Chargers Lose a Legend

The city of San Diego said goodbye to one of its most prominent stars this week when the Chargers released future hall of fame RB Ladainian Tomlinson. While the release was predictable and even anticipated, I found myself feeling remorse for ever criticizing LT. For several seasons Tomlinson gave San Diegans hope for a successful football team. He never reached the Super Bowl and broke down physically during the playoffs, but he was the driving influence in the expectations of Chargers fans.

Tomlinson was a very rare example of humbleness, class, and talent in the NFL. His community involvement and charitable contributions demonstrated his tremendous heart and generosity. He will be remembered as one of the greatest players in NFL history, but he is also remembered as one of the best humans to wear a professional jersey. He never got in trouble off of the field, never uttered a bad word about teammates or management (even when it would have been justified), and never let money or ego change his core personality.

I have read over a dozen reactions by NFL players and not one has failed to mention that LT is a better person than a player. You can be sure every player in the NFL holds Tomlinson in the highest regard for his ability on the field and his contributions off of it. When you talk about pillars of the community, he is second only to Tony Gwynn, and that is phenomenal company. He deeply loved being a Charger, almost to a fault, because it was his positive outlook and great expectations that led San Diego to believe they would finally capture a Super Bowl ring the last six seasons.

In his time as a Charger, LT broke nearly every franchise rushing record. In 2003, he became the first player in NFL history to have 100 receptions and 1,000 yards rushing in the same season. In 2006, Tomlinson won the MVP after setting NFL records for TDs (31), rushing TDs (28), and points scored (186). He owns the NFL record for consecutive games with a rushing TD (18), most consecutive multi TD games (8), and most seasons with 10+ TDs. He is second to Emmit Smith for most TDs in NFL history.

LT's release shows how brutal the NFL really is. One year you are considered a top player in the league, the next you are searching for work as a backup. No position personifies this more than running back, where 30 might as well be 65. There aren't many RBs that leave the league on their own terms, no matter what their resumes look like. Even Walter Payton had to walk away with a bitter taste in his mouth. For those that criticized Barry Sanders for leaving the league early, take a look at the names that didn't see 32 as an NFL RB. Then there's Shaun Alexander who was forced to retire just two years removed from a league MVP. Tomlinson's finish mirrors Alexander's.

Tomlinson stated he will continue to live and be active in the San Diego community, but hopes to find work in the NFL for another three years. I am not sure this will be a possibility for Tomlinson, but there might be an argument that he still has something left. LT's last two years have been the least effective of his career. He only averaged 3.3 yards per carry last year and looked like he has lost the explosiveness that helped him burst through the line of scrimmage. Almost everyone that watched him play blamed age and diminishing speed.

But it was also two years ago that the Chargers fired head coach Marty Schottenheimer in favor of pass happy Norv Turner. Turner almost immediately turned the reigns over to QB Phillip Rivers. The Chargers all but abandoned the run to fling the ball all over the field to their host of talented pass catchers. Run blocking was clearly the weakness of the Chargers offensive line that hasn't opened a hole since they let FB Lorenzo Neal walk away. No one ever pays attention to the full back, but Neal blocked for 1,000 yard rushers his whole career and was recently named to the NFL's all decade team along with LT. That might not provide much comfort to Tomlinson since Neal is retired, and the full back position seems to be an NFL relic, but perhaps his last two seasons in San Diego set him up to fail. It's not like LT was bad and back up Darren Sproles was running wild. There was no run production from either player. Most of the positive plays for Sproles came from short passes.

The Chargers front office has a reputation for being cold blooded in their approach to players. There is no loyalty to stars, and at times general manager A.J. Smith has been openly critical of players, reminding them through the media that they are replaceable. Many thought Tomlinson would not be back last year after Smith took shots at him through the media before the season began. This thought process also helped usher out QB Drew Brees to make way for the 6'5" Rivers. Smith and the Chargers worried about Brees' arm after surgery, but more importantly they never liked having a 6'0" QB under center. Some of you may have seen Brees hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy and announcing his plans to visit Disney World recently.

