Posts tagged LaDanian Tomlinson
NFL 2010 AFC Championship
Jan 19th
New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday 23rd January, 11:30pm UK Time
It seems like a long time ago that Rex Ryan announced shortly into the first episode of Hard Knocks that the Jets were going to win the Super Bowl; that they were the best and this was the year. Now, going into the conference championship for the second consecutive season they’ll be hoping to get past the hurdle they fell at last year.
The Steelers started this season under a cloud of controversy and talk of their starting QB being traded. Coach Mike Tomlin kept the ship steady and really it’s no surprise to see the Steelers competing – again – in the Championship game.
Heinz Field
Apart from the game this season, these teams hadn’t met since 2007. A lot has happened since then, like the Steelers winning the Super Bowl in 2008 and the resurgence of the Jets under Rex Ryan. Let’s take a look at the last few meetings
Week 9, 2010: San Diego Chargers @ Houston Texans
Nov 4th
Talk about the meeting of two frustrating teams!
Here at mactalksnfl.co.uk I think we all want the Houston Texans to do well – they’re a team that’s easy to root for and are particularly impressive offensively. But they’re as infuriating as a team can be in terms of consistency. Beating the Colts on opening weekend? Fantastic. Going down heavily to the Cowboys and Giants… not so much.
Reliant Stadium
LaDanian Tomlinson… Sorry, But I’m Not Drinking The Kool-Aid
Oct 21st
A lot has been made of LaDanian Tomlinson‘s apparent return to form this season. After leaving the Chargers after a largely productive 9 years, he’s now a Jet and seeing game time, and putting some yards up like the LDT of old.
But let’s take a closer look… let’s take a look at his stats and compare them to last year’s starter over the same timeframe:
| Games | Carries | Yards | Avg | TDs | |
| LaDanian Tomlinson, 2010 to date | 6 | 93 | 490 | 5.3 | 5 |
| Thomas Jones, 2009 Weeks 1-6 | 6 | 96 | 481 | 5 | 6 |
So let’s be honest: He’s not doing any better than Thomas Jones, who was released, and both players had their numbers boosted by playing the Bills. There is a very strong case that LDT’s production this year is largely a result of the system; that he’s at a team much more set for the run than the pass, with lineman ready for it, indeed an entire club ethos of running it “up their ass”. In fairness, Thomas had some bad games in that timeframe, against the Titans in particular, but he was productive in others including 100+ yard games in 4 of the 6 divisional matchups.
More >
Week 6, 2010: New York Jets @ Denver Broncos
Oct 14th
I know we take a look at the Broncos and 49ers every week as part of our Wembley Watch series, but I’m not sure that we’ve take a pre-match look at any of Denver’s matches. Well that changes this week!
The New York Jets travel to Denver in buoyant mood and form as after a week one (narrow) loss to the Ravens they’ve gone on a four game streak, beating each of their divisional rivals and then the Vikings to take a strong position in the AFC.
First Look 2010… AFC West
Jul 23rd
So with our final part of this year’s First Look series, we turn our gaze towards the AFC West. As well as the Chargers, who were part of the great entertainment at Wembley Stadium in 2008, NFL UK fans will also keep an eye on this division for the Broncos who will be visiting these shores at the end of October this year.
This was the division that I most accurately predicted last season, correcting stating that the Chargers would win and that the Broncos in second would not make the play-offs. I’d take some credit but really, who saw it any differently?
Let’s see if it’s as straight-forward this year…
First Look 2010… AFC East
Jun 14th
We all know that predicting the divisions before the season has started can be, well, lets say – tricky! However, it is one of the things that we love doing and something that serves as a reference point for the changing fortunes of teams throughout the year. Oh, and more importantly means we can refer back to the awful predictions each other made as the year goes on!.
More Free Agency Moves and Signings
Mar 15th
To start with we’re back to New York. Less than a week after releasing Thomas Jones (who has since signed with the Cheifs) the Jets have added LaDanian Tomlinson to the line-up. He’s got a fair deal to be a backup and although I think Jones was a better option, they’ve got LDT for a lot less than Jones was due. It would essentially be a crime not to use this as an excuse to post Electric Glide as unlike running backs that never gets old.
Carrying on with aging running backs, Larry Johnson is now a Redskin. He’s signed a surprisingly sensible 3 year deal that makes things interesting and has certainly improved the squad. If we can sort the line out, we might be able to actually make some yards now. Will Montgomery has resigned in this area.
Johnson has 2 years on Portis, but considerably less mileage. Hopefully he can contribute.
More >
LDT Released by the Chargers
Feb 23rd
In a move that surprised precisely no-one, the San Diego Chargers have released LaDanian Tomlinson. This saves them a $2M roster bonus that was due last month and with Sproles becoming a free agent after being Franchised last year… we all new this was coming.
To me there are fewer things sadder in the NFL than the way Running Backs deteriorate so suddenly. Sure, it happens in other positions but these guys are often key and important players that are highly visible. More >
NFL News Round-up Saturday 19th Sep
Sep 19th
San Diego Chargers
Running back LaDanian Tomlinson will not start tomorrow’s game against the visiting Ravens. His sprained ankle will keep him from starting for only the second time in his long career. The Chargers will miss him, that’s not a doubt, but with Darren Sproles to run and Philip Rivers to pass, they’re still a very strong team. Though it remains to be seen how the other injuries to the offense will affect them.
Second Look… AFC West
Aug 15th
In our final part of the Second Look series, we take a peek in the AFC West and see what’s happening with the training camps well underway and pre-season getting going too.
In 2-3 weeks’ time, we’ll take a final look before setting our season predictions in stone (for future gloating and/or ridiculing).