LaDainian Tomlinson to retire

[MTC]

San Diego Chargers ‏@chargers

Breaking News: LaDainian Tomlinson to announce retirement Monday in San Diego.

He had a great career in San Diego. Definitely going to the Hall Of Fame.

[21isSuperman]

He was never my favourite player, but he had a very good career. 5th leading rusher all time. And his 2006 season was ridiculous. Congrats LT.

[CR91]

he will have a bust some day. great back

[Gavin]

Congrats LT, a great back

[Qwiz]

My all-time favorite football player, great career L.T., heading to Canton in a few years

[21isSuperman]

And to think, if we hadn't taken Peyton Manning, the Chargers wouldn't have ended up with Ryan Leaf's terrible QB ability and they wouldn't have gotten the first overall pick in the 2001 draft, which they traded with Atlanta for #5. Atlanta took Vick, the Chargers got LT, and the rest is history

[bap1331]

its sad he never won the Super Bowl. I would stay atleast 1 season more. Maybe the Jets have a chance. lol.

[Gramz]

Had him on my Fantasy team for a few years.... Got me tons of points.

Congrats to LT.

[southwest1]

I always liked LT. Class act & a 1st ballot HOF IMO. If ever there was a guy who deserved a SB ring & didn't acquire 1, LT was it. Right alongside Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly.

[IndyTrav]

One of the rare first ballot guys.

With the direction NFL is trending, he may be one of the last RBs to go in, in a very long time.

The only one remotely close would be Peterson, and perhaps Jackson. And those are long shots at this point.

Congrats to LT on an amazing career.

[The Peytonator]

One of the rare first ballot guys.

With the direction NFL is trending, he may be one of the last RBs to go in, in a very long time.

The only one remotely close would be Peterson, and perhaps Jackson. And those are long shots at this point.

Congrats to LT on an amazing career.

True that. The days of the workhorse are done. I get why teams like the Bears don't want to pay their RBs. You can get the same production out of 3 undrafted guys as you can out of 2 first rounders.

[RGIII]

Great player, surefire hall of famer, 'nuff said.

its sad he never won the Super Bowl. I would stay atleast 1 season more. Maybe the Jets have a chance. lol.

The Jets have no chance and LT made it very clear that he didn't really believe in that team.

[UMLBB10]

great talent but unfortunately his legacy to me is defined by not showing up in big games. i mean literally not showing up. sitting on the sideline with his helemt on with a bruised knee during a playoff game while his QB was playing with a torn knee.

[Girlzarefanstoo]

LT is a good man, a great husband and father and was a very exciting player to cheer for. One of a kind and he played with his whole heart. It was really special to see his wife and babies today. You guys may not know it but they lost a baby girl at 8 months in an earlier pregnancy and had a very hard time having a family. His father abandoned him when he was young and eventually died from alcohol (if I remember right), he's really committed to doing things right with his family - which is a big part of his retiring.

BTW, he NEVER quit... if he could have played he would have. A QB in the pocket can play on a torn knee, a running back can't cut or run with one. No more than Cutler quit on Chicago a year or so ago (and I don't even like Cutler).

I was watching highlight footage today, still brings a thrill. Thanks for the memories LT

[21isSuperman]

Here's something to raise a few eyebrows, LT would rather be a HOFer without a Super Bowl ring than win a Super Bowl. I can't be the only one who is a little surprised by this. Football is a team sport and you always hear coaches preaching about how the team is bigger than the player. You always want players giving their full effort and sacrificing individual acknowledgement for the team. In Super Bowl 36, the Patriots elected to be introduced as a team rather than as individual players. The ultimate goal of the game is to win a Super Bowl. I understand both sides of the argument, but this raised my eyebrows.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82a21343/article/ladainian-tomlinson-hall-of-fame-over-super-bowl?module=HP11_headline_stack

[IndyTrav]