Football is a business where players are cast aside when their production diminishes. As much as players are vilified for being greedy with contracts, owners and GMs would throw them out on the street if they don't see returns on the investment. Even the best player in Chargers history is not immune. That being said, it did seem like the marriage was over for the Chargers and LT. Hopefully he will get signed by a team that needs some leadership and a positive locker room presence because it appears that is all Tomlinson has left to give. If the Saints are unable to re-sign Reggie Bush, perhaps LT can rejoin Brees in New Orleans and try to ride his right arm to the Super Bowl he never got to play in.

I wish Tomlinson the best of luck, and hope the Chargers repair their fractured running game. No matter how the landscape of the NFL tilts in favor of passing, you still need a running game that can bang out four yards on the ground. That was something that Tomlinson was successful doing most of his career. That is something the Chargers lost that cost them yet another chance to get to the Super Bowl. I would be much happier writing about the Chargers releasing K Nate Kaeding, but all things come to an end, especially in the NFL.

AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so sick of being a Chargers fan. I know I said that Chargers fans would be wise to temper expectations, but for some reason I do not ever take my own advice. It is unbelievable the way this team crumbles in the post season when they are the favorite. How many disappointments at home can one team be a part of? Not one player on the team should be proud of their performance against the Jets. I don't buy for a second that the Jets deserve credit more than San Diego is to blame. The Jets didn't play that well, they're not even that good. Not one Charger was ready to play, and they made the Jets look good. They just lost to a rookie quarterback who was hardly asked to throw.

Let's start the blame with Nate Kaeding. Kaeding has consistently been one of the top three kickers in the league during the regular season, but when the playoffs come around, he folds like a napkin. He was 0-3 in field goal attempts including a chip shot from 36 yards away that would have given the Chargers points on their second possession of the game. When I saw that ball miss, I knew the Chargers were in trouble. Kaeding has now lost two games to the Jets, and missed a chance to beat New England, all in San Diego. What is the point of having a kicker that cannot make field goals in the playoffs? In a game where you are facing the best defense in the NFL, you have to capitalize on every scoring opportunity. Kaeding left 9 points on the field. I realize one of the attempts was a 57 yarder, but the kick wasn't even close, and it almost led to a return by Darrelle Revis the other way. If he would have made the two field goals he was supposed to, the Chargers would have won.

Next blame is a combination of the offensive line and RB Ladainian Tomlinson. I don't care how many weapons you have in the passing game, you have to be able to pick up more than one yard on the ground when you run the ball. RB Darren Sproles had a couple of good carries towards the end of the half but never got handed the ball the rest of the game. Tomlinson looked like he was running hard, but couldn't find any room, and lacks the speed to run the ball to the outside. He is over the hill, and this year was his best chance to win a Super Bowl. The lessons of playoff disappointments in the past did not sink in with the veteran leaders, and the entire team came out flat. It seemed like there would never be room to run, and there wasn't. I understand that the best offenses are balanced, but when it is clear that you can't pick up yards on the ground, why do you continue running into the teeth of the defense? I have to think that having the name Tomlinson on the back of your jersey demands a certain number of carries. I hate to see players who have meant as much to the city as Tomlinson cast aside (like the Padres did with Trevor Hoffman), but the Chargers need a RB bad. Real bad. Tomlinson is done.

Next to blame is head coach Norv Turner. I was so disappointed when the Charger's let Marty Schottenheimer go and hired Turner. It didn't seem to be an upgrade at all, but he really grew on me with an unexpected playoff win last year, and the great run they had at the end of this year. But when your team comes out and lays a collective egg, the head coach is the first person you look to blame for not imparting the proper motivation. The game plan was not the issue more than the execution, but the blame begins and ends with the head coach in the NFL. That's just the way it is. After going 14-2, Schottenheimer was fired after an unexpected first round loss. I am not saying that is the right move for Turner, but he should think about that precedent. I haven't read any thoughts on the game, but I guarantee a lot of the good will that Turner built up this year is out the window with this loss. As sad as it is, the best thing Charger's fans can hope for is a bad season next year where they can justify hiring a coach that can actually have his team ready to beat someone other than themselves in the post season. It might not matter as the Chargers could lose WR Vincent Jackson and LB Shawne Merriman. The rest of the team is getting old with the exception of QB Phillip Rivers, and it is clear he cannot win the game on his own.

