Where Next?

It’s official. It’s the end of an era. The once wonderful and spectacular marriage between future Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers is over.

On Monday The Chargers released ‘LT’ in a move widely anticipated and one written about here at nasports.co.uk. So what does this mean for the Chargers and LT? Both have plenty of options.

Let’s start with the Chargers.  The team had a great end to the regular season but were upset in the playoffs by a simple recipe. They lost to a good defence, two hungry running backs (sharing the load) and a rookie quarterback who was programmed to limit mistakes. The New York Jets team the Chargers lost to were designed to make teams submit physically and that’s what they did with their power running game. The Chargers clearly looked at that game and noted that LT couldn’t provide them with what Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene gave the Jets any longer. So now comes the change.

The immediate assumption is that their restricted free agent Darren Sproles, often their sparkplug, will be given the keys to the car and will be asked to carry a full load. With his (diminutive) size and lack of experience as a full time starter don’t expect the Chargers to go all in on this one though. LT had clearly worn down through over use in the past few seasons and the Chargers will be keen to avoid that this time round and there are options in free agency. Players like Willie Parker, Houston’s Chris Brown, Patriot Kevin Faulk, underused yet talented Chester Taylor are all available on the free agent market. The Minnesota Vikings’ Taylor may be the most intriguing as he’s proven he can start, is almost certain to leave (after playing second fiddle to Adrian Peterson) and is less worn down than the other names. All of the above names however can add something to the Chargers IF they realise what they’re buying. Unless they hit a home run with Sproles this will have to be done by committee. You don’t simply replace the best years of LT through free agency. Will the Chargers target a running back through the draft? Or target a young player like Felix Jones on a team like Dallas, who have a lot of talent at the position? We’ll see soon enough but, in a likely uncapped season, the Chargers definitely have options.

We move on to Tomlinson. His days as a premier back are now only through reputation. No longer will he give his team (whoever they may be) 1500 rushing yards and an extra dimension in the passing game but make no mistake he can still contribute. Yes, he had his career low in rushing yards this year with 730 but he can still catch well out of the back field, will command defences attention somewhat and those 730 yards were still gained in a pass first offence. Can he be a complementary piece on a team looking to add another weapon? Absolutely.

Immediately the speculation has begun. The New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers have all (surprisingly) been linked to LT but the best location for LT could very well be Texas with the Houston Texans. The Texans have a strong quarterback and elite wideout in Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson respectively. They have a good young running back in Steve Slaton who could benefit from LT’s tutelage and overall are a team on the rise and with a few astute moves could be a playoff dark horse. LT would get playing time, without the pressure or load of being the go-to guy (this is Johnson’s team) so it seems a match made in heaven. There will be plenty of teams in on LT and he won’t likely wait too long for a partner but he’d be well advised to take stock and choose the perfect situation for him. Whether that situation is Houston, The Chicago Bears or the Indianapolis Colts (more teams that have been linked with LT) remains to be seen.

Wherever LT lands could and possibly should benefit both parties it just won’t be the headline it once would have been. With LT watch now beginning this NFL summer just got even more interesting.