The tragedy of the Chargers playoff loss to the New York Jets Sunday was that fans were not given the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to RB LaDainian Tomlinson. The fans deserved the chance, Tomlinson deserved the honor, and he should have been able to thank his supporters, too.
Like many people, I saw this recently concluded season as the final one for LT as a Charger. He's past his prime, there's no doubt about it. This isn't sending away Michael Turner a few years ago to become a featured ball-carrier somewhere,it's letting a guy go away to become a backup somewhere. A backup is not necessary here.
A starter, a positive force, is what the Chargers need. If they're committed to having a mediocre offensive line, then they better have someone who can make the most of it. I think Stanford's Toby Gerhart will be an excellent NFL back, but I don't think he's the Chargers style. Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer might be. But I think there's a really good chance GM AJ Smith will take a running back with his first pick.
I don't think there will be a housecleaning, like after the playoff choke against the Patriots a few years ago. There are no Drayton Florences on this team. Vincent Jackson got pulled over before the game because he was a black guy driving a nice car with the radio too loud. He shouldn't have been driving at all on a suspended license, of course, but his 7 catches for 111 yards proved it was not a distraction.
The sloppy play, penalties, fumbles, interceptions, etc., were as much a product of the pressure placed on them by the Jets than their own immaturity. When you're getting beat, you tend to look pretty bad, and that's what happened to the Chargers. The decorum on the field was merely a sideshow.
The Chargers simply need to get better, mainly in the trenches. I've been saying it for years, and I said as this season got going that their deficiencies along the lines would prove costly in January, and that's what happened. Too bad, being right is not all it's cracked up to be.
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One other thing to put to bed: whether the loss will dampen enthusiasm for a new stadium, a la the Padres and Proposition C. Give it a couple weeks and there will be no connection. Besides, the mayor says there will not be a vote before 2012, and there could be a Super Bowl trophy at Chargers Park by then.
The bottom line, as Mark Fabiani was quoted as saying in the paper, if a package is put together that makes economic sense for the taxpayers, then the stadium will be built, no matter what the team does on the field. I think getting such a deal together will be more difficult since East Village has already been built up, but it's not impossible.
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Chargers unit grades:
Quarterbacks: A - Philip Rivers is not the best, but he's darn close.
Running backs: C - Not given much chance to shine, and they didn't.
Receivers: B - I also told you about Malcom Floyd.
Offensive Line: D - They can't fuel a running game or protect Rivers enough.
Defensive Line: C - The Make Shift actually did pretty well, but needs draft attention.
Linebackers: B - Depth makes things work.
Secondary: B - Corners are very good, safeties aren't the best.
Special Teams: B - Solid everywhere, great in some spots, but those misses ...
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