Let's also not forget to blame the passing game. Rivers threw two interceptions. WR Malcolm Floyd needed to step up since he wouldn't be covered by Revis, but he dropped passes and was a non factor. The Chargers consistently drove and stalled due to penalties. Even though the line did a great job in pass protection and picking up blitzes, they couldn't get any momentum thanks to drops and ridiculous penalties.

Penalties, penalties, penalties. Every time the Chargers had momentum they shot themselves in the foot with a penalty. Holding, false starts, personal fouls, even an unsportsmanlike conduct for kicking a challenge flag when the faintest hope of a comeback was sparked.

Defense. Overall, you can't be too disappointed with the defense, but when the offense cannot perform and you still have a chance to win the game if you come up with a stop, you have to make the play. When you know your opponent is going to run the ball and you can't stop them, you haven't done your job. At the very end of the game on 4th and 1, everyone in the country knows the running back is getting the ball up the middle. At that point it is a matter of desire, and it looked like the defense was ready to go home. The hole that the Jets were able to open on that play was bigger than any one Tomlinson had the entire game. That is desire. Even more disconcerting was the play before when it was 3rd and 6 and they gave up a five yard run. That run enabled the Jets to go for the first down and seal the game. If the D stops them two yards shorter, the Jets punt, and Rivers has a chance for another patented comeback. There is a reason the Jets have the best running attack in the NFL, and it's not because they have the best backs or line. It is because they are one dimensional and can't consistently ask their QB to make plays. They have to live and die with the run, and the Chargers D could not make a play when it mattered in the second half.

I'm so upset that I let myself believe in these guys again. I told myself I would never get so invested that I would be mad when they lost, but I am beside myself right now. My wife is irritated that I am letting the game ruin the day as I am currently in Colorado with the in laws, but what a terrible loss. You could not have picked a better team to play if you were the Chargers. The Jets didn't even belong in the playoffs and the Chargers handed them the game. If this game had been played in the regular season, the San Diego Chokers would have beat them by 20 points. It is games like this that have led me to pick a safety team in the NFC to root for. I just can't trust the Chargers to ever play above their potential. It has been a lifetime of underachieving, disappointment, and anger. I guess the radio personalities are correct when they say San Diego can never produce a winner because the hunger cannot be cultivated living in paradise.

Once again the football season is ruined by an early exit from the playoffs. It would be okay if they played a team that is better than them, but once again the Chargers beat themselves at home. Damn it! Just pathetic. How do you come up with your worst game of the year at home in the post season? Year after year. Year after year. AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would say I know what its like to be a Cowboys fan, but at least they have had success beyond the regular season at some point in their history. An embarrassing Super Bowl loss is all Chargers fans have to hang their hat on.

I am not sure when I will be able to stomach reading the post game interviews or articles, but that team should be ashamed of their performance, again. It is not like you don't have history to learn from. How you let it happen again is beyond belief. I apologize that this post is not very glib, I am writing out of pure anger, and not planning on proof reading.

Addition: I am writing this paragraph a couple of hours after I posted the above. I want to go back and say something about Ladainian Tomlinson. There should be more professionals like him. He has had an amazing career as everyone knows, but more importantly he has carried himself with class and represented the Chargers organization better than anyone in my lifetime. He is an extremely rare example of a classy NFL star running back. All the stats and wins he has piled up as a Charger can never touch the pride and class he carried himself with. He is a true role model and I hope there are several young kids striving to grow up and be like him. As I have cooled off after another devastating loss, I feel like I would be remiss to not say something about Tomlinson after what might have been his last game, at least as a Charger. I realize the expectations I have of the Chargers has been built through the years thanks greatly in part from the effort of Tomlinson. Without him, there would be several years I would be happy if they finished .500 and beat the Raiders. For all the heartache true fans of San Diego sports endure, we have been represented by some of the finest role models in their respective sports. I would defy anyone to show me a sports star who carried himself with more class than Tomlinson or Tony Gwynn. We might not have championships, we might not have many wins, we might not have many postseason appearances, but we have some guys that have done it the right way throughout their career. We have some guys that prove there are still role models in sports. It's just unfortunate that they could not have been rewarded with more on the field successes. I am very proud of Tomlinson's career as a San Diegan, and I wish him the best in the future.

