LT + Preseason Games = Bad Idea

The word is LT wants to play in the preseason.

 

The question is, why?

 

What could possibly be gained by the team’s best running back and arguably best player participating in a glorified practice?

 

The flip side, of course, is what could be lost. If Tomlinson were to suffer an injury, major, or otherwise, in a meaningless football game, that could very well be the end of his career.

 

It also would lead to repeated rounds of finger-pointing and a few well-articulated expletives.

 

So again, the question is, why?

 

Apparently, the answer is a simple one: LT wants to. In fact, the current franchise icon brings up the subject every August, and repeatedly, at least over the last few seasons, his head coaches have acted responsibly.

 

Marty Schottenheimer routinely nixed the idea and Norv Turner has yet to allow Tomlinson to take a snap during the annual round of exhibitions.

 

Sure, the last time LT touched the ball in a practice game in front of a paying audience was 2005, when he scampered 55 yards for a score.

 

But that, and $8.50 will get you a cup of Miller Lite at the Q.

 

So, aside from getting a Saturday night crowd on its feet and raising the stress level of every Chargers coach along the sideline and up in the booth, it amounted to nothing.

 

Which brings us to this Saturday, when the Chargers host the Seahawks for the club’s first preseason game of 2009.

 

LT told reporters after morning practice this past Monday, that he wouldn’t rule out playing an exhibition game this season. He also said he’d prefer playing at home.

 

That makes two options: Saturday, and Sept. 4 in Mission Valley against the Niners in the preseason finale.

 

The fourth game is out.

 

With 10 days to prepare for the season opener in Oakland, you can scratch LT’s name from the A-list, along with most of the starters for that one.

 

His desire to play at home strikes the second and third games on the practice slate, which are both on the road.

 

That leaves Saturday, and still leaves unanswered the concept of exposing an extremely valuable piece of the Chargers’ 2009 season to unnecessary contact.

 

Turner, for his part, has revealed nothing and simply offered that he would not rule out the possibility of LT playing.

 

He also doesn’t need to be reminded of what little there is to gain and how much he can lose.

 

The Chargers’ offense this season will be piloted by Philip Rivers and an ever-improving receiving corps, one that could easily rival any in the AFC, if Vincent Jackson takes his step toward a No. 1, as expected.

 

Turner will likely get running back Darren Sproles more involved, and the return of linebacker Shawne Merriman to the defensive side of the ball should make a talented group under coordinator Ron Rivera, truly formidable.

 

A productive LT will make everyone’s job easier, with a strong possibility of a February 2010 date in Miami as the result.

 

It is LT’s job to play, and his willingness to suit up for a halfback toss or two is admirable, especially when there are customers that are being absolutely fleeced by the NFL to pay regular season prices to watch a scrimmage.

 

By next season, holding a player out of a meaningless game may not be an option if the league expands to 18 games and reduces the exhibition slate.

 

Another bad idea, as more games will certainly mean more injuries to key players. The product won’t be better; there will just be more of it.

 

Coaches then will be faced with the task of when to sit key players and do it in games that count in the standings.

 

But that is next year’s problem.

 

On Saturday, Turner will see that engaging smile and listen to LT as he lobbies to add to his 14 career preseason carries.

 

He’ll picture one of this decade’s most exciting players cutting back on a signature run, maybe even reaching the end zone.

 

Turner will also flash on the horrible possibility of a blindside hit, a leg caught in the pile, or something as simple as slipping on a loose piece of sod.

 

Turner will then hear the voice in his head.

 

Just say no.

 

Chargers Training Camp: This and That

The near midpoint of summer issued forth the one sound that football fans and specifically, Chargers fans, want to hear and that is the movement of players on the practice field.

Training camps across the land opened this week with Chargers rookies and quarterbacks running through drills Monday and joined by veterans for full-squad workouts Friday.

Hopes always run high at the start of camp with preseason games starting Aug. 15, when the Chargers host the Seahawks. But the intensity and the desire has been kicked up considerably as this team believes it is Super Bowl worthy.

Ditching aside last season’s disappointing end in Pittsburgh, the Chargers are gearing for a return run to the playoffs and their first Super Bowl appearance in 15 years.

All of which would be a suitable ending to salute the 50th anniversary of the franchise.

The Greatest Charger: A Title Fit For Three

 

Muhammad Ali is the greatest and Saturday, Chargers fans will get to weigh in on the issue.

 

No, they won’t argue the merits of Ali over Dempsey, Louis or Marciano but they will get to apply the concept of greatest to create an all-star Chargers squad, and possibly include the likes of Ernie Ladd who spent his second career in the ring as a pro wrestler.

