On Pro Football

Hector Longo

All eyes will focus on Qualcomm Stadium Sunday night. A football nation sits poised to see for itself how far the giant has fallen.

No, not your Tom Brady-less New England Patriots. The giant in question is San Diego Charger running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Eight years into his Hall of Fame career, Tomlinson might be Eddie George-ing; that is, hitting a wall abruptly at age 29.

In Norv Turner's wide-open offense through five games, Tomlinson is averaging 3.7 yards a carry, and a yard-and-a-half off his 2007 and '06 season averages (4.7 and 5.2, respectively) and well below his career mark of 4.5.

Like the former Titans' standout George, Tomlinson's career looks to be dissipating at the global warming-enhanced rate of the melting polar icecap.

Hence the importance of the Sunday nighter between the 3-1 Pats and the 2-3 Chargers.

No better stage for LT to quell the naysayers currently exists.

"They've got one of the best fronts in football when you look across the board: (Vince) Wilfork, (Richard) Seymour, (Ty) Warren, (Mike) Vrabel, (Adalius) Thomas," said Tomlinson, who averages 66.2 yards on the ground and 16.9 yards receiving per game, well below his sparkling career total yards per game average of 124.5. "You look at those guys and they're as good as anybody in the league."

New England's last image of Tomlinson emanates from last January's AFC title game, in which LT, bundled up in a Chargers puff parka, watched his club's Super Bowl aspirations wither away.

He started and gained five yards on two carries before a leg injury sent LT to the bench for the duration. And we all remember Turner charging to his star's defense, stating that Tomlinson "just couldn't go" because of "what he felt."

Scoring four TDs in his club's first five games, Tomlinson hasn't approached his previous standards. Old by running back standards, he's showing more and more evidence of breaking down.

"LT had a good game against Carolina in Week 1. They are a good run defense and LT had an outstanding game (21 carries, 97 yards)," said Turner. "He had some physical runs, had some slashing runs and looked awfully good. Unfortunately in the fourth quarter of that game he hurt his toe. He hyperextended it, turf toe, whatever you want to call it, it's swollen and it's sore."

Durability is a gigantic part of the package, especially if your eye is on the Hall at Canton with the greatness that surrounds it.

"As a runner you need pretty much everything that you have as far as your legs are concerned: Feet, toes, knees, hamstrings, all that kind of stuff," said Tomlinson, a five-time Pro-Bowler. "Obviously when you hurt one part of it, as a runner, it hurts you.

"But it's football and as long as I've been playing there's no way that I can expect to not ever be hurt. But I've got to play through it and that's just part of being a football player."

Tomlinson should be angry, or at least hungry, as he preps for the Patriots, against whom he is 2-4 in his career with three straight losses.

He enters off an horrendous 12-carry, 35-yard performance in a 17-10 loss to the Dolphins.

"It's a combination of everything, obviously starting with me," said Tomlinson, who was much quicker at sharing the burden of underachievement then he was hitting the holes against Miami linebackers. "When there's room to run, obviously there's room to run. You can run through holes when things are lined up for you, and sometimes when they're not. The opportunities have to be there also."

Turner, already feeling the heat from last year's playoff exit and the 2-3 start, couldn't be too comfortable after hearing that.

The coach only half-heartedly agreed, noting: "We need to get him those 25 carries (a game)."

As Tomlinson goes, so go the Charger hopes. Philip Rivers is no Brady. He's a complement, not a cornerstone. And Darren Sproles has quickly proven that he won't be the full-time answer.

It appears the Chargers' championship window is closing. Only LT can do something about it.

He's got the perfect opportunity to start Sunday night.

LT vs. the Patriots

Year%Result%Rushes%Yards%Catches%Yards

2001%NE 29-26%24%74%3%13

2002%SD 21-14%27%217%4%20

2005%SD 41-17%25%134%3%34

2006 playoffs%NE 24-21%23%123%2%64

2007%NE 38-14%18%43%4%15

2007 playoffs%NE 21-12%2%5%1%1