SAN DIEGO WE MAY HAVE A PROBLEM!

I would like to start by thanking the National Football League for a very exciting weekend of football. The NFL postseason is the best in all of sports. It’s better than the NBA (too many teams make the playoffs), College Football (the bowl system is stupid and absolutely sucks), Major League Baseball (just plain boring), and the National Hockey League (does that league still exist?). The only sport whose postseason comes close to the excitement of the NFL’s is college basketball. Although March Madness is awesome, I still think that the NFL system is the best. That may simply be because I like the NFL better than I like college basketball.

While watching the Chargers and the Colts playoff game last night (an excellent football game by the way), I couldn’t help but notice how Darren Sproles completely took over the game and beat the Colts virtually single-handedly. He had 328 all-purpose yards (total rushing, recieving, and return yards). This made me wonder how AJ Smith (the Chargers General Manager) is going to handle the running back situation next season. This will have to be addressed because Darren Sproles is in a contract year, which means that he will be a free-agent when their playoff run ends. The knock on Sproles has always been that he is too small to be a feature back in the NFL. He made the league as a kick-returner, and has proven that he is so much more. Although, we don’t know if his diminutive frame (he is listed at 5’6” & 181 lbs.) can hold up for a full sixteen games schedule of 20 carries per game, he showed us last night that he is tough enough to be a feature back in spots when called upon and possibly a starter in a two back system.

This poses and interesting dilemma for the Chargers, who brilliantly drafted him in the fourth round on the 2005 NFL draft (you remember that stellar draft, THE GREAT Alex Smith was the 1st overall pick). He made a little over $1.1 million this season and will definitely be getting a raise this off-season. The Chargers on the other hand are reliving the Michael Turner situation of a year ago. Turner was a great backup to LaDanian Tomlinson for four seasons. Once he became a free-agent, the Chargers had no choice but to let him go because it didn’t make any sense for them to pay a backup running back starting running back money, especially when he is playing behind the great LaDanian Tomlinson. It seemed to be an easy decision in the case of Turner. However, the Sproles decision will be a much tougher one to make. For starters, he is a GREAT return man on special teams. He is also a GREAT third down back. On top of all of that, he has also proven to be a good every down running back. Not to mention the unmentionable question that is in the back of the mind of the members of the Chargers front office as well as all Charger fans. That question is, HOW MUCH DOES LADANIEN TOMLINSON HAVE LEFT IN THE TANK?

I am in no way questioning Tomlinson’s ability because he still had over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, but I am questioning his durability. For the second straight year, Tomlinson has been essentially ineffective in a playoff game due to injury. This basically shows that the wear and tear that he endures year in and year out takes a toll on his body. Come playoff time, he just doesn’t have anything left. The point of this entry is not to question Tomlinson’s toughness, because he is very tough. He has taken a pounding in his eight year career (over 2,600 regular season carries) and is arguably the best back in the league during that time and is in the conversation when discussing the best running backs ever. We must remember that he is fast approaching the “magical” running back age of 30. All football fans know, that once a running back turns 30 years old his career usually begins to take a nose-dive. Although there are some exceptions, Tomlinson is appearing to be the rule and not one of the rare exceptions.

I don’t know how much longer Tomlinson plans to play, but it seems as though it is time for the Chargers to implement a full-time two-back system. This will keep Tomlinson fresh for the playoffs. Tomlinson has been a workhorse his entire career and probably wouldn’t be thrilled with the prospect of splitting carries, but he must realize that it is best for him long-term and will allow him to actually be on the field when the games really count. If the Chargers elect to go in this direction, only one question remains. Is Darren Sproles the 2 in a potential Tomlinson-Sproles 1-2 punch? I’m sure they would love for him to be, but his play (especially Saturday night) has all but assured that they will have to over-pay to keep him because he will have plenty of suitors.

There are those who believe that it is possible for Tomlinson to join the long list of running backs who have retired earlier than expected. I have no idea if there is any truth to that, but if there is, the Chargers better make sure they have a suitable replacement. There is a chance that Sproles could be that guy or at least a part of the tandem that is that guy. If they think that he is, they will have to pay dearly.

To sum it all up, Sproles just made himself a lot of STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! on Saturday night.


****ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT NOTE****
I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ATLANTA FALCONS AND THE MIAMI DOLPHINS and the fans of those teams. What they did this season was truly remarkable. There isn't a person on this planet that thought they would have a combined total of 11 wins this season, and they EACH MANAGED TO WIN 11 GAMES!!!! I know that there are no moral victories in the NFL, but each of these teams had seasons to be proud of and that will be remembered for a long time.

To the fans of those teams, DON'T HANG YOUR HEADS BECAUSE OF THE PLAYOFF LOSS. It was a great season. Enjoy it and look forward to next year. YOU GOTTA LOVE THE NFL!!!!