Bad Beat: Giants Get Rivered

It's not easy being a San Diego Chargers fan. In recent memory they have endured Ryan Leaf, a blowout loss in their only Super Bowl appearance (XXIX against the San Francisco 49ers), heart breaking playoff losses and injuries, a number one overall pick refusing to play for them and a city whose lack of support has led ownership to explore moving the franchise. Over the past five seasons the Chargers have made a habit of raising pre season expectations only to see them falter as the team gets out to their annual slow start. This year is no different.

After being expected to be the only team with a winning record in the AFC West, and one of three teams given a chance by the "experts" to compete for an AFC championship (Pittsburgh and New England being the others), the Chargers found themselves 2-3 and three games behind division leading Denver, five weeks into the season. Additionally, future hall of fame running back Ladainian Tomlinson has been ineffective, silencing many who predicted the thirty year old would bounce back after the worst season of his career, last year.

Tomlinson's ineffectiveness highlighted problems with the offensive line. The Chargers became accustomed to excellent offensive line play after winning the division in 2004, a year that saw the Chargers eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Jets.

2006-2007 saw Tomlinson take home the MVP award behind his offensive line after setting several records and leading his team to a 14-2 mark, best in team history. Once again, the Chargers made an early exit from the playoffs being upset at home by the New England Patriots (it was a big upset with the Patriots bringing their weakest team in years to San Diego). The days of a consistent running attack seem far away with the line unable to open running lanes for either Tomlinson, or back up running back Darren Sproles.

Matching the offensive line struggles, the defensive line has also had issues. Injuries to key players, especially Pro Bowl nose tackle Jamal Williams, have softened the once stalwart San Diego D line. The constant pressure and frequent sacks the defense became noted for all but disappeared the first five games of the season.

The Chargers have often been referred to as the "most talented" team in the league by sports broadcasters. There is no doubt they boast a lineup of exciting play makers. Unfortunately, injuries, slow starts and playoff upsets have become synonymous with the team, overshadowing their tremendous talent.

Life long Chargers fans should be accustomed to tempering expectations, but a slow start once again leaves San Diego fans wondering if the end of this year will be the end of an era. An era where, at least, Chargers fans had hope of a Super Bowl appearance. No longer is Tomlinson the core of the offense. That distinction has transferred to Phillip Rivers and the passing game. A passing game that is asked to make up for the inconsistencies of both lines this year.

With an uncertain future, a divisional race slipping away and fans that desperately needed something to cheer about, the Chargers headed to the Meadowlands to play the New York Giants. The Giants organization called the showdown a "one game season," a sentiment the Chargers (and their fans) shared.

In addition to the game's importance, this was the first time Phillip Rivers and Eli Manning squared off after being swapped on draft day, 2004. By trading Manning to the Giants, the Chargers received Rivers and two draft picks that they used to take future Pro Bowl selections, Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.

The Giants had plenty of motivation going in to the game. They lost three consecutive games after winning their first five of the season. This coming after they made Eli Manning their franchise quarterback with a contract worth over 100 million dollars. To add a little more pressure, the Yankees just won the World Series and seized back New York's loyalty less than two years after the Giants Super Bowl victory stole it away.

The Chargers had their own motivation. They were two games behind the Denver Broncos in the division standings and were widely criticized for not winning games on the east coast. More importantly, Manning is still public enemy number one in San Diego where Chargers fans took his refusal to play with the team personally. Rivers, no doubt, was feeling a little extra motivation playing against the team that discarded him in favor of Manning.

