San Diego, Son
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The San Diego Chargers are led by a man most players only dream of touching. He's broken a record amount of ankles and in addition, set some pretty ridiculous records last season. The guy is only recognized by his victims through the study of the back of his jersey as he scampers in for more touchdowns. He's LaDainian Tomlinson. And he's carrying the load for a loaded team looking forward to a Super season.
While they’re stacked at nearly every position, and have the most explosive offense coupled with the most disrupted defense in the NFL, some still doubt they have what it takes to get it done. And not just some, pretty much everybody. Is there any other sport where people bet against the best player on the field (or court, or ice, or whatever)? Do people like betting against Tiger Woods? Michael Jordan? Roger Federer? Of course not, it would be ridiculous. And so is this. To put it in my dad’s words: He’s due, the law of averages...
Why not?
First and foremost, every football “expert” on earth says that to win the ball in the post-season, you have got to run the football effectively. Yet these same geniuses are picking the Patriots or Colts to win the Super Bowl and are completely ignoring the team led by the best player in the NFL. Neither New England nor the Colts have the running game the Chargers do. The Pats are going to feature Laurence Maroney this year, a second year back who split time with since gone “Clock Killin’” Corey Dillon last season, and the Colts are also featuring a sophomore in Joseph Addai who shared the load with Dominic Rhodes. I guess I need to put this in perspective…
All FOUR of those players didn’t produce as many points as LT did last year. And no, that’s not a typo, or some gross exaggeration for that matter. Check it out…The Patriots tandem produced a total of 20 touchdowns (13 for Dillon,7 for Maroney) all of last year. The Colts duo put up 13 (8 for Addai and 5 for Rhodes). Combine the two (for the mathematically challenged) and up get a grand total of 33 touchdowns.
Wait…
I can hear it already. “LT only scored 31 touchdowns last year”, you cry. Right! Well, he threw for two more, so according to common sense…he equaled the production of the four top backs on the two favored teams coming into this season…and both of their starters are no longer with their respective clubs. And his backup Michael Turner added another two scores (and is as held in high regard by about every coach in the league).
Their defense was ridiculous…it’s a completely offensive unit gifted in the ways of beheading quarterbacks. With a league leading 64 sacks last season, which could’ve been even more had their leading sack artist Shawne Merriman not been suspended for four games due to violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and rank in the top 10 in points allowed, turnovers forced, and yards allowed per game, you don’t need to score too many points. But they do.
As a matter of fact, they scored more than anyone. And that was with a coach who most consider conservative. Ok, they did lose their offensive coordinator (Cam Cameron) when the Dolphins head coaching gig opened up. I get that. But they’ve finally gotten rid of that pesky “Martyball” moniker. And what could be better than that? Time and time again, Schottenheimer took the ball out of his best player’s hands when it mattered most (23 carries in the postseason loss last year. Two touchdowns, 123 yards. Why not give it to him all day?) When you have the best RB in the entire league, you use him. And you use him often. And then you use him again.
Enter Norv Turner. Skilled in the ways of repeatedly running the same plays over and over. He’s the man who gave the ball to Emmitt Smith nearly every play in overtime of his gutsy, injured 1993 season finale victory over the New York Giants…in New York. Why? Because his philosophy is, if he’s still in there, he must be good enough to get the ball. And it’s true. No great player wants to be watching the game unfold. They want to will their team to victory, and sometimes being a good coach is just letting your great players do the work for you. Let them make YOU look good. And Norv Turner gets that. And so LT will get the ball in crunch time. And the defense will know it’s coming, and it’s not going to matter.
It’s become so sickening that it’s not a matter of if he’s going to score, but how many times in a single game. And while opposing teams continually try to bolster their defense with increasingly maddening results, what else can they do? They game plan for him, they try to simulate him in practice, but what’s the point? One of the few guys that has a legitimate shot at stopping him one on one, Shawne Merriman, is on the Chargers. It’s just not in the cards.
So what’s the big deal? They still haven’t gotten it done. Blame Marty-ball. Blame LT’s teammates. Hell, blame him. But he knows, more than anybody, it’s time to pony up and get it done.
The clock is ticking. LaDainian Tomlinson is not getting any younger, and with key players like Phillip Rivers, Malcolm Floyd, and Antonio Cromartie coming into their own, they’ve got the skill positions locked in place. As a matter of fact, top to bottom, they’ve got the best lineup in the league bolstered by the game’s best player. And if you want to talk about hungry, well, look no further then #21. The man so disturbed by the Patriots victory dance on their logo last postseason that you know he has week 2 circled on his schedule. So go ahead and place your bets on Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, everyone else seems to be. But just watch the man you thought couldn’t get any better…get better and prove everyone wrong.