 

In recognition of the Chargers’ 50th season, fans are extended the opportunity to select their choice for the 50 greatest players in franchise history filling each position at least two deep while including a head coach and return men.

 

A <a href=”http://bleacherreport.com/articles/182234-the-all-time-all-star-chargers-a-team-with-serious-cred/”> similar roster </a> was floated in this space last month, one that picked all starters.

 

Fans will also get the chance to pick the greatest moments in team history with balloting to take place on Chargers.com and Brigantine Restaurants.

 

But who would win the title of greatest Charger of them all?

 

Plenty of worthy candidates have taken the field for the Chargers since its inception in 1960 with names like Kellen Winslow, Charlie Joiner, Paul Lowe and Junior Seau dotting the landscape.

 

Handling the job of truly carrying the mantle of greatest in franchise history, though, would fall to one of the triumvirate of Lance Alworth, Dan Fouts and LaDainian Tomlinson.

 

Any of the three would be fine representatives.

 

Alworth’s credentials are exemplary. He was the perfect complement to a league that was looking to brand a new style of football, one that was wide open, high-scoring, unafraid of the pass and not your father’s NFL.

 

Drafted in 1962 by both the Niners (first round) and Raiders (second round), Alworth made his way to San Diego when the Raiders traded his rights to the Chargers and he opted for the upstart AFL over the NFL.

 

Sent packing for Oakland in that deal? Running back and flanker Bo Roberson, quarterback Hunter Enis and offensive lineman Gene Selawski. Only Roberson logged significant time with the Raiders, scoring 10 touchdowns over parts of four seasons.

 

Alworth eclipsed that in 1963, his second season with the Chargers and first full campaign which also began a string of six-straight All-AFL nods and seven straight appearances in the league’s all-star game.

 

Three times each did Alworth lead the league in TDs, receiving yards and receptions, and scored 70 touchdowns from 1963-68. He also had at least 1,000 yards receiving with no fewer than 61 receptions in each season from 1963-69.

 

A trade to Dallas before the 1971 season added a Super Bowl ring to the AFL Championship he won with the Chargers in 1963 but he was utilized more as a blocker on the Cowboys’ predominant ground game. Alworth’s crowning achievement came with his election to Pro Football’s Hall of Fame in 1978, the first AFL player to be named.

 

Fouts, another Hall of Famer, helped restore glory to the franchise and revitalized the Chargers’ image as an offensive powerhouse.

 

A third-round draft choice out of Oregon in 1973, Fouts first competed for the starting QB job with the likes of Johnny Unitas and Jesse Freitas, and struggled through his first five seasons. Never once in those years did he throw more touchdowns than interceptions.

 

Of course, those were woeful years for a team that also did not post a winning record. But his fortunes changed in 1978 when head coach Tommy Prothro was replaced by Don Coryell four games into the season.

 

Prothro had essentially built the team with his strong eye for talent during his four plus years, but it was Coryell’s design of a high-octane offense that eventually propelled the team to three straight AFC West titles, a pair of AFC Championship appearances and four straight trips to the playoffs.

 

It was largely possible because of Fouts, however, who had the obscene luxury of throwing to John Jefferson, Wes Chandler, Winslow, and Joiner while also supported in the backfield by Chuck Muncie.

 

From 1979-82, Fouts led the league in passing yards and through 1983 he also led in yards per game average. Those four playoff appearances did not produce a Super Bowl, though, a run that included the thrilling overtime victory in Miami followed quickly by the Ice Bowl loss in the AFC title game in Cincinnati after the 1981 season.

 

Possibly the greatest disappointment of the Fouts era was 1979, a year in which they were 12-4 and earned their first division title as members of the NFL. But Fouts threw five interceptions and no touchdown passes in a 17-14 second-round playoff loss at home to the Oilers.

 

A victory would have produced an AFC Championship in San Diego against the Steelers and a possible Super Bowl berth up the road at the Rose Bowl against the Rams. Earlier in that ’79 season, the Chargers dismantled the Steelers at home, 35-7, as the Chargers intercepted Terry Bradshaw five times. The Chargers had also defeated the Rams that year.

 

Still in progress, of course, is LT and the point may be moot when his tenure with the Chargers is complete.

 

No doubt is he the greatest running back in franchise history and he has a chance at becoming the NFL’s career rushing TD champ with Emmitt Smith’s 164 in sight; Tomlinson trails by 38.

 

Before LT, only Paul Lowe had multiple 1,000-yard rushing campaigns and he had a pair. Tomlinson has eight and counting, including twice leading the NFL in rushing yards and three times leading in rushing touchdowns. He also set the NFL scoring and touchdown records during his 2006 MVP, with 186 and 31 respectively.

