Tomlinson clearly has lost a step Sporting News Posted: March 2, 2009 Let's step away from free agency for a moment and take a critical look at the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson, a running back whose place in history has been secured but whose status with his team has become a serious point of contention. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Tomlinson might be wearing a different jersey this fall. Always remember that coaching tape is the great equalizer. The "eye in the sky" never lies. It's the ultimate truth serum. Visualize Tomlinson in his prime. There was no question he was the best runner in the NFL. The single attribute that separated Tomlinson from his peers was his lateral agility and explosiveness. He could plant and redirect, change direction with velocity and balance. In the NFL, running backs rarely run through gaping holes. They must get through small cracks, with a lot of bodies around them and more converging. Tomlinson had an unmatched capacity to create space for himself in those tight and confined areas. He did that with lateral quickness and burst, a much more essential trait than straight-line speed. My guess is Tomlinson's 40-yard dash time, even going back a few years, would not have caught anyone's attention. But that's not relevant to being a great NFL back. Think of it this way: There are few long runs in the NFL, gains of 20-plus yards. In fact, there aren't that many runs of 10-plus yards. The top backs gain 10-plus yards on about 12-14 percent of their carries. The Vikings' Adrian Peterson and Falcons' Michael Turner were in the 12-percent range in '08, and the Panthers' DeAngelo Williams and Titans' Chris Johnson were closer to 14 percent. In 2007, as a rookie, Peterson was off the charts: More than 18 percent of his rushes gained 10 or more yards. That's rarified air; you won't see that often. This measure is so important in analyzing and evaluating backs because it correlates directly to lateral ability. The elite running backs are the ones who navigate through the traffic at the line of scrimmage, use lateral quickness and agility to avoid defenders and create, turning a 3- or 4-yard run into a 10- or 12-yard gain. Throughout his career, Tomlinson fit easily into the 12-14 percent category. He always was among the league leaders in rushes of 10-plus yards, an explosive drive sustainer with the corollary ability to make defenders miss in the open field and take it the distance. When I think back to all the film I have watched over the years, the visual that most stands out is Tomlinson juking an overmatched defender, leaving him grabbing at air. Tomlinson, despite not being a burner, always looked quicker and faster than the defense. In '08, that changed. Tomlinson did not have that same look, that shiftiness and "wiggle" that made it appear he was moving at a different speed. This was reflected in that telling statistic of runs of 10-plus yards. Tomlinson only had 17 runs of 10-plus yards in 292 carries. That computes to 6 percent. That's a significant decrease, one that demands close inspection. Continued... http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=523344
I found myself watching the Denver @ SD game from season 07 earlier..... Boy, that is the LT I will remember. I havn't seen that speed/cutting ability since. I pray he is not done but am fearing the worst.
Same old story... The only thing we can evaluate him on now is his propensity for injury in the short term. Conditions limiting our ability to judge his skill level include: - Injuries over the past 1+ years - Sub par offensive line play - Sub par team play - Increased importance given to the passing game The more of these complications that can be eliminated the better we will understand his game. If he has a serious injury next season it will be 2+ years that he's sustained such an injury. IMO, this will move him from incidentally injured to injury prone.
Werd~ Hard to judge whether he's really lost a step with all the other factors involved. He's still better than most RB's in the league tho.
I think the biggest problem of all is that as far as I know, he still has a detached tendon. He isn't planning to get it re-attached during the off season, so are we going to have another Merriman in 2009? He thinks it's all good, goes out to play the first game and realizes he can't be LT anymore. Shuts it down, gets the surgery he should have had at the end of this past season. That's what I'm worried about much more than what AJ said, what LT said, whether or not his feelings are hurt, etc.
From what I heard, he was told by several doctors that surgery wasn't necessary for a full recover... So I didn't think the tendon was detached? Maybe I'm wrong :icon_shrug: but I agree, it is a concern. Although - I don't believe he would pull a "Merriman". It sounded like he didnt want surgery but would have done it if it was necessary for him to be 100%.
If his restructured contract is loaded with performance incentives then probably not. Maybe this is a reason we've heard no news regarding this? As far as the original post, he may have lost a step. Hell, even I think he has and I'm a big LT homer. But he's STILL a top 10 RB, and I think everyone keeps forgetting that. His performance went down and he's still in the top 10 of all RBs last year. Also, his (relatively) lackluster performance last year was as much of a result of the O-line's subpar performance, and the fact that Neal left. A lot of factors going against LT, even if this was 2006 he'd still have a weak (relatively) year due to all of the negative factors he had to work against.
We just went through a season that I don't believe will be duplicated any time soon. Could LT have lost a step? I'm sure it's possible but there were many reason for what happened last year. Just go back and check our week two injury report.
If Jamal comes out of the blocks the way he did after double knee surgery last (this year as well), 7-9 may indeed win the division. BoltsForLife will not be contained and this place will implode under his might. :lol:
:icon_rofl::icon_rofl::icon_rofl: B4L isn't even in my thought's nor do I look at him as a serious Bolt poster. I know and seen what happened last year and there is no team that could have over come it. Party on!!!!!!!!!!!:icon_toast:
I AM HERE TO SAVE TO. :lol: Everyone in here knows that is a VERY REAL possibility (7-9). The AFC West division is in chaos. 7-9 will make you god-like and hated. :icon_toast:
2657 Career Carries 510 Catches Those are his stats. A rough guess of 85% of those touches results in a tackle or some contact. That is wear and tear.
Good man. I see you stopped hanging out with those 6-7 bobble heads, so now it's ALL uphill from there!!! :yes: As for what happened last season... don't forget that we have the Donkos meltdown to thank for that!!!
Turf toe can do that to you and he was looking like the old LT the last few games of the regular season. He still has gas in the tank.
Really? I'm thinking with modern sciences and medicines, no reason why he can't play 13-15 more season :icon_shrug:
Hes got 1-2 yrs. left maybe, and that will be in a limited role with either the Texans or the Saints. Thats my prediction lol
