LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Thomas Jones

[Irish Jet]

I never had any doubt that LT would be able to run through the same gigantic holes that Jones did. He had no holes the last couple years in San Diego. Even Sproles couldn't crack 4 YPC last season. What has surprised me has been Tomlinson's explosiveness. LT at 31 is better than the Dancing Bear at 27, or however old he was when we made that terrible trade.

Honestly, LT didn't look any better than Jones in San Diego. The explosiveness was gone and he never made anyone miss - I now believe those toe injuries which I thought at the time were more to do with LT's ego, were 100% legit. Phil Simms, as much abuse as he gets on here, made a great point in that he's running every play like it's his last and he's shows so much emotion after every big run. Running through people, past people, spin moves etc. It's unreal - That leap over the offensive line to finish off the Pats was something special. He'll never be what he was (One of the greatest ever) but he's damn sure trying. He's already one of my favorite Jets, man how I wish we could have had him in his prime. Such an awesome player. Also

As for Thomas Jones. He can go **** himself. Overrated princess that he was.

[Matt39]

on what planet?

Watch the kid run. Vision, speed, cutback ability, pass catching ability is pretty much the same as Chris Johnson. He just has a jack a$$ coach.

[Boozer76]

In a vacuum, no. Past few years? Quite possibly.

Jones can consistently take the rock 30 times per game, and with almost zero chance that he will cough it up. Is his YPC going to be low? Well, yes, obviously. How are you going to keep a high average with that many carries per game unless you're Chris Johnson or something. But again, there's a hell of a lot more to a running back than YPC, or catching passes for that matter. I don't get the obsession with pass catching, it's nice, but it's a luxury. Give me a back that will get me 3 yards and a cloud of dust over and over again any day.

I mean, it's ridiculous that Jones can be viewed SO negatively at this point when he led the AFC in yards and carries. He's a warrior. Flashy doesn't always win you games.

3 yards and a cloud of dust is acceptable if the OL isn't giving much in the way of running lanes. 3 yards and a cloud of dust sucks when the OL opens up a huge hole and the RB opts to just fall down after going through it because he's incapable of making a LB miss and drops at the first sign of contact. LT gets us that same 3 yards and a cloud, he just also can make something happen after that point far more often. And calling a RB who can catch a "luxury" in today's game is grossly misstated. That RB could be the difference from getting 5 yards on a pass vs losing 5 yards on a sack. If your RB can't be an option in the passing game a young QB such as ours is going to take alot more sacks.

[The Troll]

Watch the kid run. Vision, speed, cutback ability, pass catching ability is pretty much the same as Chris Johnson. He just has a jack a$$ coach.

I tend to agree.

Although I think Johnson is slightly more talented, he's also in a much better situation. His coach is not a complete moron, and actually feeds him the ball 25 times a game. He has a better offensive line. And having a scrambling Jesse behind center forces defenses to also account for the QB's legs. Put Charles in Tennessee and give him CJ's workload, and I think he'd put up comparable numbers.

[Matt39]

I tend to agree.

Although I think Johnson is slightly more talented, he's also in a much better situation. His coach is not a complete moron, and actually feeds him the ball 25 times a game. He has a better offensive line. And having a scrambling Jesse behind center forces defenses to also account for the QB's legs. Put Charles in Tennessee and give him CJ's workload, and I think he'd put up comparable numbers.

Not to mention, he's on my fantasy team.

[The Troll]

Not to mention, he's on my fantasy team.

I dodged that bullet and only stuck to for sure beasts like Jonathan Stewart and Marion Barber.

God damnit.

[Irish Jet]

I tend to agree.

Although I think Johnson is slightly more talented, he's also in a much better situation. His coach is not a complete moron, and actually feeds him the ball 25 times a game. He has a better offensive line. And having a scrambling Jesse behind center forces defenses to also account for the QB's legs. Put Charles in Tennessee and give him CJ's workload, and I think he'd put up comparable numbers.

And they're still inferior to Peterson.

[serphnx]

Honestly, LT didn't look any better than Jones in San Diego. The explosiveness was gone and he never made anyone miss - I now believe those toe injuries which I thought at the time were more to do with LT's ego, were 100% legit. Phil Simms, as much abuse as he gets on here, made a great point in that he's running every play like it's his last and he's shows so much emotion after every big run. Running through people, past people, spin moves etc. It's unreal - That leap over the offensive line to finish off the Pats was something special. He'll never be what he was (One of the greatest ever) but he's damn sure trying. He's already one of my favorite Jets, man how I wish we could have had him in his prime. Such an awesome player. Also

As for Thomas Jones. He can go **** himself. Overrated princess that he was.

I had the fortune of watching LT play for 3 years while I was in San Diego, from 2005-2008, which were his best statistical years. That is why I still believed in the guy and blamed his crummy O-line. I was so stoked when LT signed with the Jets and if you remember I've been saying how good he'll be and that he'll take over the starting job. The guy is a beast and he pretty much carried Rivers for years and helped him develop into a top passer.

You better believe Sanchez is getting a ton of advice from LT. LT is going to probably become a fantastic coach in this league when he retires, his understanding of the passing game and NFL offenses is phenomenal. Personally I think if they had him coach instead of Norv Turner, especially when Brees was on that team, they'd probably have won an SB. Hell, a LT-Brees tandem probably knows more about offense than most HCs in this league.

One thing about LT though, he doesn't really have that much wear on his body because he rarely ever got hit hard. Actually I would always joke about the old LT trick of tripping and falling at the line. He used to do that about 4-5 times a game, but for some reason as a Jet he doesn't even do that anymore. Probably because this O-line is better and he's being used more intelligently. Norv Turner...is pretty good for pass offense I guess, but he always seemed kind of a retard to me as well.

Wait until Schotty starts letting LT really go at the goal line. LT can rush for TDs, but he also catches and even throws for them. We don't really need him to throw, but it's nice to have that option and he can easily throw 2-3 TDs a year.

But the biggest benefit is just having him back there for a young QB like Sanchez. LT is a total safety net. Sanchez pretty much knows that worst case scenario, he probably will have LT as a checkdown for 5 yards.

[The Troll]

And they're still inferior to Peterson.

I agree with that as well.

[SenorGato]

Peterson was a legend before he hit the NFL.