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L.T says the toe is no longer an issue... (1 Viewer)

BustedKnuckles

BustedKnuckles

Footballguy
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB SD

News: Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson seems to be just where he wants. He skipped Wednesday's practice because of his injured toe, but participated Thursday. "The toe is not an issue anymore," said Tomlinson, who hasn't scored in the last three games. "I expect it to be as close to 100 percent as it's been since I hurt it." If he really is back to his best, Tomlinson is hoping to create some dazzling runs to keep the Saints from gaining any momentum. "Running the football on Sunday on someone is demoralizing and people just don't like to have the ball run on them," said Tomlinson, who last ran for more than 100 yards in a Sept. 28 win over Oakland. "You get beat up and it's embarrassing."

:thumbup:

is this the equivalent of coach speak by a player ????

 
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ok, hasn't he said this about his cameltoe every week, so far, from the day after it happened, or am I crazy?

 
I don't believe him. His (second)best game of the season came when he said how bad his toe was hurting him (the jet game) and he was questionable. When he feels good he plays bad. I'm not starting him again until after the bye (famous last words).

 
-baller said:
ok, hasn't he said this about his cameltoe every week, so far, from the day after it happened, or am I crazy?
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Actually, he's been pretty forthcoming that his toe is bothering him. I'm more concerned about the Chargers' OL than the toe. In years past, LT could thrive regardless of the line, but clearly as the carries have added up, he needs some help from the guys up front.
 
If he is, then we need to only worry about his OL learning how to block. Maybe the British can teach them a good thing or two...

 
I don't believe him either... though it's pretty consistent with what he's been saying about it not getting any worse.

From the few plays I got to see on Sunday I was ready to hit the panic like a lot of people have been doing.... but after catching the replay, LT didn't look too bad... the toe is certainly still an issue and his rushing seems lacks a certain natural efficiency... but the line is a big problem as well.

I think he'll get a ton of carries this week... for several reasons.

- Keep a defense that's been struggling (along w/ a hot and vengeful Brees) off the field

- Showcase their best player on a larger/different/foreign stage

- I know someone calling the plays is regretting throwing on 1st and GL last week... I think more runs get called because of that.

 
I've watched the past few Chargers games on replay and tried to diagnose what is so adversely affecting Tomlinson's performance this year. Conclusion: it's not as simple as a toe:

1) Play-calling -- All season, the bulk of the run-plays called for LT have been dives to the A and B gap. This was probably done in an effort to spare LT2 from having to make cuts on his toe, but it's certainly not helping his YPC. His opportunities to match up with a DB off the edge have been few and far between. This dovetails into the next point.

2) Lack of Creativity in the Open Field -- LT2 is one of the most creative runners that I've ever seen -- in a class with Barry Sanders and few others. This year, for whatever reason, he is not running instinctively, and he is failing to surprise tacklers with those moves that leave them grasping at air. When he does find a hole, his runs have tended to be of the 5-7 yard variety, where in the past he would break these for 20+ or take it to house.

3) O-Line woes -- the O-line is simply not getting much push, especially against better defenses. However, I believe this will improve as the unit continues to work together and Hardwick and McNeill play themselves into top form.

4) Rivers -- In years past, SD QBs have had a propensity for quickly scanning downfield, and then checking down to LT to allow him to work in open space. This year, Rivers is feeling his oats, and is much more inclined to try and make something happen downfield. I counted four different instances in the Bills game where LT was wide open in the flat, and Rivers did not even look in his direction. This is probably not going to change until LT shows that he is once again capable of turning average gains into plus plays in the open field.

 
Bermuda_Chub said:
2) Lack of Creativity in the Open Field -- LT2 is one of the most creative runners that I've ever seen -- in a class with Barry Sanders and few others. This year, for whatever reason, he is not running instinctively, and he is failing to surprise tacklers with those moves that leave them grasping at air. When he does find a hole, his runs have tended to be of the 5-7 yard variety, where in the past he would break these for 20+ or take it to house.
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The toe likely has alot to do with this. It makes it hard to push off from what I understand about the injury - he probably feels alot better running straight ahead and can't make his cuts effectively.
 
I hope he skips today's practice, tomorrow's practice, and pre-game too.............it's not like he doesn't know what he's doing at this point.

Rest That Toe!

 
PFW`s point of view :bs:

Outside of the bewilderment over the team’s nonexistent pass defense, the biggest question with the Chargers thus far has been: What is going on with five-time Pro Bowl RB LaDainian Tomlinson?

Tomlinson, a statistics machine since the day he entered the league in 2001, is having his worst campaign to date. Through seven games, L.T. has rushed for just 446 yards — a mediocre 63.7 yards per game — and four TDs, gaining only 3.6 yards per carry. Usually a lock to run for at least 1,400 yards and 14 TDs, he is on pace to barely reach the 1,000-yard mark and to fall short of double-digit scores.

So why has the superstar struggled? Some of the blame certainly can be placed on his injured big toe, which has plagued him virtually all season. Experiencing pain with each step, the sore toe has limited Tomlinson’s shifty cutting ability, making him primarily a straight-ahead runner. But he claims he has felt much better as of late, so the issues obviously go beyond this nagging injury.