Here's something to raise a few eyebrows, LT would rather be a HOFer without a Super Bowl ring than win a Super Bowl. I can't be the only one who is a little surprised by this. Football is a team sport and you always hear coaches preaching about how the team is bigger than the player. You always want players giving their full effort and sacrificing individual acknowledgement for the team. In Super Bowl 36, the Patriots elected to be introduced as a team rather than as individual players. The ultimate goal of the game is to win a Super Bowl. I understand both sides of the argument, but this raised my eyebrows.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82a21343/article/ladainian-tomlinson-hall-of-fame-over-super-bowl?module=HP11_headline_stack

HoF I would think would be the true pinnacle. As the article said guys like David Carr have a SB Ring. SB says your team was great for a year. HoF says you were great for a lifetime.

[21isSuperman]

HoF I would think would be the true pinnacle. As the article said guys like David Carr have a SB Ring. SB says your team was great for a year. HoF says you were great for a lifetime.

Ask most players if they would prefer to have a Super Bowl ring or a HOF bust and they will mostly answer with the Super Bowl ring. I've heard many QBs say they are more happy to throw for 150 yards in a win than 400 yards in a loss; they put the team's achievements above their own

[TAPLOOK]

I never liked him. I felt he was self centered cry baby.

[Gavin]

Ask most players if they would prefer to have a Super Bowl ring or a HOF bust and they will mostly answer with the Super Bowl ring. I've heard many QBs say they are more happy to throw for 150 yards in a win than 400 yards in a loss; they put the team's achievements above their own

Part of that is do to most players wont get in the hall of fame, yes most players wont win a super bowl, Jim Kelly never won a super bowl and he is in the hall of fame, the hall of fame says you were one of the best at your position and of all time, winning a super bowl is a team accomplishment not an individual one, Im sure Jim would have loved to win a super bowl as well as Tomlinson but neither had the team that got the job done but it certainly wasnt because they werent good enough to get it done not to mention all the hard work, all the yards and time they put into be one of the best at there position and having it pay off with a hall of fame election and an eventual hall of fame election says more about the greatness of the individual in spite of the teams and adversity they had to go through to achieve hall of fame status, Just one of the other ways of looking at it, who knows if thats his thought process about it

[21isSuperman]

Part of that is do to most players wont get in the hall of fame, yes most players wont win a super bowl, Jim Kelly never won a super bowl and he is in the hall of fame, the hall of fame says you were one of the best at your position and of all time, winning a super bowl is a team accomplishment not an individual one, Im sure Jim would have loved to win a super bowl as well as Tomlinson but neither had the team that got the job done but it certainly wasnt because they werent good enough to get it done not to mention all the hard work, all the yards and time they put into be one of the best at there position and having it pay off with a hall of fame election and an eventual hall of fame election says more about the greatness of the individual in spite of the teams and adversity they had to go through to achieve hall of fame status, Just one of the other ways of looking at it, who knows if thats his thought process about it

Yeah, I understand both sides of it. Imagine if Cam Newton had said the same thing before being drafted, that he would rather be a HOFer than win a Super Bowl. Critics and analysts would have ripped him to shreds.

[Jules]

I never liked him. I felt he was self centered cry baby.

Pretty much how I always felt.

[Gavin]

Yeah, I understand both sides of it. Imagine if Cam Newton had said the same thing before being drafted, that he would rather be a HOFer than win a Super Bowl. Critics and analysts would have ripped him to shreds.

Probably but he still has plenty of years to win one (Newton), Tomlinsons done

[IndyTrav]

Yeah, I understand both sides of it. Imagine if Cam Newton had said the same thing before being drafted, that he would rather be a HOFer than win a Super Bowl. Critics and analysts would have ripped him to shreds.

I guess it would depend on the context. One would also indicate the other as well. Meaning if your a HoF player that gives every indication that you did everything you could do to get to a SB. You did your part, others didn't.

I wonder if 2nd/3rd tier players would trade the ring for a bust. But I don't think any HoF player would give up a bust for a ring.

