Link(s): The Internet Overreacts About Tomlinson
While searching for Jets material this afternoon, I kept coming across reports that LaDainian Tomlinson is having a bad offseason, so I’ve done a little hunting around to see if there is anything legitimate to worry about. This comes just days after Jets RB Coach was quoted as saying he feels good about the running backs because having Tomlinson and Shonn Greene is like having two starters.
The source of all the stories is an article by Bart Hubbuch in the NY Post. Here’s the two quotes that everyone is repeating:
Even without pads or contact, it didn’t take a grizzled NFL scout to notice in the Jets’ recent workouts that Tomlinson just doesn’t look like the same player who terrified opposing defenses with his slippery moves and sublime hands for nine seasons with the Chargers.
Tomlinson appears bulkier and definitely a step (or three) slower than he did in his prime, which is to be expected from a running back who next week turns 31 — increasingly the point of no return in the NFL — with his incredible amount of mileage.
“If you watch the films from the end of last year, the guy had nothing left,” a general manager with multiple Super Bowl rings said last week. “It’s not a knock on him personally. All those carries are going to catch up to anyone.”
Let’s address these in turn. First of all, consider the source. Hubbuch surfaced about a month ago on the Post’s Jets coverage and, in that time, hasn’t had a single positive thing to say about the team, coaching staff or front office. I’m sure he was at Chargers training camp this time two years ago to make a fair comparison and I’m sure he has carefully contrasted what he saw with how awful Thomas Jones (and before him Curtis Martin) always looked, up to and including preseason, but then got going when it counted. Then let’s look at a quote from one of the TJB readers who attended the same practice:
Ladanian Tomlinson: It would not surprise me if Ladanian Tomlinson wins comeback player of the year if that is at all possible for him. He has not lost that bounce in step. There was this one play that the offensive line opened up a whole in the middle of the defense and his burst through that hole put him for about 20 yards into the end zone.
Another play to the outside showed he did not lose that extra speed. His hands are as advertised, Sanchez found him a few times and looks to provide that screen play that we lost last year when Washington went down.
Now, let’s address the comment from the multiple SB ringed mystery GM. He says Tomlinson was “done” at the end of last year and he’s absolutely correct. Does that mean he is permanently done? I’m sure the Jets worked him out and made their own appraisal of where he currently is, before the signing him to a multi-million dollar deal. We’ve been over this plenty of times on TJB. He’s probably a shadow of his former self, but the detailed stats show that Thomas Jones was too, so Tomlinson taking over, getting the benefit of the Jets’ line, earning half what Jones was earning and playing a reduced role still has a chance to make a positive impact.
So, sites like MSNBC that have been linking to the above with headlines like “Tomlinson is Struggling Already in New York” may turn out to be correct, but for now, there’s little question they’re overreacting. When PFT links to a Cimini piece with a blurb that says “Another day, another article noting that Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson didn’t stand out during the offseason” that might be further cause for concern, but let’s take a look at what Cimini actually says in his [sarcasm] scathing [/sarcasm] critique:
There was nothing he did in OTAs or minicamp (at least nothing open to the media) that made you say, “Wow, he’s back.” But let’s not send him to the glue factory just yet. Making a definitive statement about a running back in non-contact drills is like critiquing a movie based on the trailer.
Wow, he just about stopped short of suggesting they cut him…
28 Responses to Link(s): The Internet Overreacts About Tomlinson
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Merc20 says:
Actually considering he scored 12 tds last year behind a bad oline.. I can imagine him scoring a boat load with our oline. SG better run em in from 10 yard line out cause inside the 10 it’s gonna be the LT show.
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miketaliaferro says:
This has nothing to do with Bart Hubbahubba, and everything to do with his boss.
I’ve read in a couple of different places over the last couple of months that Woody and Rupert Murdoch are/were at loggerheads over this corporate trifle or that corporate trifle. That’s all I needed to see.
Learning from history, this is a Rich Guy Pissing Match. Murdoch has a very long, very clear track record of using his outlets (in this case, the NY Poop) to hammer his real or perceived enemies (in this case, Woody). It doesn’t have to be right; just public.
Unless it concerns something verifiable and earthshaking, I’d advise ignoring any and all reports that come out of the Poop concerning the Jets — unless they can be confirmed by at least two independent sources from the git-go.
Otherwise, it’s just a cudgel for Rupe to swing about… and has next to no informational content. It’s just there for everyone else to challenge the Jets on, thereby putting the team, its coaches and its players on the defensive. Do Not Fall For This.
Hubbahubba is most likely just another gnome from Rupe’s long stable of Aussie hatchetmen.
What’s sad in all this, is that Cannizarro has at least TRIED to do an able job of sports hack — which is commendable considering his having to toil on the Murdoch plantation for so many years.
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hanknaples says:
Merc20:
I have a feeling you are right. I think he will be the Jets Ben Watson. That’s his value !!
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Brendan says:
Mike,
Very solid post. I remember reading about them being at odds over something, and as FoxNews shows, Murdoch doesn’t shy from using his media outlets to bash, bash, bash away
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Hey Mike:
I assume you dont like Ruperty’s CONSERVATIVE tie(s) !!
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Brendan:
Brendan, I can’t believe you’re back to normal (black)
Welcome back !!!
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Haha that’s what happens when I post from my blackberry. I’m a commenter schizo what can I say?
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Brendan:
Blackburry? That’s like the 50′s. gotta have a ‘Droid !!
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Haha damn Hank is calling me out on my tech game, now I’ve seen it all.
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Brendan:
Shouln’t you have a coma between damn AND Hank?
