02.21.08 5:00 AM CST
• Sports
• Playboy Staff
Dave Golokhov, host of Hardcore Sports Radio (Sirius 186), is aiming to stir up some trouble.Here's a rumor that I'm going to start: the San Diego Chargers should trade LaDanian Tomlinson.
For starters, they just proved that they can go in to Indianapolis and win without him. They also nearly triumphed in New England while he stood on the sidelines.
If they keep their backup, Michael Turner, the tandem of Turner and Darren Sproles immediately becomes a top-notch one-two punch at running back and more a more versatile attack than using Tomlinson alone. And if you look at the last three Super Bowl Champs (New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers), all three had two-man rotations at running back opposed to one workhorse.
Running back is the cheapest commodity in the NFL. Runners like Ryan Grant and Selvin Young were undrafted rookie free agents who had major impacts on their teams last season. By acknowledging that running back is the easiest position to replace, inherently Tomlinson can not be one of the best players in the league because he plays one of the least valued positions.
On the flip side, though, the Chargers are really close to a Super Bowl – maybe one or two players away – and they can trade Tomlinson for almost any player in the league or any draft pick to get that missing piece. They would be trading from a position of strength to fill one of the last leaks on a very talented roster.
Plus the move will save them some cash. Considering they had nine Pro Bowlers this year and 11 last year, the salary cap figures to be a looming hurdle as their burgeoning stars get closer to the end of their contracts.
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Comments on this entry:
What a boneheaded comment! LT is under contract until 2011. They will pay that salary no matter where he play.
Nate is great but LT is our T. Gwynn.
You have been staring at too many nipples. :)