There are just to many varying factors in winning a SB to put it on any one player.

[Jules]

LT is likely just taking the heat off the fact that he never won a SB and people sometimes put down his big game performances and antics at times.

[21isSuperman]

I guess it would depend on the context. One would also indicate the other as well. Meaning if your a HoF player that gives every indication that you did everything you could do to get to a SB. You did your part, others didn't.

I wonder if 2nd/3rd tier players would trade the ring for a bust. But I don't think any HoF player would give up a bust for a ring.

There are just to many varying factors in winning a SB to put it on any one player.

That's hard to say. Marino is always called the best player to never win a Super Bowl. I'm sure he probably gets tired of hearing that. I don't know if he would give up his HOF status for one, but I'm sure he isn't satisfied without a Super Bowl ring.

LT is likely just taking the heat off the fact that he never won a SB and people sometimes put down his big game performances and antics at times.

I never got why people compare big game performances. I've heard many players say that when you play in the Super Bowl, you only think "wow, I'm in the Super Bowl" for the first few plays and after that, it becomes a regular game. It's something that appears in statistics because we make it, but I don't think there's anything solid behind it. There is nothing in a player that says "I have a history of choking in big games and since it's the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl, I'm going to fumble the ball". If a QB fumbles with 2 mins left in a regular season game and they lose, but still end up with a 13-3 record, no one remembers it. If that same QB fumbles with 2 mins left in the Super Bowl and they lose, they say he choked in the big game even though playing in a big game had nothing to do with the player's performance

[Superman]

I never got why people compare big game performances. I've heard many players say that when you play in the Super Bowl, you only think "wow, I'm in the Super Bowl" for the first few plays and after that, it becomes a regular game. It's something that appears in statistics because we make it, but I don't think there's anything solid behind it. There is nothing in a player that says "I have a history of choking in big games and since it's the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl, I'm going to fumble the ball". If a QB fumbles with 2 mins left in a regular season game and they lose, but still end up with a 13-3 record, no one remembers it. If that same QB fumbles with 2 mins left in the Super Bowl and they lose, they say he choked in the big game even though playing in a big game had nothing to do with the player's performance

I agree. Add to that the fact that, in the big games, you're playing against better teams. I think the whole "clutch" idea is massively overstated in sports anymore.

[21isSuperman]

I agree. Add to that the fact that, in the big games, you're playing against better teams. I think the whole "clutch" idea is massively overstated in sports anymore.

I get it if it's one play (like Vinatieri's Super Bowl kicks), but not an entire game. Your mindset quickly reverts from Super Bowl to regular game after a few plays.

[Superman]

I get it if it's one play (like Vinatieri's Super Bowl kicks), but not an entire game. Your mindset quickly reverts from Super Bowl to regular game after a few plays.

I think it's more relevant to a basketball player, or a closer in baseball, or a kicker, I guess (although the team has to get the kicker on the field in the first place). But if your line sucks, or your receiver drops the ball, or you get hit while trying to throw, how is that evidence that you're not "clutch," or a "big game player"? To me, most of the "clutch" moments in big games in football have more to do with being in the right place at the right time.

More impressive to me is a player's ability to consistently rise to the occasion late in games to make winning plays, like Vinatieri's kicks, or Tom Brady on the final drive of the Rams Super Bowl (even though he and the offense stunk before that drive, which no one ever mentions), or Manning and the Colts winning all those games with 4th quarter comebacks, etc. But just winning games in the postseason (or losing them) doesn't make a player "clutch," or a "big game player," or vice versa. Not to me.

[southwest1]

I think it's more relevant to a basketball player, or a closer in baseball, or a kicker, I guess (although the team has to get the kicker on the field in the first place). But if your line sucks, or your receiver drops the ball, or you get hit while trying to throw, how is that evidence that you're not "clutch," or a "big game player"? To me, most of the "clutch" moments in big games in football have more to do with being in the right place at the right time.

