Serocki: Ladanian Tomlinson Bolting?
San Diego running back LaDanian Tomlinson has had rumors swirling around him about his future with the Chargers. Tomlinson addressed the rumors, saying that he would most likely not be returning to San Diego, where he has lit up the league ever since 2001. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
By Matt Serocki
Are we really going to see a divorce between one of this generation’s most prolific running backs, LaDanian Tomlinson, and the San Diego Chargers?
According to L.T., the answer is most likely “yes.”
Tomlinson answered speculation this week amid swirling rumors all season that he and the Chargers will most likely part ways after Super Bowl 44.
He is due to collect a $2 million roster bonus on March 5, pushing his potential 2010 salary to $5 million. San Diego will not want to pay Tomlinson the bonus, so a move before the bonus is due could be on the horizon in the coming weeks.
The Chargers have contended annually since Tomlinson’s arrival in 2001 and even finished the 2009 season at 13-3, good enough for the second seed in the AFC.
Their season ended suddenly, however, when the New York Jets upset the Chargers in San Diego 17-14 en route to the AFC Championship Game.
Tomlinson had been the standard-bearer of NFL running backs up until last season. He rushed for 1815 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2006 while also adding 508 yards and three scores receiving.
L.T. is San Diego’s all-time leading rusher, but finished the least productive season of his nine-year NFL career with 730 yards on 223 carries.
It was painful to watch the last two seasons as the 30-year old Tomlinson, now sharing carries with the lighting-quick Darren Sproles, couldn’t produce at nearly the same pace as he had in previous years.
With two years remaining on his current contract, the 2006 NFL MVP agreed to restructure the final three years of his contract and take a pay cut. He did say that he would not be willing to do it once again.
The turn to from first to worse for Tomlinson may have been foreshadowed in the 2007 AFC Championship Game.
L.T. sat on the sidelines in Foxboro against the eventual AFC-Champion New England Patriots while tight end Antonio Gates and quarterback Philip Rivers played through various ailments.
Tomlinson was the feature back for the Chargers since 2001, and the wear-and-tear of carrying the ball 20 plus times a game for eight years has shown over the last two seasons.
The same sight might just be the last image Chargers’ fans have of the man who has been the face of their franchise for the last decade.
Seeing Tomlinson in another uniform (he will most definitely end up with a contender) would be like seeing Joe Montana in a Chiefs’ uniform or Brett Favre in a Jets of Vikings’ jersey.
Whatever may happen to LT, one thing is for certain - the NFL has become a tailback-by-committee league.
A league once dominated by 350-carry backs like Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander, L.T. and Clinton Portis is now home to the duos such as DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart of Carolina, the Cowboys’ triumvirate at running back (Marion Barber III, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice) and the Giants Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.
Tomlinson has been a classy player who has not made stupid mistakes off the field. He has let his play and sometimes words on the field speak for himself, and wherever he may land, they will do the same for his new team.
Matt Serocki is a Blogger for Boston Sports U18. He is also a Sports Correspondent for The MetroWest Daily News. He can be reached at amattser82@yahoo.com.