 

Like Fouts, though, LT has not delivered a title — a claim that only Alworth can make as a Charger.

 

So the question of who is the greatest Charger is open to debate and possibly leads to a better question: does it really matter?

 

When in the World Is Michael Vick Going To San Diego?

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For the moment, set aside the thoughts of protest.

 

Just briefly, silence the outrage.

 

Clear the mind and be open, it’s one of the great human virtues.

 

Ready?

 

Consider Michael Vick in a San Diego Chargers uniform.

 

Slow down now—just talking football.

 

Think of him sprinting downfield and outrunning defenses on a deep route. Imagine him taking a pitch from Philip Rivers on a sweep. See him get the ball on a reverse and loft a pass downfield to any receiver—take your pick.

 

But while we’re dreaming, how about LT who snuck out of the backfield?

 

And lest we forget the obvious: picture Vick with Bolts flashing from his hardhat, taking the direct snap and options unfolding at the line of scrimmage as part of the Wildcat.

 

Why not a pass to Rivers, who shifted to flanker? The guy’s gotta get credit for at least one career reception on the back of his trading card, doesn’t he?

 

It’s all there. One of the NFL’s most entertaining offensive franchises could add one of the sport’s most entertaining offensive players.

 

Do the Chargers need him? Probably not.

 

Could they use him? Sure, who doesn’t want to add more firepower? And for a team that is looking for ways to increase its number of plays, Vick would provide plenty of options.

 

Forget, too, what you’ve thought of Vick as a player in the past. His days as a quarterback are gone, as distant as his clean criminal record.

 

Even when he was leading the Falcons to the NFC Championship in 2005, Vick was equal parts flashy and frustrating as coordinators and their linemen could never be certain if he’d follow the play or freelance, whether he’d be in the pocket or on the other side of the field.

 

No, when Vick returns to the NFL, his position will be listed simply as ATH.

 

And that is really the way it should be.

 

Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Mike Vick play ball are well aware there have been few players that have been as fun to watch. He is the type of player for whom the game of football is really intended and not the 11 on 11, highly-specialized version that is seen on Sundays.

 

Vick is the embodiment of pure, down-and-out to the station wagon, slant to the tree, button-hook at the manhole cover, go-long-and-I’ll-hit-you football.

 

But in these days of the highly-scripted game plan, that style of player leads to a multitude of problems if he is also the signal caller.

 

Make him one of the options, and he is an offensive weapon of immeasurable versatility and a veritable nightmare for the defense and its coordinator.

 

He would be a morph of Kordell Stewart and Antwaan Randle El but infinitely better. Chargers fans might recall hybrid types like Ronnie Harmon or Gary Anderson or Eric Metcalf. None would be in Vick’s class.

 

Again, setting aside the outrage and also the variable of whether the Chargers would pursue Vick at all (they likely will not) the two main issues confronting the 29-year-old are conditioning and eligibility.

 

First, it’s important to consider his age. He’s 29, not 35, so there are plenty of football years left in that body. This isn’t Brett Favre trying to see if he can coax another pass from a soon-to-be 40-year-old arm.

 

Has he been enduring the rigors of NFL-caliber training while serving 23-months in jail? No. But in the 60 days (which ended Monday) that he spent in home confinement to complete the sentence, Vick reportedly has worked out with a performance trainer.

 

The guy has been playing the game his entire life and just two years ago, was still one of football’s most athletic players. He’ll be able to get in shape.

 

But the bigger issue will be whether or not he’ll be cleared for employment, and that decision is left solely to the discretion of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

 

Multiple sources have reported that Goodell is considering a four-game suspension. Vick has already been released by the Falcons, so upon reinstatement, Vick would be an available free agent.

 

Goodell has stated he is looking for remorse from Vick, and an evidence of change from the man who was sent to prison on a dogfighting conviction.

 

Not only for his professional career, but for his own inner peace, Vick should demonstrate genuine remorse for such a horrible and brutal activity.

 

Recent reports that Vick engaged in dogfighting possibly as young as eight years old, and visited a strip club this week as soon as his ankle monitor was removed, don’t help. Though the strip club visit has since been denied by Vick.

 

But if Goodell is truly convinced, Vick will be reinstated, and he should be. The man paid his debt to society both physically and financially. It is time to let him move on.

 

Some don’t want him on the field at all, but the league has allowed worse transgressors.

 

There will also be plenty of critics that will say Vick has been out of game-speed action too long, and NFL playbooks are too complicated.

 

I don’t buy it.

 

The guy has plenty left in the tank and will contribute mightily to the team with just a modicum of imagination.