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originaljetfan says:
Funny i went to the open practice and when I came home i told my son LT had a little spring in his step and that I thought he would have a great year. But reading the article about him being done makes me remember tghe quote about opinions being like a-holes, everyone has one, but in this case the A-hole who wrote that article had the opinion!.
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Brendan:
My bad. I just realized that coma is a state where most TJB fans live, where as comma is a punctuation in grammar !!!
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Brad says:
Don’t really see what the big deal is.
First, neither the NYP or TJB commenter have the ability to project performance from a series of non contact drills on an NFL game.
LDT is obviously not near to what he was because when he was in his prime he was the best RB in the league and hasn’t been there for a couple years. He is going to be the team’s #2 running back while McKnight develops.
If LDT not being what he was in 2007 is the Jets biggest issue, I need to go expedia and book my flight to Dallas now.
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hanknaples,
a) Your assumption is correct;
b) It’s immaterial. As Brendan affirms, the fact holds that any media property owned by Murdoch is a hammer to be wielded as needed. This time, the target is Woody and his football toy.
c) Yes, it’s true, you have indeed seen Brendan and me agree on something. It’s a beautiful day.
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Bent says:
Brad – That’s EXACTLY my point. It ISN’T a big deal, it’s a non-story. That’s what I’m trying to do here, stamp on the scare-mongering, not call them out to be completely wrong. Cimini says it best at the end there, essentially saying “Even if he WAS completely awful, it wouldn’t mean a thing!” The reality is, though, that perhaps he wasn’t so awful.
I cited one positive comment from a TJB reader, but if there was any truth to Hubbuch’s report, surely somebody would have made mention of it. I know for a fact that in the offseason last year (and the year before) plenty of people expressed a lot of concern over how slow TJ looked, so you expect to see that kind of thing. However, I don’t recall seeing one negative comment like that and most of the tweets from the beatwriters etc have been positive (I won’t bore you with examples).
I also wanted to mention that if the commenter I quoted wants me to mention their name in the article I am happy to do so.
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Bent says:
“I assume you dont like Ruperty’s CONSERVATIVE tie(s) !!”
What difference does it make how plain the ties he wears are, anyway?
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I was at the last practice, LT looked pretty damn good.
I hated cannizarrio, I can’t believe this hubba idiot is making him look good!
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WW85 says:
The “LT IS DONE” story has been published so many times, the newspapers shouldn’t even get paid for the subscriptions.
I always thought dropping TJ for LT was a terrible idea & he might be done, but Jeez: HOW MANY veteran RBs show their good stuff in OTAs & minicamp? Older RBs save their MOJO for contact.
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Mike:
The point with my assumption being correct is that it really doesn’t make any difference. This is an argument between two billionaires over their fun and games and which both have the same ideology.
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Tos9987 says:
I cant wait for all these teams to underestimate him . we could celebrate in the endzone .
Bottom line is he still had about 12 TD’s last year on a passing team .
Last I check TD ‘s and championships were the only reason they play the game
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Andrew Weiss says:
To call Hubbuch’s article a story is to call road kill an opportunistic delight. This article carefully avoids quoting anyone except the multiple SB coach who, the article never makes clear, may not have been to Jets’ camp. Insinuation, innuendo, little else.
LT had 100 less carries and 40 less receptions this season because they preferred Sproles as a #1. If LT gets those opprtunities, he’s good for another 700 all-purpose yards even at his reduced averages behind a crap Oline. That gives him close to 1900 all-purpose yards, which isn’t bad for a guy who’s done (and more than Thomas Jones had last year, by a lot).
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Bad math. Mea culpa. I was upset. It’s actually about 1100 yards rushing and maybe 400 receiving for about 1500 yards, which still compares favorably to what TJ did behind a great Oline.
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I approach the NY Post crap like I would a marked, turd mine field. Careful where you step. Wipe your feet and mind when leaving. And yes, their sports coverage mirrors their right-wing politics. Actually, it helps a lot to have a low opinion of this source going in; you can leave their crap behind with a clear conscience. However, even a broken clock is accurate twice a day, and occasionally they post non-toxic stuff that they discovered elsewhere.
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Angel Navedo says:
You know, Brian… I was in the middle of writing something about Hubbuch’s article on Monday morning and then stopped. I felt like I was being too condescending.. as if I were speaking to a stubborn child who doesn’t quite get it.
I made the Curtis Martin reference, pointed out that the other two backs he compared LdT to (Jamal Lewis & Edgerrin James) not only took a pounding, but were running on surgically-repaired knees, and explained LdT’s superior carries:TD ratio to Jones’ carries:TD ratio.
Rex is talking up his players and Hubbuch is taking it at face value. I learned that the hard way last year with Bubba Franks. Too bad everyone is taking the bait.
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Sorry, Bent… gave the wrong attribution to kick off my comment. Apologies.
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Bent says:
Angel – good, that makes me more confident I’ve read the situation fairly.
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NJets says:
He is equally as done as Thomas Jones was at the end of last season.
Luckily hes not replacing a Thomas Jones (Greene is) , hes replacing Leon Washington.
Replacing a situational third down back shouldn’t be that difficult for a hall of famer. Are people assuming we are going to depend on LT?
After going through this off season in baseball and having to hear quotes from experts such as: “Jason Bay would rather play in Beirut than Queens,” well, it seems to me that sports writers literally completely make up whatever they think will make a good story and further their careers. And so, this guy is another one of those idiots. Not a single person is expecting Tomlinson to break the record for TD’s in a season. We all know he is past his prime. We also know he is going from one of the worst run blocking O-lines to the very best (or at least one of the best because who knows what Ducasse is going to bring). Anyway, this guy is a complete and utter moron and literally could have written a story about flying pigs plugging the oil leak… and it would’ve had the same amount of truth to it.