The Cowboys said good-bye to the greatest running back of the 1990s. Now the San Diego Chargers say good-bye to the greatest runner of the 2000s.
LaDainian Tomlinson has gone the way of Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, having been released by the Chargers on Monday with his career winding down.
And it's winding down fast.
For the first time in his nine-year career, Tomlinson failed to rush for 1,000 yards. His 223 carries, 730 yards, 3.3-yard average and 20 receptions were all career lows.
The wall for running backs historically has been 30 years of age when productivity begins that steep, rapid and inevitable decline. Tomlinson turned 30 last June and has now gone 23 consecutive games without a 100-yard performance.
The Chargers renegotiated his contract last March to make Tomlinson more salary cap-friendly. But even with no salary cap in place in 2010, the Chargers decided it was time for a divorce from their all-time leading rusher.
Tomlinson signed an eight-year contract in 2004 that made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL at $50.5 million. The deal was to keep him in a San Diego uniform through the 2011 season.
Since then, Tomlinson has won two NFL rushing titles and gone to three Pro Bowls. He set a league record with 31 touchdowns in 2006 and moved into eighth-place on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He was crowned the league's MVP in 2006 and named to the NFL all-decade team this winter.
But Tomlinson didn't get to 2010 with the Chargers, much less 2011.
Smith rushed for 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Cowboys. But that streak came to an end in 2002 when Smith gained only 975 yards. The Cowboys released the NFL's all-time leading rusher that off-season.
It's a cruel business. When a back stops posting elite statistics, his team stops paying him elite dollars. His release by the Cowboys didn't slow Smith's trek to the Hall of Fame. And Tomlinson's release by the Chargers isn't likely to slow his trek to Canton, either.
Copyright 2007 - MOP Squad Sports
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