More impressive to me is a player's ability to consistently rise to the occasion late in games to make winning plays, like Vinatieri's kicks, or Tom Brady on the final drive of the Rams Super Bowl (even though he and the offense stunk before that drive, which no one ever mentions), or Manning and the Colts winning all those games with 4th quarter comebacks, etc. But just winning games in the postseason (or losing them) doesn't make a player "clutch," or a "big game player," or vice versa. Not to me.

I agree with the majority of what you said Superman. However, I never put kickers even Vinatieri in that category. Yes, he sealed the final nail in the Rams coffin against the Rams in 2001 during their first SB victory. I readily admit that. But, kickers to me are not real football players. They never sweat through practices & I expect them to make all field goals. Kickers don't take a beating on the field like linemen, pass rushers, & LB's do. Kickers play a vital role in game success no doubt, but their are too pampered in my view personally.

[Superman]

I agree with the majority of what you said Superman. However, I never put kickers even Vinatieri in that category. Yes, he sealed the final nail in the Rams coffin against the Rams in 2001 during their first SB victory. I readily admit that. But, kickers to me are not real football players. They never sweat through practices & I expect them to make all field goals. Kickers don't take a beating on the field like linemen, pass rushers, & LB's do. Kickers play a vital role in game success no doubt, but their are too pampered in my view personally.

I understand what you mean about kickers, overall. But they are counted on to make big kicks from time to time, and there are some kickers who consistently make the game-winning kicks, and there are others who consistently fail to come through. So, for what their role is, there's still a differentiation to make between guys like Vinatieri and Rob Bironas, and so on (Mike Vanderjagt was in this category for a while), and guys like Nick Folk, Billy Cundiff, or the infamous Scott Norwood (Vanderjagt wound up in this category after 2005).

[Jules]

I think it's more relevant to a basketball player, or a closer in baseball, or a kicker, I guess (although the team has to get the kicker on the field in the first place). But if your line sucks, or your receiver drops the ball, or you get hit while trying to throw, how is that evidence that you're not "clutch," or a "big game player"? To me, most of the "clutch" moments in big games in football have more to do with being in the right place at the right time.

More impressive to me is a player's ability to consistently rise to the occasion late in games to make winning plays, like Vinatieri's kicks, or Tom Brady on the final drive of the Rams Super Bowl (even though he and the offense stunk before that drive, which no one ever mentions), or Manning and the Colts winning all those games with 4th quarter comebacks, etc. But just winning games in the postseason (or losing them) doesn't make a player "clutch," or a "big game player," or vice versa. Not to me.

Which is precisely why Eli Manning is developing the reputation he has now of being "clutch." Fair or not. He has come through a few times in big games in the end. And yes it is a team sport but he has head to head wins now some brag over Brady twice, Favre and Rodgers in the playoffs.

I understand everything you guys are saying. I am not saying I myself criticize LdT a lot for his big games. My dislike of him has been more of not really liking him as a person really. To each their own I guess in terms of who we all connect with in the NFL and don't connect with. I never felt a connection with Tomlinson as a fan.

Just have to be realistic. History loves postseason great game winning drives, plays and moments good or bad, even if everyone tries not to put too much stock in the playoffs in terms of individuals.The moments we have hung our heads down lowest and cheered the loudest are likely due to the playoffs and the fate of the team we are cheering for too.

[21isSuperman]

And to counter LT's previous comments, here is Fitzgerald (with that I would think more people would expect as the "right" answer)

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82a30bac/article/larry-fitzgerald-seeks-title-not-top-100-ranking?module=HP11_headline_stack

"I've completed 8 NFL seasons, while I am somewhat satisfied with personal achievements, I have come close only once to achieving the ultimate team goal," Fitzgerald wrote. "Being a productive WR is no longer enough. I've grown into a position of leadership as a Cardinals team captain and have tried to expand my role as a mentor and example for our core of young players.

"My sincere hope is that we can get back to the playoffs on a regular basis and become Super Bowl Champions."