The Chargers barely saw the ball in the first half with the Giants eating up over twenty minutes on offense. The game was tied at seven at halftime.

The second half saw the Chargers defense step up holding the Giants to zero third down conversions in six attempts. The most important stand came with a little over three minutes left in the game after a Rivers interception gave the ball to the Giants on the Chargers four yard line. A touchdown would have sealed the game giving the Giants a ten point lead with less than three minutes left.

Instead, the Chargers defense held the Giants to a field goal after a penalty and conservative play calling by Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin kept the G Men out of the end zone. Coughlin has been widely criticized for not attempting to pass with his 100 million dollar quarterback, opting instead to play it safe, run time off the clock and put the game in his defense's hands. A defense which had performed well holding the Chargers to two scores and 14 points.

Rivers and the Chargers offense got the ball back on their 20 yard line with 2:07 left in the game. It took Rivers eight plays and 1:46 to go 80 yards for the game tying touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson, his second score of the game. The Chargers did not use a timeout during the game winning drive and executed the two minute offense to perfection. Kaeding hit the game winning extra point after the touchdown.

The emotion of the team was evident after the score. Not surprisingly, Rivers led the way by running the length of the field in celebration. Tomlinson, who once again was a non factor in the game, embraced head coach Norv Turner after the win.

The Chargers are now accepting hop ons to their bandwagon after Denver lost to Pittsburgh, Monday night. They now trail the division leading Broncos by one game.

The encouraging win saw the Chargers answer the critics speculation they could not win a big road game. The team also saw Merriman and Shaun Phillips have great games for a defense that compiled five sacks for the second straight week.

Rivers, once again, proved he is a pressure player with the 11th fourth quarter comeback of his career. He did not have his best day as a Charger, but in the end, he got the best of Eli and the Giants. A victory he would categorize as, "a little special" after downplaying its significance a week prior.

Maligned head coach, Norv Turner, also received praise from fans for his play calling on the final drive. By not calling a timeout Turner was able to create quick strike offense keeping the Giants from being able to substitute.

In true east coast biased reporting, most of the coverage focused more on Coughlin's decisions than the comeback by San Diego.

Wide receiver, Vincent Jackson, continued to establish his reputation as one of the best receivers in the league, catching two TDs including the game tying catch. For Jackson, it was his fourth straight game with a TD catch and the third game tying or winning TD in his career. He also became only the third player in the past five years to catch two TDs against the Giants defense. Terrell Owens and Randy Moss are the others.

Chargers fans desperately needed that win to maintain any faith in their frequently underachieving team. Despite the star studded lineup, the city has narrowly escaped TV blackouts this year, barely able to fill the stadium. The 44 straight televised home game streak hangs like a workplace safety poster at a construction site. A blackout seems inevitable unless the team can keep up their winning ways. With Los Angeles soon to be on the prowl for an NFL franchise, keeping the stadium full is imperative.

Super Bowl chances are slim for the Chargers this year, but one way to maintain a happy fan base and sell out games is to beat Eli Manning. After the win the Chargers sold out their following contest with the Philadelphia Eagles faster than any game this season. Once again, San Diego will be matched up with a team desperate for a victory and should prove to be a big challenge for the inconsistent Chargers.

On the bright side, the Chargers have now won three straight contests and have improved each week in the wins. Starting center, Nick Hardwick, will be back next week after a leg injury against the Oakland Raiders sidelined him in week one. And the Broncos are coming back down to earth, losing two straight after their unbelievable 6-0 start.

Chargers fans would be wise to stay cautiously optimistic. The Chargers have traditionally improved in the second half of the season only to see their efforts squandered with disappointing playoff losses. Sure, the Chargers have some nice playoff wins against the Indianapolis Colts and the other Manning brother, but fans are ready for the next step. Even if they come back and win the division, there is no reason to believe the Chargers can compete with elite AFC teams like Pittsburgh or New England. For that reason, Chargers fans should relish Sunday's win and take comfort in Rivers' 1-0 record against Manning. It may be the best highlight of the year.