LT Calls it Quits

LaDanian Tomlinson, is, and will probably forever be looked at as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Tomlinson finally decided to call it quits this monday. Tomlinson spent 11 seasons in the NFL, nine of them with the San Diego Chargers, an his final two with the New York Jets.  And on monday he made it official, that he wuld be retiring from the game of football, after signing a one day contract with the team in which he spent most of his career with, the San Diego Chargers.  He is second on the running backs all-time touchdown scoring list, only behind Emmitt Smith. And third all-time on the touchdown scoring list behind only Smith and Jerry Rice. LT was a running back who was looked at by most as he entered the league as an overrated college running back, because he had played at a lower level college in TCU. The San Diego Chargers took him fifth overall in the 2001 NFL entry draft. When he was just starting out in the NFL, fans had started to call him by his initials, LT. At the time the only LT was former New York Giant linebacker and Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor. By the end of his career, though, he was the only player that anyone would think of when you would say LT.   He had started his career out with each of his first eight seasons being the first runningback in NFL history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of those years.  He peaked in the 2006 season, when he rushed for 1,815 yards and 31 touchdowns, to go along with 508 recieving yards, three touchdowns and two passing touchdowns.  He was at the time, the best back in the game.


Tomlinson will never be looked at as great as he really was for one reason;  the fact that he never won a superbowl.  He actually never even played in one.  But you can't judge an NFL runningback's career on the fact that he never won a superbowl.  It's not lik he was a superstar player in the NBA.  Football is the ultimate team sport, and when your teams only great player at the time is LaDanian Tomlinson, and there are teams out there with more stacked lineups, it's not going to be easy to win championships. 

LaDanian Tomlinson will be and should be forever looked at, as one of the greatest runningbacks, or even one of the greatest offensive players of all time.  Without a doubt, five years from now, Tomlinson will be forever enshrined in Canton, and join the other players of his caliber in the Professional Football Hal of Fame.