LT is D-O-N-E
LaDanian Tomlinson turned 30 this summer, the age at which franchise running backs usually are finished, and is acting accordingly. Over the last two years his yards per carry average has dropped from a stellar 4.7 to a pretty awful 3.2. Breaking it down further, he hasn’t had more than 71 yards in any game this season, and he’s had two games where he has had less than three yards a carry. He’s clearly living off of reputation now; if he were Joe Blow running back he’d have been benched already. The Chargers reportedly flirted with releasing him in the offseason, and probably will next time around. Superstar running backs may get the rawest deal of any big NFL stars; they often don’t get drafted high enough in the first round to get big rookie money (only 13 have gone in the top ten since 1998, six since 2005, and none this year), and are often burned out by the time they hit 30. They might get one big contract in their whole career, and the Peter Kings of the world often chastise teams for giving them that. And unlike other positions, declining star running backs rarely enjoy long stints as backups. A washed up starter may get a shot as a third down back or a second stringer, but it usually ends after a season or two. LT isn’t the only one facing this now; Edgerrin James just got released a few weeks ago and Clinton Portis is having his worst season ever. Darren Sproles may not be the answer for the Chargers, but it’s clearly time for them to move on from Tomlinson.
Thanks for playing, Broncos!
It was fun while it lasted, Denver fans. The last two weeks have put a major damper on the 6-0 start, and have exposed the Broncos for the mediocre outfit they are. They’ve been unable to run the ball, and couldn’t do anything in the passing game, either. Kyle Orton is a classic game manager, unable to do much beyond making safe passes and handing the ball off. If you have a lead or are in a close game he’s fine, but as soon as you’re in a must pass situation he’s toast. In two weeks the Broncos went from tied for first in the AFC to a tie for third overall. They’re also just a game ahead of the Chargers, who they needed two special teams touchdowns to beat a few weeks ago. They’re your classic smoke and mirrors team, with a record built on fluky wins over good teams (San Diego,Cincinnati, and Dallas) and blowouts over sorry ones (Cleveland and Oakland). The past two games have been revealing; the Ravens defense shut their offense down entirely, and the Steelers forced them into multiple turnovers in a blowout loss.
The offensive numbers for the Broncos tell the whole story. They’ve struggled to break 20 throughout the season; when they do, it’s because of special teams scoring or an inferior opponent which gives them enough offensive opportunities to rack up more points. They put up 17 on the Cowboys, 12 on the Bengals, 7 on the Ravens, and 10 on Pittsburgh. The schedule is easy enough that a 10-6 finish is likely (winnable games against the Redskins, Raiders, and the Chiefs – twice all lie ahead), but unless things turn around for them they won’t be long for the playoffs. They’re clearly inferior to New England, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and would be underdogs against the Bengals and Chargers. They have definitely exceeded expectations this year so far, but that’s about all they can hope for at this point.
Ted Thompson wasn’t wrong
For choosing to go with Aaron Rodgers. I know that’s already been covered here, but I felt the need to chime in. Given the facts that Favre was past the usual retirement age, Rodgers was ready to play, and was going to force his way out if he didn’t get to start, Thompson could have found himself with no quarterback in two years. Now maybe he shouldn’t have drafted Rodgers in the first place and just let Favre play out the string, adding complementary pieces instead of an heir apparent. But he made his bet that an almost-40 year old quarterback coming a string of subpar seasons, was ripe for the pickings and needed to be replaced, a bet that just about every GM would have made. It’s easy to take a chance on Favre when you have nothing to lose (like the Jets) or someone worse as your starter (like the Vikings). Ted had a tough choice and he made it; give him props for following through and not pussyfooting it.