I can't see LT being a huge difference maker for the entire season. I can see him coming through in key moments just out of being an experienced star player. If we have a tight game and he comes through just once or twice to help win or change the pace of the game then he's worth every penny. Its what I fully expect. Anything more is a gift and anything less is almost expected.
I am hoping that he comes with a bit of a chip on his shoulder to work hard and have a good year just so he can give SD the ol' F-You... The sniping back and forth is good motivation fodder for him. We get one solid year production out of him it will be worth it.
I need to add something to this today, it gave me a smile. From Yahoo: I don't suppose all those "experts" who thought dumping Jones for LT was stupid are going to apologize.
I am not one of the people who thought we made a huge mistake with letting go to TJ, but he never had a good preseason or even played well at the beginning of the season. With that said, I'm very happy with the way things worked out with LT/TJ up to this point.
Justifying letting TJ go based on the preseason? Kinda silly really. LT was 8 for 17.... We won't know whether this was a good swap or not until the season plays out. While I believe it was time to let Greene be the #1, TJ seems like a much safer safety net should he get injured. I don't see LT being much more than a 3rd down option.
I think Greene and Tomlinson is a good tandem that compliments each other well. The key is Greene holding up for 16 games so they don't need to overuse LT and of course hanging onto the ball. Health and fumbling were the main concerns about Greene.
I was really worried about LT as a replacement for TJ but as i'm watching him in the last 2 games he seems to still have good burst and it looks like he will be a great safety valve out of the backfield for Sanchez. So far so good IMO.
I still think LT will suck, but taking a look at the market, there wasn't much better out there. Resigning Jones would have been a mistake, no matter what he does this year. He's a declining asset who is due for a big dropoff. The problem I have is signing a guy who has already gone off the cliff for MORE money. People are completely ignoring all the evidence regarding backs after age 30 and pointing to LT of four years ago. This guy does not have the burst around the corner to be truly effective. At best, he'll catch some passes and provide the team with some ball security and stability. I would be shocked if he averaged more than 3.8 yards a carry. I think LT will get his carries, and I think he'll probably have a few good games, but the Jets success rests on Shonn Greene staying healthy, especially since Joe McKnight looks like a total loser. -X-
I read the title of this thread, Ladanian is Ladone, and my heart sank thinking it was a new thread about something that happened at practice.
He's gone over 100 carries without a fumble now including playoffs and pre season. Im sure the RB coach has been all over his ass asking him to protect the pigskin.
For me, TJ is on the decline and because a F'n fantastic O line had a great year, not his fault, but still......
LT does not have a great nose for the endzone at this stage of his career. He got a ton of carries, so much so that a better back may have scored 14-16 inside the 5. I watched Chargers games where they would just feed him 4 times at the goalline and he might get in the last time. Now, there are two X-factors in play. The biggest one is the offensive line upgrade. With better players up front, he will produce more. He's a veteran with great vision. With more holes, he should be able to score more often. Look at Thomas Jones. He scores 1 TD behind a crappy line and then becomes a machine the last two years. The other one is that he's healthy. Each of the past two years, he got hurt week one. So at least to start the year, he's healthy. I don't put as much stock in this one because, let's face it, if he got hurt week one two years in a row, he's probably getting hurt sooner rather than later. Looking on the brightside, less carries should keep him fresher longer.