Contrary to what many are speculating, we hear that team observers do not believe the 29-year-old back has lost a step. Instead, they think that Tomlinson simply hasn’t been given the chance to build momentum during most games this season. In other words, the guy just has not seen the ball enough to wear on defenses and jump into high gear.

L.T. himself has basically confirmed this. We hear that he recently said the Chargers’ running game has faltered because he hasn’t received sufficient “opportunities.” Also, when asked if he thought he was getting enough carries, he responded with a “no comment,” a non-answer that couldn’t have made his opinion more clear.

And the numbers back up this assertion. Coming into ’08, L.T. was registering 21.3 rushing attempts per game. This season, he’s running the ball 17.6 times per contest, nearly four fewer carries each game than his career average. That’s a fairly large drop-off for a player considered the best at his position today.

While improved blocking by the underachieving O-line would help, a stronger commitment to running the ball is likely all that Tomlinson needs to get his campaign back on the right track.

 
Bermuda_Chub said:
4) Rivers -- In years past, SD QBs have had a propensity for quickly scanning downfield, and then checking down to LT to allow him to work in open space. This year, Rivers is feeling his oats, and is much more inclined to try and make something happen downfield. I counted four different instances in the Bills game where LT was wide open in the flat, and Rivers did not even look in his direction. This is probably not going to change until LT shows that he is once again capable of turning average gains into plus plays in the open field.
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:thumbup: He had 6 receptions on 7 targets last week.Against Miami he was targeted 9 times for 5 recs. He's being looked to just as much as he's always been... he's just not doing big thangs w/ the rock in his hands. It's toetally frustrating.
 
BustedKnuckles said:
PFW`s point of view :thumbdown: Outside of the bewilderment over the team’s nonexistent pass defense, the biggest question with the Chargers thus far has been: What is going on with five-time Pro Bowl RB LaDainian Tomlinson? Tomlinson, a statistics machine since the day he entered the league in 2001, is having his worst campaign to date. Through seven games, L.T. has rushed for just 446 yards — a mediocre 63.7 yards per game — and four TDs, gaining only 3.6 yards per carry. Usually a lock to run for at least 1,400 yards and 14 TDs, he is on pace to barely reach the 1,000-yard mark and to fall short of double-digit scores.So why has the superstar struggled? Some of the blame certainly can be placed on his injured big toe, which has plagued him virtually all season. Experiencing pain with each step, the sore toe has limited Tomlinson’s shifty cutting ability, making him primarily a straight-ahead runner. But he claims he has felt much better as of late, so the issues obviously go beyond this nagging injury.Contrary to what many are speculating, we hear that team observers do not believe the 29-year-old back has lost a step. Instead, they think that Tomlinson simply hasn’t been given the chance to build momentum during most games this season. In other words, the guy just has not seen the ball enough to wear on defenses and jump into high gear.L.T. himself has basically confirmed this. We hear that he recently said the Chargers’ running game has faltered because he hasn’t received sufficient “opportunities.” Also, when asked if he thought he was getting enough carries, he responded with a “no comment,” a non-answer that couldn’t have made his opinion more clear.And the numbers back up this assertion. Coming into ’08, L.T. was registering 21.3 rushing attempts per game. This season, he’s running the ball 17.6 times per contest, nearly four fewer carries each game than his career average. That’s a fairly large drop-off for a player considered the best at his position today.While improved blocking by the underachieving O-line would help, a stronger commitment to running the ball is likely all that Tomlinson needs to get his campaign back on the right track.
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Getting the ball 3.7 less attempts per game this year hasn't been the problem.
 
Dreams of him ever catching Emmitt are fading fast.

Of course, I've been pointing that out for some time now. Not gonna happen. He'll be doing well to reach 15,000 at this point.

 
fathermurphy said:
I don't believe him. His (second)best game of the season came when he said how bad his toe was hurting him (the jet game) and he was questionable. When he feels good he plays bad. I'm not starting him again until after the bye (famous last words).
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:rant: you should have believed him .....LaDainian Tomlinson-RB- Chargers Oct. 26 - 5:38 pm et LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 105 yards on 19 carries and caught five passes for 65 yards and a touchdown as San Diego dropped its fifth game of the season Sunday.The club's record now stands at 3-5, but Tomlinson obviously isn't done. LT2 busted a 26-yard run in the first quarter and then a 41-yarder on third-and-one before the half. He also juked several defenders on his receiving score, catching it short from Philip Rivers and shaking his way to the end zone. LT goes on a bye in Week 9, but will emerge with a highly favorable down-the-stretch schedule. Trouble is, the time to "buy low" may have passed :unsure:
 
Andy Herron said:
Dreams of him ever catching Emmitt are fading fast. Of course, I've been pointing that out for some time now. Not gonna happen. He'll be doing well to reach 15,000 at this point.
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:popcorn:I doubt he gets another 7000 yards, but writing LT off because he's been playing on an injured toe is ridiculous.
 
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