least the organization handled this move better than the Padres did with Hoffman. And Hoffman had more left in the tank when he was not brought back than LT does now.