 

Think Bill Belichick couldn’t find a spot for him?

 

Whaddya say, Norv?

 

Let the outrage begin.

LaDainian Tomlinson and His Legacy: The 2009 Campaign Could Prove Critical

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The 2009 season could very well be the year that defines LaDainian Tomlinson’s career with the Chargers.

 

Understand, his post—retirement ticket to Canton has an open date, to be filled in upon his near—certain election to the Hall in his first year of eligibility.

 

It is worth noting as well that the best running back in franchise history long ago won the hearts of the local faithful, with admiring fans scattered across the landscape.

 

And unquestionably, there is football left to be played for Tomlinson, his 30th birthday having passed notwithstanding.

 

What remains unsettled for LT, though, and also for a team that graduated to the NFL along with the rest of the AFL in 1971, is a Super Bowl title.

 

Of course, championships are not won by the singular efforts of one man—it requires a collective assembly, not to mention good fortune and relatively good health.

 

But a ring would cement Tomlinson’s legacy in a town that is still waiting for its first parade.

 

Dan Fouts couldn’t deliver.

 

It took all of three plays for Steve Young and the Niners to run Junior Seau and his pals out of Miami in Super Bowl XXIX.

 

And aside from those Fouts teams under Air Coryell or those defensively stubborn Bobby Ross squads, no other iteration of the Chargers has been close to Super Bowl worthy.

 

Until now.

 

This Chargers group has steered its fans agonizingly close the last few years, only to leave them with the taste of warm beer.

 

Playoff losses following the ’04 and ’06 seasons cost Marty Schottenheimer his job. And in the last two years, the Chargers have proven to be an entertaining piece to the postseason NFL tournament, but have lacked the ability to play more than a supporting role in the league’s annual winter theater.

 

And fairly or not, some of the blame has been placed at the supremely talented feet of LT.

 

Postseason exits the last two seasons have seen Tomlinson largely playing the role of spectator. In the Chargers’ loss in Pittsburgh this past January, LT did not play.

 

A week earlier against the Colts, he carried the ball five times and scored the Chargers’ first touchdown with a three—yard run in the second quarter.

 

It was a disappointing finish to a season that saw Tomlinson slowed by a toe injury and finally a groin strain that sidelined him in the divisional round against the Steelers.

 

It’s tough to call out a player for being hurt, but it’s his inability to be on the field at crunch time in the Chargers’ last two postseason exits (he managed just two carries against New England in the 2008 AFC Conference Championship loss) that has fueled the fire of his skeptics.

 

Even solid efforts in two other postseason appearances—123 yards on the ground and a pair of scores with 64 yards receiving against the Patriots in ’07, and 80 yards rushing with another 53 through the air against the Jets in ’05—couldn’t help produce victories.

 

Which sets up 2009 as a make or break season of sorts.

 

A productive and injury—free year with a run to the Super Bowl would certainly silence any whispers of lost steps and solidify an image that Tomlinson so richly deserves.

 

One, too, that could challenge Tony Gwynn as the city’s supreme sportsman.

 

LT, a 2001 first—round selection that could have gone to Michael Vick if not for some deft pre draft—day maneuvering, helped erase the lingering fog of the Ryan Leaf years.

 

Quickly returning fans’ interest to the field, Tomlinson soared up the list of the game’s great running backs while earning five trips to the Pro Bowl, getting three All—Pro nods and becoming the league’s MVP in 2006.

 

He is currently 14th in career rushing yards and is within five 100—yard games from reaching the top 10.

 

More impressive has been his ability to find the end zone. LT trails only Emmitt Smith on the career TD list for running backs with 126 and is tied for fourth with Terrell Owens among all players.

 

Those numbers have produced a Hall of Fame resume, but it’s clear Tomlinson is looking for more and possibly has something to prove.

 

Signed through 2011, LT has indicated he might not seek another contract and instead opt for retirement at the age of 33. But the Chargers, too, may be looking for a new direction if Tomlinson’s production dips again in 2009.

 

Last year he gained 1,110 yards rushing, a career low, and scored 12 touchdowns—fewest since his rookie season.

With an eye to the future, the Chargers affixed the franchise tag to Darren Sproles who will likely see an increased role in the offense this season.

 

But LT, who has had three different injuries (MCL strain, toe, groin) since December 2007, is ready to prove 30 is his new 20.

 

Plenty of support will help, too, with Philip Rivers emerging as one of the NFL’s elite passers and a bevy of talented receivers on offense, and the return of Shawne Merriman and a healthy Antonio Cromartie on defense.

 

Perception is everything, though, and winning cures all ills, making 2009 the season LT could produce his greatest gains.

 

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