Jets and Tomlinson, the Right Fit?

The New York Jets have reached a deal with former San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson.  The move comes after former Jets running back Thomas Jones was cut and then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.  After visiting with the Minnesota Vikings, Tomlinson sided with the Jets and inked a 2 year deal.  The move comes with cautious rejoice from Jets nation, as the Jets are getting one of the top NFL running backs in the history of the game.  Tomlinson boasts stats that will no doubt land him in Canton after all is said and done, which Jets fan hope is not for a couple of years.  The Jets feel that Tomlinson can be not only the perfect complement to upstart second year running back Shonn Greene on the field, but also a mentor to the running back off the field.  Tomlinson noted that his decision came because of a combination of the Jets run heavy offense that will ensure him touches despite his secondary role and that he also feels that the Jets are a serious Super Bowl contender.

Tomlinson has the accolades of being a dominant running back and future Hall of Famer, but he is 30 years old and coming off his first year without 1,000 yards, averaging only 3.3 yards a carry while amassing only 730 yards.  Mark Kreigel of foxsports.com certainly did not approve of the signing.  He wrote in an article named Who’s more deluded, LT or the Jets, “The guy who made history in 2006 has shown consistent, inexorable decline with each passing season. He hasn’t had a 100-yard game since 2008. Last year saw him rush for 730 yards on 230 carries. His average of 3.3 yards per carry ranked him 28th in the NFL. The man he aims to replace, Thomas Jones, averaged 4.2. And you wonder why the Jets are into their fifth decade without a Super Bowl?” Kreigel’s article bashes the Jets front office for signing Tomlinson as his decline over the last 4 years seems obvious.  While it is not hard to argue with the stats pointing to Tomlinson’s decline and Kreigel’s support of Thomas Jones, there are other factors than just the dry stats.  Tomlinson brings more than his stats from last year to the Jets.  After all, why were the Vikings also so interested?

For me, there four main factors as to why the Jets let Thomas Jones go and signed Tomlinson.  First, if you want to speak decline with Tomlinson, one also has to include decline with Jones, who fell off the map as well as down the Jets depth chart during their playoff run.  While Jones’ 1,400 yards and 14 TDs during last season are nothing to scoff at; his decline was something the Jets witnessed firsthand and clearly a reason for the Jets decision to let him go.  Second, the Jets run the ball better than the Chargers.  Tomlinson’s 3.3 yards per carry has to be alarming to Jets fans, but the fans must also be aware of how good their run game is and how strong their offensive line is.  I think this fact will be shown through Thomas Jones productivity this season with the Chiefs, which is likely to take a huge hit.  Tomlinson clearly has lost a step, but he will be running through bigger holes than he was in San Diego last season.  Thirdly, Tomlinson is not coming into replace Thomas Jones’ role.  Jones was the feature back all of last season except the playoffs.  This year Tomlinson will be a secondary roll to Shonn Greene and will see substantially less carries than Jones did last year.  All this Jones versus Tomlinson talk should go out the window when this factor is considered.   Fourthly, Tomlinson has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.  This was something the Jets were lacking last year after Leon Washington went down.  Greene is not a good receiver out of the backfield and with Washington still a question mark, Tomlinson can step into that third down role as well as catch screens out of the backfield.  While Tomlinson only caught 21 balls last year, this number was greatly deflated by the presence of the electrifying scat-back Darren Sproles replacing Tomlinson on 2^nd and 3^rd downs. 

Basically, there are two sides to the coin of the Jets’ signing of Tomlinson.  Tomlinson’s history precedes him as he enters the waning years of his career, but his decline over the last few years has been obvious.  The Jets do not need Tomlinson to rush for a 1,000 yards or set new records, but just be a complimentary back in their run heavy offense.  With the Jets having a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl this year, it makes more sense to have Tomlinson in the spot rather than a 3^rd or 4^th round running back from this year’s draft.  Tomlinson’s experience will be key and the Jets, like the Vikings, think that he still has enough in the tank to help the team.